The Polyphony Database
polyphonydatabase@gmail.com
About the database❯
PolyphonyDatabase.com is a detailed catalogue of early music sources designed to help musicians perform, academics study, and enthusiasts explore a vast and glorious repertoire quickly and easily. It aims to combine the practicality of CPDL with the academic rigour and ambition of the RISM census, to make use of similar projects where possible, and to directly combat the frustrations performing musicians have with all existing resources.
Its three main goals are:
- To assist performers, directors, and editors by cataloguing the contents of primary sources, source concordances, and basic information about how each piece of music can be performed.
- To provide a reliable starting point for academic research by linking to library catalogues, other existing databases, and facsimile images of early music manuscripts and prints.
- To provide a repository for properly sourced critical editions, performing scores, and recordings of as much of this music as possible, each carefully vetted for typesetting quality and accuracy, and made available for free download, so that this music might be discovered and appreciated by a wider audience.
The database was founded by Francis Bevan in 2014 as an outlet for his editing hobby and is regularly updated by him and a small team of enthusiasts. If you would like to contribute some cataloguing time, recordings or editions, submit corrections, commission an edition or just donate some cash, please get in touch with Francis via email: polyphonydatabase@gmail.com. Read more about the project's history at the 2018 Crowdfunder page.
The best way to help fund the project is to commission performing editions. New editions can be made quickly for as little as £10.
Understanding the clef images
A red clef means the voice is missing from this source. Where there are no concordances to fill in the gaps, this means the piece will require reconstruction.
A green clef means the voice is incomplete in this source. This might denote a fragment of a larger work, or a e.g. canonic voice that isn't written out in full.
A faded clef means much of the piece can be performed without this voice. For example, an extra 6th voice in the Agnus Dei of an otherwise 5vv Mass setting, or a short gimel in a big votive antiphon. Filtering by number of voices will exclude these clefs, while filtering by a specific voice combination will include them.
A blue clef denotes a voice that uses more than one clef in this source - this is particularly prevalent in earlier printed sources. We've estimated the larger clef on the left to be the most used to give an idea of voice distribution at a glance.
An X clef is used as a placeholder for voices we know are necessary, but haven't yet worked out which! This can be because there are no extant sources for a missing voice and no reconstruction has yet been attempted (it will normally become obvious which voice is missing once editing starts), or because we have catalogued a source from an incomplete facsimile that we know to be complete elsewhere.
Title |
Function(s) |
Composer |
# |
Sources |
Beati pauperes spiritu - Beati qui persecutionem
|
|
Rossetto, Stefano
fl.1560–1580
|
6 |
Novae quaedam sacrae cantiones, quas ... (RISM R2730)
Novae quaedam sacrae cantiones, quas vulgo motetas vocant, quinque et sex vocum, ita compositae, ut ad omnis generis instrumenta attemperari possint
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Dietrich, 1573
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#18
|
|
Attrib: Stephano Roseto |
4vv prima pars, 6vv secunda pars |
|
Beati pauperes spiritu - Beati qui persecutionem
Pothárn Imre (SATTB)
|
|
Willaert, Adrian
c.1490–1562
|
5 |
Musica nova di Adriano VVillaert
(RISM W1126)
Venice: Gardano, Antonio, 1559
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#8
|
|
Attrib: Adriano VVillaert |
|
(I-MOe C.313)
Modena, c.1560
(Partbook, MS)
#14
|
|
Attrib: Adrianus W |
|
Moteta quatuor, quinque, et sex vocum... (RISM W1128a)
Moteta quatuor, quinque, et sex vocum, nunc primum in lucem edita. Liber primus
Leuven: Phalèse the Elder, Pierre, 1561
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#8
|
|
Attrib: Hadriani VVillaert |
|
(D-Sl 2)
Stuttgart: Chamerhueber, Johann, 1564
(Choirbook, MS)
#10
|
|
Attrib: Vuillart |
|
|
Beati quei, ch'ottengono perdono
|
|
Croce, Giovanni
c.1557–1609
|
6 |
|
Beati qui ad caenam nuptiarum
|
|
Massaino, Tiburtio
before 1550–after 1608
|
5 |
|
Beati qui custodiunt
|
|
Merulo, Claudio
1533–1604
|
4 |
|
Beati qui habitant
|
|
Verdelot, Philippe
c.1480-1485–?1530/1532
|
5 |
(I-Bc Q.27 Iº)
Bologna, c.1525-c.1550
(Partbook, MS)
#5
|
|
Attrib: Verdelhot |
|
|
Beati qui habitant in domo
Pothárn Imre
|
|
Monte, Philippe de
1521–1603
|
5 |
Sacrarum cantionum cum quinque vocibu... (RISM M3313)
Sacrarum cantionum cum quinque vocibus quae vulgo motetta nuncupantur Liber Tertius
Venice: Scotto, Girolamo, 1574
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#14
|
|
Attrib: Philippi de Monte |
|
Harmoniae miscellae cantionum sacraru... (RISM 1583/2)
Harmoniae miscellae cantionum sacrarum, ab exquisitissimis aetatis nostrae musicis cum quinque & sex vocibus concinnatae, pleraeque omnes novae, necdum in Germania typis scriptae: nunc autem editae studio Leonardi Lechneri Athesini
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Katharina, 1583
(Partbook, Print)
#17
|
|
Attrib: Philippus de Monte |
|
(GB-CF D/DP Z6/1)
Chelmsford, c.1590
(Partbook, MS)
RISM
#48
|
|
Attrib: Philippus de Monte |
|
|
Beati qui habitant in domo
|
|
Merulo, Claudio
1533–1604
|
4 |
|
Beati qui persecutionem patiuntur - Gaudete et exsultate
|
|
Buus, Jacques
c.1500–1565
|
4 |
|
Beati qui sufferunt
|
|
Schelvius, Joannes
|
4 |
Liber secundus ecclesiasticarum canti... (RISM 1553/9)
Liber secundus ecclesiasticarum cantionum quatuor vocum vulgo moteta vocant, tam ex Veteri quam ex Novo Testamento, ab optimis quibusque huius aetatis musicis compositarum antea nunquam excusus
Antwerp: Susato, Tylman, 1553
(Partbook, Print)
#19
|
|
Attrib: Ioannes scheluius |
|
|
Beati quorum remissae sunt
Pothárn Imre (S(S)ATTB)
|
|
Lassus, Orlande de
c.1532–1594
|
5 |
|
Beati quorum remissae sunt - Delictum meum cognitium
|
|
Cleve, Johannes de
1528–1582
|
4 |
|
Beati quorum remissae sunt - Delictum meum cognitium
|
|
Colin, Pierre
fl.1538–1572
|
5 |
|
Beati quorum remissae sunt - Delictum meum cognitium - Intellectum tibi dabo - Multa flagella peccatoris
|
|
Utendal, Alexander
c.1530-1540–1581
|
4 |
|
Beati quorum remissae sunt - Delictum meum cognitium - Tu es refugium meum
|
|
Madelka, Simon Bar Jona
d.1597-1599
|
5 |
|
Beati quorum remissae sunt - Delictum meum cognitium - Tu es refugium meum - In camo et freno
|
|
Gabrieli, Andrea
1532/1533–1585
|
6 |
|
Beati quorum remissae sunt - Delictum meum cognitium - Veruntamen in diluvio
|
|
Reiner, Jacob
before 1560–1606
|
3 |
|
Beati quorum remissae sunt - Tu es refugium - Gloria patri
|
|
Lambertini, Giovanni Tomaso
fl.1545–1580
|
4 |
|
Beati quorum remissae sunt - Verumtatamen in diluvio - In camo et freno
|
|
Josquin Desprez
c.1450–1521
|
5 |
|
Beatissimae Raimunde pater sanctissime
|
|
Nanino, Giovanni Maria
1543/1544–1607
|
6 |
|
Beatissimae Virginis Mariae
|
BVM |
Varotto, Michele
before 1550–?1599
|
5 |
|
Beatissimus Marcus
|
St Mark |
Gualtieri, Antonio
d.1649/1650
|
9 |
|
Beatissimus Marcus - Accepto evangelio
|
St Mark |
Zarlino, Gioseffo
1517–1590
|
5 |
Musici quinque vocum moduli, motecta ... (RISM Z99)
Musici quinque vocum moduli, motecta vulgo nuncupata opus nunquam alias typis excusum, ac nuper accuratissime in lucem aeditum. Liber Primus
Venice: Gardano, Antonio, 1549
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#10
|
|
Attrib: Iosephi Zarlini |
|
Thematic catalogue. MS destroyed in 1944 (I-TVd 6)
Treviso: d'Alessi, Giovanni, 1560-1568
(Choirbook, MS)
#34
|
|
Attrib: Josefo Zarlino |
Thematic catalogue, first phrase only |
|
Beato me direi se mi mostrasse vostr'alma
|
|
Rore, Cipriano de
1515/1516–1565
|
4 |
|
Beatus Achacius - Concedesque eis
Nancho Alvarez
|
|
Guerrero, Francisco
1528–1599
|
5 |
Sacrae cantiones, vulgo moteta nuncup... (RISM G4867)
Sacrae cantiones, vulgo moteta nuncupata, quatuor et quinque vocum
[Seville]: Montedosca, Martin de, 1555
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#30
|
|
Attrib: francisci Guerrero |
|
|