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 |
Von Himmel hoch da komm ich her
|
|
Walter, Johann
1496–1570
|
3 |
|
Von himmel hoch - Das sol euch
|
|
Figulus, Wolfgang
c.1525–1589
|
4 |
Vetera nova, carmina sacra et selecta... (RISM 1575/2)
Vetera nova, carmina sacra et selecta, de natali Domini nostri Iesu Christi, a diversis musicis composita, quatuor vocum. Zwantzig artige und kurtze Weynacht Liedlein, alt und neu, mit sonderm Fleis zusammen gebracht mit vier Stimmen
Frankfurt: Eichhorn, Johann, 1575
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#12
|
|
Attrib: Volfgangus Figulus |
|
|
Von üppiglichen Dingen - Da fam sein Bruder Steffan - Da reget sich hinwider - Der Amptman war unfridig
|
|
Meiland, Jacob
1542–1577
|
5 |
|
Vorrei donna scoprirvi
|
|
Pallavicino, Germano
|
4 |
Liber secundus Gemma musicalis: Selec... (RISM 1589/8)
Liber secundus Gemma musicalis: Selectissimas varii stili cantiones, quae madrigali et napolitane Italis dicuntur, quatuor, quinque, sex & plurimum vocum, continens
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Katharina and Lindner, Friedrich, 1589
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#59
|
|
Attrib: Germano Pallavicino |
|
|
Vorrei lagnarmi a pieno - S'io taccio
|
|
Anon
|
5 |
|
Vorrei lasso esser la terra
|
|
Merulo, Claudio
1533–1604
|
5 |
|
Vorrei l'orecchia haver - Amor alza le voci
|
|
Monte, Philippe de
1521–1603
|
5 |
|
Vorrei mostrar madonna
|
|
Pallavicino, Benedetto
c.1551–1601
|
6 |
Sambrook book (US-NYp Drexel 4302)
London: Tregian, Francis (ii), 1613-1619
(Score, MS)
RISM
#191
|
|
Attrib: Benedetto Pallavicino |
|
|
Vorria che tu cantassi una canzona - Vorria toccassi sempre - Ch’io cantre ria
|
|
Jeune, Claude le
c.1528–1600
|
4 |
|
Vorria morire per uscir di guai
|
|
Waelrant, Hubert
c.1517–1595
|
4 |
Gemma musicalis: Selectissimas varii ... (RISM 1588/21)
Gemma musicalis: Selectissimas varii stili cantiones (vulgo Italis madrigali et napolitane dicuntur) quatuor, quinque, sex et plurium vocum continens: quae ex diversis praetantissimorum musicorum libellis, in Italia excusis, decerptae, & in gratiam utriusque musicae studiosorum, uni quasi corpori insertae & in lucem editae sunt, studio & opera Friderici Linderi lignicensis. Liber primus
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Katharina and Lindner, Friedrich, 1588
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#64
|
|
Attrib: Huberto Vuaelrant |
|
|
Vos ad se pueri
|
|
Anon
|
2 |
|
Vos ad se pueri [II]
|
|
Anon
|
2 |
|
Vos amici mei
|
|
Felis, Stefano
c.1550–1603
|
5 |
|
Vos amici mei estis
|
|
Massaino, Tiburtio
before 1550–after 1608
|
7 |
|
Vos amici mei estis
|
|
Massaino, Tiburtio
before 1550–after 1608
|
5 |
|
Vos amici mei estis
|
|
Handl, Jacob (Gallus)
1550–1591
|
4 |
Quartus tomus musici operis harmoniar... (RISM H1985)
Quartus tomus musici operis harmoniarum quatuor, quinque, sex, octo et plurium vicum, quae ex sancto catholicae ecclesiae usu ita sunt dispositae, ut omni tempore inservire queant
Prague: Nigrinus, Georg, 1590
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#111
|
|
Attrib: Iacobo Hándl |
|
|
Vos amici mei estis
|
|
Baccusi, Ippolito
c.1550–1609
|
5 |
|
Vos enim in libertatem
|
|
Corfini, Jacopo
c.1540–1591
|
8 |
|
Vos estis sal terrae - Vos amici mei estis
|
|
Buissons, Michael-Charles des
fl.1560–1570
|
5 |
|
Vos estis sal terrae - Vos amici mei estis
|
|
Duc, Filippo
c.1550–after 1586
|
5 |
|
Vos mea magnanimi
|
|
Hollander, Christian
c.1510-1515–1568/1569
|
8 |
|
Vos omnes sancti
|
|
Marenzio, Luca
1553/1554–1599
Molinaro, Simone
c.1570–after 1633
|
6 |
|
Vos prima Christi
|
|
Porta, Costanzo
c.1528–1601
|
4 |
|
Vos quibus purae est amor aequitatis - Quippe qui isti est - Hunc et occasus - At quod arcana sibi - Quippe qui caecos - At Deus iustos
|
|
Servin, Jean
c.1530–after 1595
|
5 |
|
Vos quibus rector
|
|
Lassus, Orlande de
c.1532–1594
|
6 |
Magnum opus musicum ... Complectens o... (RISM L1019)
Magnum opus musicum ... Complectens omnes cantiones quas motetas vulgo vocant, tam antea editas quam hactenus nondum publicatas II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. IIX. IX. X. XII. vocum a Ferdinando serenissimi bavariae ducis maximiliani musicorum praefecto, & Rudolpho, eidem Principi ab Organis; Authoris filiis summo studio collectum, & impensis eorundem Typis mandatum
Munich: Heinrich, Nikolaus, 1604
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#470
|
|
Attrib: Orlandi de Lasso |
|
|