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 |
Voyez le tort d'amour et de fortune
|
|
Sandrin, Pierre (Regnault)
c.1490–after1560
|
4 |
|
Voz huys sont ilz tous fermés
|
|
Nicolas, ?Guillaume
fl.1533–1578
|
6 |
|
Vrai Dieu d'amours
|
|
Anon
|
6 |
|
Vrai Dieu d'amours maudit soit la journé
|
|
Mouton, Jean
before 1459–1522
|
5 |
|
Vrai Dieu disoit
|
|
Lassus, Orlande de
c.1532–1594
|
4 |
Le quatoirsiesme livre a quatre parti... (RISM 1555/19)
Le quatoirsiesme livre a quatre parties contenant dixhuyct chansons italiennes, six chansons francoises, & six motetz faictz (a la nouvelle composition d'aucuns d'Italie) par Rolando di Lassus nouvellement imprimé...
Antwerp: Susato, Tylman, 1555
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#19
|
|
Attrib: Rolando di Lassus |
|
Tiers livre des chansons a quatre cin... (RISM L764)
Tiers livre des chansons a quatre cincq et six parties novellement composez par Orlando di Lassus. Convenables tant aux instrumentez comme à la Voix
Leuven: Phalèse the Elder, Pierre, 1560
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#6
|
|
Attrib: Orlando di Lassus |
|
Mellange d'Orlande de Lassus, contena... (RISM L834)
Mellange d'Orlande de Lassus, contenant plusieurs chansons, tant en vers latins qu'en ryme francoyses. A quatre, cinc, six, huit, dix, parties
Paris: Ballard, Robert (i) and Le Roy, Adrian, 1570
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#29
|
|
Attrib: Orlande |
|
|
Vrai Dieu qu'amoureux on de peine
|
|
Mouton, Jean
before 1459–1522
|
6 |
|
Vrai dieu que amoureux on de paine
|
|
Lupi, Johannes
c.1506–1539
|
4 |
|
Vrai diu d'amor chi me confortera
|
|
Ostia, Petrus de
|
4 |
|
Vray dieu d'amours mauldict soyt la journée
|
|
Jacotin
|
4 |
|
Vray Dieu d'amours/Sancte Joannes Baptista
|
|
Japart, Jean
fl.1476–1481
|
5 |
|
Vray Dieu las que ferai je
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Vray dieu qui me confortera
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Vueillent ou non les envieux
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Vueilles Seigneur estre recors de David
|
|
Goudimel, Claude
1514-1520–1572
|
4 |
|
Vulnera cor meum
|
|
Verrijt, Jan Baptist
c.1605–1650
|
2 |
|
Vulnera Domine Jesu Christe
|
|
Usper, Gabriele
fl.1609–1632
|
3 |
|
Vulnerasti cor meum
Francis Bevan (ATTTB)
|
|
Gabussi, Giulio Cesare
c.1555-1558–1611
|
5 |
|
Vulnerasti cor meum
Pothárn Imre
Pothárn Imre
|
|
Lassus, Orlande de
c.1532–1594
|
6 |
Mottetta, sex vocum, typis nondum usp... (RISM L939)
Mottetta, sex vocum, typis nondum uspiam excusa: singulari authoris industria iampridem composita, et praelo submissa
Munich: Berg, Adam, 1582
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#6
|
|
Attrib: Orlando de Lasso |
|
Tertium opus musicum, continens Lecti... (RISM 1588/8)
Tertium opus musicum, continens Lectiones Hiobet motectas seu cantiones sacras, quatuor, quinque et sex vocum, antea quidem tribus fasciculis seorsim excusas, nunc vero in volumen unum redactas
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Katharina, 1588
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#45
|
|
Attrib: Orlando de Lasso |
|
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
#368
|
|
Attrib: Orlandi de Lasso |
|
|
Vulnerasti cor meum
|
|
Ferrari, Giovanni
fl.1627–1628
|
4 |
|
Vulnerasti cor meum
|
|
Knöfel, Johann
1525-1530–1617
|
5 |
Dulcissimae quaedam cantiones, numero... (RISM K989)
Dulcissimae quaedam cantiones, numero XXXII. Quinque, sex et septem vocum, ita factae, ut tum yumanae voci, tum musicis instrumentis aptae esse possint
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Dietrich, 1571
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#22
|
|
Attrib: Ioanne Knefelio Laubensi |
|
|
Vulnerasti cor meum
Pothárn Imre
|
|
Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da
c.1525–1594
|
5 |
Motettorum Quinque vocibus liber quar... (RISM P716)
Motettorum Quinque vocibus liber quartus nunc denuo in lucem aeditus
Rome: Gardano, Alessandro, 1583-1584
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#10
|
|
Attrib: Ioan: Petraloysii Praenestini |
|
Mottetorum quinque vocibus liber quar... (RISM P717)
Mottetorum quinque vocibus liber quartus ex Canticis Salomonis, nunc denuo in lucem aeditus
Venice: Gardano, Angelo, 1587
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#10
|
|
Attrib: Ioan: Petraloysii Praenestini |
|
Mottetorum quinque vocibus liber quar... (RISM P721)
Mottetorum quinque vocibus liber quartus ex Canticis Salomonis, nunc denuo in lucem aeditus
Venice: Scotto, Girolamo, 1596
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#10
|
|
Attrib: Ioan: Petraloysii Praenestini |
|
Offertoria ... et Cantica canticorum ... (I-Bc U.4)
Offertoria ... et Cantica canticorum eiusdem
Bologna, c.1600-c.1699
(Score, MS)
#78
|
|
Attrib: Io. Petri Aloisii Praenestini |
|
Mottetorum Quinque vocibus Liber Quar... (RISM P723)
Mottetorum Quinque vocibus Liber Quartus, ex Canticis Salomonis Nunc denuo in lucem aeditus
Venice: Scotto, Girolamo, 1603
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#10
|
|
Attrib: Ioan. Petraloysii Praenestini |
|
Motectorum quinque vocibus. Liber qua... (RISM P725)
Motectorum quinque vocibus. Liber quartus
Venice: Raverii, Alessandro, 1608
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#10
|
|
Attrib: Io. Petraloysii Praenestini |
|
|
Vulnerasti cor meum
|
|
Dering, Richard
c.1580–1630
|
3 |
|
Vulnerasti cor meum
|
|
Mechi, Giovanni Battista
|
5 |
|
Vulnerasti cor meum
|
|
Borsaro, Arcangelo
fl.1587–1616
|
8 |
|
Vulnerasti cor meum
|
|
Schramm, Melchior
c.1553–1619
|
5 |
|