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 tread the paths - Farewell my Lords
|
|
Anon
|
5 |
|
Come vago augellin
|
|
Monte, Philippe de
1521–1603
|
5 |
|
Come va il mondo fior tu che beato
|
|
Tromboncino, Bartolomeo
1470–after1534
|
4 |
|
Come va'l mondo - Ma'l cieco amor
Pothárn Imre
|
|
Lassus, Orlande de
c.1532–1594
|
5 |
Libro quarto de madrigali a cinque voci (RISM L813)
Venice: Gardano, Antonio, 1567
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#7
|
|
Attrib: Orlando Lasso |
|
|
Come viver potro
|
|
Wert, Giaches de
1535–1596
|
7 |
|
Come vuoi tu ch'io viva
|
|
Gabrieli, Andrea
1532/1533–1585
|
6 |
|
Come woeful Orpheus
David Fraser (SSATB)
B-five & Sunhae Im
|
|
Byrd, William
c.1540–1623
|
5 |
Psalmes, Songs, and Sonnets: some sol... (RISM B5221)
Psalmes, Songs, and Sonnets: some solemne, others joyfull, framed to the life of the Words: Fit for Voyces or Viols of 3. 4. 5. and 6. Parts
London: Barley, William and Snodham, Thomas, 1611
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#18
|
|
Attrib: William Byrd |
|
|
Comfort ye my people
|
(Verse anthem) |
Tucker, William
d.1679
|
4 |
(GB-WO A.3.3)
Worcester, c.1660-c.1700
(Partbook/score, MS)
#57
|
|
Attrib: Will Tucker |
|
|
Com'havran fin le dolorose tempre
Pothárn Imre
|
|
Rore, Cipriano de
1515/1516–1565
|
4 |
Primo Libro Di Madrigali A quatro Voc... (RISM 1547/14)
Primo Libro Di Madrigali A quatro Voci Di Perissone Cambio Con Alcuni Di Cipriano Rore Novamente Composti Et Posti In Luce
Venice: Gardano, Antonio, 1547
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#24
|
|
Attrib: Cypriano |
|
Madrigali de la fama a quatro voci co... (RISM 1548/7)
Madrigali de la fama a quatro voci composti da l'infrascritti autori, novamente con diligentia stampati & corretti. Cypriano De Rore, Francesco Da la Viola, Francesco Manara
Venice: Gardano, Antonio, 1548
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#6
|
|
Attrib: Cipriano Rore |
|
Il primo libro de madrigali a quattro... (RISM R2508)
Il primo libro de madrigali a quattro Voci, Novamente per Antonio Gardano con ogni diligentia ristampato
Venice: Gardano, Angelo, 1569
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#10
|
|
Attrib: Cipriano de Rore |
|
Bourdenay codex (F-Pn 851)
Paris, c.1570-c.1599
(Score, MS)
#63
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|
Com'havr'aspers'i sant'odor
|
|
Ferrabosco, Domenico Maria
1513–1574
|
4 |
|
Com'in piu negre tenebr' et piu folte
|
|
Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da
c.1525–1594
|
5 |
Il terzo libro delle muse a cinque vo... (RISM 1561/10)
Il terzo libro delle muse a cinque voci composto da diversi eccellentissimi musici con uno madregale a sei, et uno dialogo a otto, novamente per Antonio Gardano stampato & dato in luce
Venice: Gardano, Antonio, 1561
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#5
|
|
Attrib: Gianetto da Palestrina |
|
|
Com'in piu negre tenebr' et piu folte
|
|
Cartolaio, Giovanni Benvenuti del
|
5 |
Il terzo libro delle muse a cinque vo... (RISM 1569/18)
Il terzo libro delle muse a cinque voci composto da diversi eccellentissimi musici con uno madregale a sei, et uno dialogo a sette, d Orlando Novamente per Antonio Gardano ristampato
Venice: Gardano, Antonio, 1569
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#5
|
|
Attrib: Gioanne Cartolaio |
|
|
Comme en beauté
|
|
Phinot, Dominique
c.1510–c.1556
|
4 |
|
Comme femme
|
|
Agricola, Alexander
1445/1446–1506
|
3 |
|
Comme femme desconfortee
|
|
Anon
|
3 |
|
Comme femme desconfortée
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Comme la tourterelle - Ou t'attend ta maistresse
|
|
Lassus, Orlande de
c.1532–1594
|
5 |
Second livre des chansons a quatre et... (RISM 1570/6)
Second livre des chansons a quatre et cincq parties, composées par Orlando di Lassus, Cyprian de Rore, & Philippe de Mons, De nouveau corrigées & emendées, Convenables tant aux Instrumens comme à la Voix
Leuven: Phalèse the Elder, Pierre, 1570
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#21
|
|
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
#70
|
|
Attrib: Orlande |
|
|
Comme l'aymant par sa vertu latente
|
|
James, Jo.
|
4 |
|
Comme le cerf cornu plaisant desire
|
|
Clemens non Papa, Jacobus
c.1510–1555/1556
|
6 |
|
Comme le chasseur va suyvant la beste
|
|
Pevernage, Andreas
1542/1543–1591
|
5 |
|
Comme le feu sans chaleur ne peut estre
|
|
Goudimel, Claude
1514-1520–1572
|
4 |
|
Commenda Domino - Revela Domino
|
|
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
#11
|
|
Attrib: Ioanne Knefelio Laubensi |
|
|
Comment mes yeulx auries vous bien promis
|
|
Sandrin, Pierre (Regnault)
c.1490–after1560
|
4 |
|
Comment, mon cueur, es-tu donc dispensé
|
|
Colin, Pierre
fl.1538–1572
|
4 |
|
Comme seroit à moy louer possible
|
|
Beaulaigue, Barthélemy
c.1543–fl.1555
|
4 |
|