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 |
Adorate Deum omnes angeli eius
|
Ordinary Time 3 (Epiphany III) |
Porta, Costanzo
c.1528–1601
|
5 |
Quinque vocum musica in introitus mis... (RISM P5174)
Quinque vocum musica in introitus missarum, quae in diebus dominicis toto anno celebrantur, iuxta morem Sancte Romanae Ecclesiae; Nunc ab auctore diligentissime emendata
Venice: Bufalini, Fausto and Merulo, Claudio, 1566
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#8
|
|
Attrib: Constantii Portae |
|
Quinque vocum musica in introitus mis... (RISM P5175)
Quinque vocum musica in introitus missarum, quae in diebus dominicis toto anno celebrantur, iuxta morem Sancte Romanae Ecclesiae; Nunc ab auctore diligentissime emendata
Venice: Gardano, Angelo, 1588
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#8
|
|
Attrib: Constantii Portae |
|
|
Adorate Deum omnes angeli eius
|
Ordinary Time 3 (Epiphany III) |
Asola, Giovanni Matteo
c.1532–1609
|
4 |
Introitus in dominicus diebus totius ... (RISM A2598)
Introitus in dominicus diebus totius anni et ad aspersionem aque benedicte. Videlicet, Asperges me, & Vidi aquam egredientem. Musica suer cantu plano restituto quatuor vocibus
Venice: Amadino, Ricciardo, 1598
(Choirbook, Print)
RISM
#11
|
|
Attrib: Io: Matthaeo Asula Veronensi |
|
|
Adorate Dominum
|
|
Kerle, Jacobus de
1531/1532–1591
|
4 |
|
Adoremus regem magnum - Quanta exsultatio angelicis turmis
|
St Stephen |
Lupi, Johannes
c.1506–1539
|
5 |
Primus liber cum quinque vocibus: Mot... (RISM 1538/4)
Primus liber cum quinque vocibus: Mottetti del frutto
Venice: Gardano, Antonio, 1538
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#6
|
|
Attrib: Lupi |
|
Excelentiss. Autorum diverse modulati... (RISM 1549/5)
Excelentiss. Autorum diverse modulationes que sub titulo fructus vagantur per orbem, ab Antonio Gardane nuper recognite. Liber primus cum quinque vocibus
Venice: Gardano, Antonio, 1549
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#6
|
|
Attrib: Lupi |
|
Excellentis. Autorum diverse modulati... (RISM 1549/4)
Excellentis. Autorum diverse modulationes que sub titulo fructus vagantur per orbem, a Hieronymo Scoto Nuper recognite et edite Liber Primus cum quinque vocibus
Venice: Scotto, Girolamo, 1549
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#6
|
|
Attrib: Lupi |
|
|
Adornata laudibus
|
|
Isaac, Heinrich
c.1450–1517
|
4 |
Tomus Secundus Choralis Constantini (... (RISM I90)
Tomus Secundus Choralis Constantini (ut vulgo vocant) continens partem primam Historiarum de sanctis, quae diebus festis in templis canuntur
Nuremberg: Formschneider, Hieronymus, 1555
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#97
|
|
Attrib: Henrici Isaac |
Sequence for St Conrad |
|
Adorna thalamum tuum
David Fraser (ATT)
The Cardinall's Musick
|
Candlemas |
Byrd, William
c.1540–1623
|
3 |
Gradualia ac cantiones sacrae, quinis... (RISM B5218)
Gradualia ac cantiones sacrae, quinis, quaternis, trinisque vocibus concinnate Lib. Primus authoe Gulielmo Byrde, Organista Regio, Anglo Editio secunda, priore emendatior
London: Redmer, Richard, 1610
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#61
|
|
Attrib: Gulielmo Byrde |
|
|
Adorna thalamum tuum
Pothárn Imre
|
Candlemas |
Lassus, Orlande de
c.1532–1594
|
4 |
Sacrae cantiones antehac nunquam nec ... (RISM L955)
Sacrae cantiones antehac nunquam nec visae nec typis uspiam excusae quatuor vocum. Recens singulari industria compositae, & in lucem sine menda editae
Munich: Berg, Adam, 1585
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#22
|
|
Attrib: Orlandi Lassi |
|
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
#57
|
|
Attrib: Orlandi de Lasso |
|
|
Adorna thalamum tuum
|
Candlemas |
Dragoni, Giovanni Andrea
c.1540–1598
|
5 |
Motectorum ... Quae quinque vocibus c... (RISM D3499)
Motectorum ... Quae quinque vocibus concinuntur, super omnia fere Festa Sanctorum, tres in partes divisa, quarum quaelibre continet festa quatuor mensium, Liber Primus, Prima Pars
Rome: Mutii, Nicolo, 1600
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#14
|
|
Attrib: Io. Andreae Draconis |
|
|
Adorna thalamum tuum
|
Candlemas |
Soriano, Francesco
1548/1549–1621
|
8 |
|
Adorna thalamum tuum
|
Candlemas |
Vermont, Pierre
c.1495–1533
|
4 |
|
Adorna thalamum tuum
|
Candlemas |
Tudual
fl.1538–1543
|
5 |
|
Adorna thalamum tuum
|
Candlemas |
Zallamella, Pandolfo
1551–after 1590
|
5 |
Musica R. Domini (RISM Z15)
Venice: Gardano, Angelo, 1582
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#10
|
|
Attrib: Pandvlphi Zallamellae |
|
Sacrae cantiones, cum quinque, sex et... (RISM 1585/1)
Sacrae cantiones, cum quinque, sex et pluribus vocibus, de festis praecipuis totius anni
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Katharina, 1585
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#10
|
|
Attrib: Pandolphi Zallamellae |
|
|
Adorna thalamum tuum
|
Candlemas |
Ratti, Bartolomeo
1565–1634
|
5 |
Cantiones in laudem deipare virginis ... (RISM R324)
Cantiones in laudem deipare virginis Mariae quae vulgo nominari solent Motecta quae in omni Solemnitate ipsius cantari possunt. Et in sine aedicae sunt Litaniae in honorem eiusdem Virginis. Liber Primus cum quinque vocibus
Venice: Amadino, Ricciardo, 1594
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#15
|
|
Attrib: F. Bartholomaeo de Rattis Patavo |
|
|
Adorna thalamum tuum
|
Candlemas |
Asola, Giovanni Matteo
c.1532–1609
|
4 |
|
Adorna thalamum tuum
|
Candlemas |
Anon
|
3 |
|
Adorna thalamum tuum - Accipiens Simeon puerum
|
Candlemas |
Clemens non Papa, Jacobus
c.1510–1555/1556
|
4 |
|
Adorna thalamum tuum - Accipiens Simeon puerum
|
Candlemas |
Hauweel, Johannes
|
5 |
|
Adorna thalamum tuum - Accipiens Simeon puerum
|
Candlemas |
Guyot de Châtelet, Jean
1512–1588
|
6 |
(D-Sl 4)
Stuttgart: Chamerhueber, Johann, 1565
(Choirbook, MS)
#1
|
|
Attrib: Joannes Castileti |
|
|
Adorna thalamum tuum - Accipiens Simeon puerum
|
Candlemas |
Riccio, Teodore
c.1540–c.1600
|
5 |
Secundus liber sacrarum cantionum, qu... (RISM R1289)
Secundus liber sacrarum cantionum, quas vulgo motectas appellant: quinque, sex, octo et duodecim vocibus compositarum: quae tam vivae voci, quam omnibus instrumentis sunt accomodatae
Königsberg: Osterberger, Georg, 1580
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#12
|
|
Attrib: Theodoro Riccio Brixiano |
|
|
Adorna thalamum tuum - Induere vestimentis gloriae tuae
|
Candlemas |
Porta, Costanzo
c.1528–1601
|
4 |
|
Adorna thalamum tuum - Induere vestimentis gloriae tuae
|
Candlemas |
Contino, Giovanni
c.1513–1574
|
6 |
|
Adorna thalamum tuum - Suscipiens Simeon Jesum
|
Candlemas |
Manchicourt, Pierre de
c.1510–1564
|
4 |
|
Adorna thalamum tuum - Suscipiens Simeon puerum
|
|
Certon, Pierre
d.1572
|
5 |
|
Adoro laudo et glorifico te
Pothárn Imre
|
|
Monte, Philippe de
1521–1603
|
5 |
|
Adoro te devote
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|