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 |
Caeli cives occurrite
|
|
Ratti, Lorenzo
1589/1590–1630
|
9 |
|
Caeli Deus omnipotens benedicat tibi - Deus patrum nostrorum
|
|
Ghibel, Eliseo
c.1520–after 1581
|
6 |
|
Caeli Deus omnipotens benedicat tibi - Deus patrum nostrorum
|
|
Maistre Jhan
c.1485–1538
|
6 |
Cantiones septem, sex et quinque vocu... (RISM 1545/3)
Cantiones septem, sex et quinque vocum. Longe gravissimae, iuxta ac amoenissimae in Germania maxime hactenus Typis non excusae. Ad lectorem. Per mare delphin transuexit & orphea, vatem, concentu dulci musica nostra refert
Augsburg: Kriesstein, Melchior and Salminger, Sigmund, 1545
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#8
|
|
Attrib: M. Ian |
|
Cantiones septem, sex et quinque vocu... (RISM 1546/5)
Cantiones septem, sex et quinque vocum. Longe gravissimae, juxta ac amoenissimae, in Germania maximehactenus Typis non excusae
Augsburg: Kriesstein, Melchior and Salminger, Sigmund, 1546
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#8
|
|
Attrib: M. Ian |
|
|
Caeli Deus sanctissime
|
|
Paminger, Leonhard
1495–1567
|
5 |
Tertius tomus ecclesiasticarum cantio... (RISM P830)
Tertius tomus ecclesiasticarum cantionum, quatuor, quinque, sex, et plurium vocum, a prima dominica post festum S. Trrinitatis, usque ad primam Dominicam Adventus Domini et Salvatoris nostri Jesu Christi. His commune de Sanctis Ecclesiae Dei, et quaedam Fragmenta ex canticis Canticorum salomonis, accesserunt.
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Dietrich and Gerlach, Katharina, 1576
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#97
|
|
Attrib: Leonarto Pamingero |
|
|
Caeli enarrant
|
|
Viadana, Lodovico
c.1540-1560–1627
|
1 |
|
Caeli enarrant gloriam Dei
|
Comm. Apostles |
Uffereri, Giovanni Damasceno
|
6 |
|
Caeli enarrant gloriam Dei
|
Comm. Apostles |
Isaac, Heinrich
c.1450–1517
|
4 |
|
Caeli enarrant gloriam Dei - In sole posuit tabernaculum suum
|
Comm. Apostles |
Bonhomme, Pierre
c.1555–1617
|
6 |
Melodiae sacrae, quas vulgo motectas ... (RISM B3469)
Melodiae sacrae, quas vulgo motectas appellant, iam noviter quinis, senis, octonis et novenis suavissimis vocibus concinnatae, et ad usum cum harmonicarum vocalium, tum omnium generum instrumentorum Musicalium convenienter accommodatae
Frankfurt: Stein, Nikolaus, 1603
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#12
|
|
Attrib: D. Petro Bonhomio |
|
|
Caeli enarrant gloriam Dei - Lex Domini immaculata convertens - Delicta quis intelligit
|
Comm. Apostles |
Josquin Desprez
c.1450–1521
|
4 |
|
Caelorum candor
|
|
Kraf, Michael
1595–1662
|
8 |
Musae novae octonis vocibus cum dupli... (RISM K1882)
Musae novae octonis vocibus cum duplici basso ad organum. SS. Missae sacrificio, horis vespertinis, et caelitibus festive honorandis accommodae
Dillingen: Haenlin, Gregor, 1616
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#6
|
|
Attrib: Michaele Kraff Francone |
De S. Francisco |
|
Caelorum candor splenduit
|
St Francis |
Mantua, Jacquet de
1483–1559
|
4 |
Motecta quatuor vocum... liber primus (RISM J9)
Venice: Scotto, Girolamo, 1539
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#5
|
|
Attrib: Iachet |
|
Excellentissimi Iachet, musices illus... (RISM J10)
Excellentissimi Iachet, musices illustrissimi... quatuor vocum motecta...
Venice: Scotto, Girolamo, 1544
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#9
|
|
Attrib: Iachet |
|
Motecta quatuor vocum ... Liber Primus (RISM J11)
Venice: Gardano, Antonio, 1545
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#10
|
|
Attrib: Iachet |
|
|
Caelum dum cogito
|
|
Kruog, Johannes Simon
|
3 |
|
Caesar habet naves validas
|
|
Clemens non Papa, Jacobus
c.1510–1555/1556
|
5 |
Sacarum cantionum (vulgo hodie moteta... (RISM 1555/6)
Sacarum cantionum (vulgo hodie moteta vocant) quinque et sex vocum ad veram harmoniam concentumque ab optimis quibusque Musicis in philomusorum gratiam compositorum Liber secundus
Antwerp: Laet, Jean de and Waelrant, Hubert, 1556
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#5
|
|
Attrib: Clemens non Papa |
|
Secunda pars magni operis musici cont... (RISM 1559/1)
Secunda pars magni operis musici continens clarissimorum symphonistarum tam veterum quam recentiorum, praecipe vero Clementis non Papae, Carmina elegantissima quinque vocum
Nuremberg: Berg, Johann and Neuber, Ulrich, 1559
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#77
|
|
Attrib: Ia. Clemens non Papa |
|
|
Caesaris auspiciis magni
|
|
Crecquillon, Thomas
c.1505–1557
|
6 |
Sacrarum cantionum (vulgo hodie motet... (RISM 1554/6)
Sacrarum cantionum (vulgo hodie moteta vocant) quinque et sex vocum ad veram harmoniam concentumque ab optimis quibusque musicis in philomusorum gratiam compositarum. Liber primus.
Antwerp: Laet, Jean de and Waelrant, Hubert, 1554
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#13
|
|
Attrib: Cricquillon |
|
|
Caesaris haec animo - Si quoque Fernandus
|
|
Cleve, Johannes de
1528–1582
|
4 |
|
Caesaris haec animo - Si quoque Fernandus
|
|
Cleve, Johannes de
1528–1582
|
6 |
|
Calami sonum ferentes
|
|
Rore, Cipriano de
1515/1516–1565
|
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
#25
|
|
Attrib: Cipriano Rore |
|
Bourdenay codex (F-Pn 851)
Paris, c.1570-c.1599
(Score, MS)
#5
|
|
Attrib: Cipriano Rore |
|
Di Cipriano et Annibale madrigali a q... (RISM 1575/15)
Di Cipriano et Annibale madrigali a qvattro voci...
Venice: Gardano, Antonio, 1575
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#20
|
|
Attrib: Cipriano |
|
|
Calda pioggia di perle lagrimose - Va in pace anima
|
|
Giglio, Tomaso
|
6 |
Sambrook book (US-NYp Drexel 4302)
London: Tregian, Francis (ii), 1613-1619
(Score, MS)
RISM
#213
|
|
Attrib: Tomaso Giglio |
|
|
Calde lacrime mie
|
|
Petrus organista
|
4 |
|
Calicem salutaris
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
(I-TVd 5)
Treviso: d'Alessi, Giovanni, 1559-1572
(Choirbook, MS)
#19
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
Thematic catalogue, first phrase only |
|
Calicem salutaris accipiam
|
Corpus Christi |
Molinaro, Simone
c.1570–after 1633
|
5 |
|
Calicem salutaris accipiam
|
Corpus Christi |
Anon
|
4 |
|
Calicem salutaris accipiam
|
Corpus Christi |
Anon
|
4 |
(I-TVd 14)
Treviso, c.1560-1626
(Choirbook, MS)
#65
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|
Calicem salutaris accipiam - Credidi quod locutus sum
|
|
Aichinger, Gregor
1564–1628
|
4 |
Solennia Augustissimi Corporis Christ... (RISM A533)
Solennia Augustissimi Corporis Christi, in sanctissimo sacrificio missae et in eusdem festi officiis, ac publicis supplicationibus seu processionibus cantari solita
Augsburg: Praetorius, Johann, 1606
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#3
|
|
Attrib: Gregorius Aichinger |
Antiphon and psalm |
|
Caligaverunt oculi mei
|
Good Friday |
Roussel, Francois
c.1510–after 1577
|
5 |
|