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 |
Come potro fidarmi di te giamai
|
|
Arcadelt, Jacques
1507–1568
|
4 |
|
Come potro fidarmi di te giamai
|
|
Barré, Leonardo
fl.1537–1555
|
4 |
|
Come potro giammai
|
|
Philips, Peter
1560–1628
|
8 |
Sambrook book (US-NYp Drexel 4302)
London: Tregian, Francis (ii), 1613-1619
(Score, MS)
RISM
#255
|
|
Attrib: Philippi |
|
|
Come potro giammai finir
|
|
Anerio, Felice
c.1560–1614
|
6 |
Sambrook book (US-NYp Drexel 4302)
London: Tregian, Francis (ii), 1613-1619
(Score, MS)
RISM
#168
|
|
Attrib: Felice Anerio |
|
|
Come potro narrarv'il dolor mio
|
|
Anvilla, Adriano
|
4 |
Primo libro de diversi eccellent.mi a... (RISM 1566/2)
Primo libro de diversi eccellent.mi auttori a quattro voci, intitulato Il Desiderio. Novamente posti in luce, per Giulio Bonagionta da S. Genesi, Musico dell'Illustriss. Sig. di Vineggia
Venice: Scotto, Girolamo and Bonagionta, Giulio, 1566
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#16
|
|
Attrib: Adriano Anville |
|
|
Come potu temer
|
|
|
|
|
Come pretty babe
The Royal Consort
|
|
Byrd, William
c.1540–1623
|
5 |
(US-NYp Drexel 4180-4185)
New York: Merro, John, 1600-1650
(Partbook, MS)
#74
|
|
Attrib: Mr Birde |
|
|
Come pretty wag and sing - Then with reports
|
|
Peerson, Martin
1571-1573–1651
|
5 |
Private Musicke or the First Booke of... (RISM P1135)
Private Musicke or the First Booke of Ayres and Dialogues: Contayning Songs of 4. 5. and 6. parts, of severall sorts, and being Verse and Chorus, is fit for Voyces and Viols.
London: Snodham, Thomas, 1620
(Tablebook, Print)
RISM
#15
|
|
Attrib: Martin Peerson |
|
|
Come senza costei viver potro
|
|
Festa, Sebastian
c.1490-1495–1524
|
4 |
Canzoni Frottole & Capitoli Da Divers... (RISM 1526/6)
Canzoni Frottole & Capitoli Da Diversi Eccellentissimi Musici Composti Nuovamente Stampati & Correcti Libro Primo De La Croce
Rome: Dorico, Valerio and Pasotti, Giovanni Giacomo, 1526
(Choirbook, Print)
RISM
#17
|
|
Attrib: Sebastian festa |
|
|
Come senza timor mai non è speme
|
|
Monte, Philippe de
1521–1603
|
5 |
|
Come, shepherds, follow me
|
|
Bennet, John
fl.1599–1614
|
4 |
Madrigalls to foure voyces newly publ... (RISM B1952)
Madrigalls to foure voyces newly published by Iohn Bennet his first works
[London]: Barley, William, 1599
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#5
|
|
Attrib: Iohn Bennet |
|
|
Come shepherds sing with me
|
|
Tomkins, Thomas
1572–1656
|
5 |
|
Come, shepherd swains
|
|
Wilbye, John
1574–1638
|
3 |
|
Come shepherd swains and on this cypress tree hang all your pipes
|
|
East, Michael
c.1580–1648
|
5 |
The Fourth Set of Bookes, Wherein are... (RISM E7)
The Fourth Set of Bookes, Wherein are Anthemes for Versus and Chorus, Madrigals, and Songs of other kindes, to 4, 5, and 6 Parts: apt for Viols and Voyces
London: Snodham, Thomas, 1624
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#14
|
|
Attrib: Michaell East |
|
|
Come sing the great Jehovah's praise
|
|
Anon
|
3 |
Chirk Castle Partbooks (US-NYp Mus. Res. *MNZ (Chirk) [1-4])
Wrexham, c.1618-c.1633
(Partbook, MS)
RISM
#75
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|
Come sirrah Jacke hoe
|
|
Weelkes, Thomas
1576–1623
|
3 |
|
Come sonora tromba una gran voce ribombo
|
|
Monte, Philippe de
1521–1603
|
5 |
|
Com'esser può che non sei stanco Amore
|
|
Gabrieli, Andrea
1532/1533–1585
|
6 |
|
Com'esser puo ch'io viva
|
|
Arcadelt, Jacques
1507–1568
|
4 |
|
Com'esser puo ch'io viva
|
|
Arcadelt, Jacques
1507–1568
|
6 |
|
Com'esser può ch'io viva
|
|
Gesualdo, Carlo
1566–1613
|
5 |
Madrigali a cinque voci [libro primo] (RISM G1721)
Ferrara: Baldini, Vittorio and Stella, Scipione, 1594
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#3
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|
Com'esser puo donna del ciel - Rispose humana i tuoi natural sensi
|
|
Monte, Philippe de
1521–1603
|
5 |
|
Com'esser puot' amore
|
|
Arcadelt, Jacques
1507–1568
|
6 |
|
Come to me grief for ever
David Fraser (SATBarB)
Alamire & Fretwork
|
|
Byrd, William
c.1540–1623
|
5 |
Dow partbooks (GB-Och 984-988)
Oxford: Baldwin, John and Dow, Robert, c.1581-c.1588
(Partbook, MS)
#59
|
|
Attrib: Mr Wm Birde |
Solo + 4 instruments |
Psalmes, Sonets, & songs of sadness a... (RISM B5209)
Psalmes, Sonets, & songs of sadness and pietie, made into Musicke of five parts: whereof, some of them going abroad among divers, in untrue coppies, are heere truely corrected, and th'other being Songs very rare and newly composed, are heere published, for the recreation of all such as delight in Musicke
London: East, Thomas, 1588
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#34
|
|
Attrib: William Byrd |
The funerall Songs of that honorable Gent Sir Philip Sidney, Knight |
|
Come tread the paths
Ricercar Consort
|
|
Byrd, William
c.1540–1623
|
5 |
|