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 |
Ecce enim evangelizo vobis
|
|
Ingegneri, Marco Antonio
c.1535–1592
|
4 |
|
Ecce enim ut facta est
|
|
Paminger, Leonhard
1495–1567
|
4 |
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
#146
|
|
Attrib: Leonarto Pamingero |
|
|
Ecce fluit undequaque
|
|
Aichinger, Gregor
1564–1628
|
4 |
|
Ecce hic positus est - Puer autem Jesus
|
|
Otto, Georg
1550–1618
|
6 |
|
Ecce hodie advocata nos
|
|
Anon
|
5 |
(P-Cug 70)
Coimbra, after 1570
(Partbook, MS)
#9
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|
Ecce iam noctis
|
|
Hasenknopf, Sebastian
c.1545–after 1597
|
5 |
|
Ecce iam noctis
|
|
Anon
|
5 |
(GB-Och 78-82)
Oxford
(Partbook, MS)
#21
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
(GB-Ob Tenbury 341-344)
Oxford, c.1600-c.1650
(Partbook, MS)
#58
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
in MS 341 only; the other partbooks have text incipits below blank staves |
|
Ecce iam venit Christus Deus noster
|
|
Garugli, Bernardo
1535–after 1565
|
5 |
|
Ecce iam venit plenitudo - Propter nimiam
|
|
Zarlino, Gioseffo
1517–1590
|
4 |
|
Ecce iam venit plenitudo - Quoniam autem estis filii Dei
|
|
Paminger, Leonhard
1495–1567
|
4 |
Primus tomus ecclesiasticarum cantion... (RISM P828)
Primus tomus ecclesiasticarum cantionum, quatuor, quinque, sex, et plurium vocum, a prima dominica adventus, usque ad passionem Domini et salvatoris nostri Jesu Christi
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Dietrich, 1573
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#96
|
|
Attrib: Leonartum Pamingerum |
|
|
Ecce in nubibus
|
|
Lambardi, Girolamo
fl.1586–1623
|
4 |
Antiphonae omnes iuxta ritum Romani b... (RISM L367b)
Antiphonae omnes iuxta ritum Romani breviarii pro totius anni dominicis diebus in primis, & secundis vesperis nunc primum ... Secunda pars
Venice: Caenobio Sancti Spiritus, 1600
(Choirbook, Print)
RISM
#7
|
|
Attrib: Hieronymo Lambardo |
|
|
Ecce in te est totum
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
(US-NYp Drexel 4180-4185)
New York: Merro, John, 1600-1650
(Partbook, MS)
#16
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|
Ecce in te est totum
|
|
Werlin, Johannes (ii)
d.c.1680
|
2 |
Melismata sacra deo ter opt. max. pub... (RISM W799)
Melismata sacra deo ter opt. max. publicoque bono, musicis modulis, binis, ternis, quaternis & quinis cum basso continuo, Organo applicato adoptata
Nuremberg: Dümler, Jeremias, 1644
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#7
|
|
Attrib: Johannis Werlini |
|
|
Ecce in tenebris sedeo
|
|
Schramm, Melchior
c.1553–1619
|
5 |
|
Ecce iste venit
|
|
Boschetti, Giovanni
d.1622
|
8 |
Sacrae cantiones, binis, ternis, quat... (RISM B3788)
Sacrae cantiones, binis, ternis, quaternis, quinis, octonisquae vocibus concinendae. Liber Tertius cum basso ad organum opus quintum
Rome: Soldi, Luca Antonio, 1620
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#22
|
|
Attrib: Ioannis Boschetti |
|
|
Ecce iste venit - Iam enim hyems transiit
|
|
Festa, Costanzo
c.1485-1490–1545
|
6 |
|
Ecce iste venit saliens - Exsultavit ut gigas ad currendum viam
|
|
Cornet, Séverin
c.1520–1582
|
5 |
|
Ecce iustus
|
|
Salazar, Diego José de
d.1709
|
4 |
Himnario para los Santos de Sevilla (E-Sc 16)
(Choirbook, MS)
#14
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
In festo San Justo y Pastor |
|
Ecce Justus ecce pastor
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Ecce lignum crucis - Crux fidelis
|
|
Willaert, Adrian
c.1490–1562
|
5 |
Musica quinque vocum, (quae vulgo mot... (RISM W1111)
Musica quinque vocum, (quae vulgo motecta nuncupantur.) Noviter omni studio, ac diligentia in lucem aedita. Liber primus.
Venice: Scotto, Girolamo, 1550
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#14
|
|
Attrib: Adriani Vvillaert |
|
(I-TVd 5)
Treviso: d'Alessi, Giovanni, 1559-1572
(Choirbook, MS)
#6
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
Thematic catalogue, first phrase only |
|
Ecce magi ab oriente
|
|
Vulpius, Melchior
c.1570–1615
|
7 |
|
Ecce Maria genuit
|
BVM |
Mel, Rinaldo del
c.1554–c.1598
|
5 |
Liber primus Rinaldi del Mel mottetto... (RISM M2193)
Liber primus Rinaldi del Mel mottettorum quae partim quaternis, partim quinis, partim senis, ac unum septenis, alterum vero Octonis vocibus concinuntur
Venice: Gardano, Angelo, 1581
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#16
|
|
Attrib: Rinaldi del Mel |
|
|
Ecce Maria genuit
|
BVM |
Hassler, Hans Leo
1564–1612
|
5 |
Sacri concentus quatuor, 5, 6, 7, 8, ... (RISM H2328)
Sacri concentus quatuor, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, & 12, Vocum
Augsburg: Schönigk, Valentin, 1601
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#10
|
|
Attrib: Ioanne Leone Haslero |
|
|
Ecce Maria genuit
|
BVM |
Paminger, Leonhard
1495–1567
|
4 |
Primus tomus ecclesiasticarum cantion... (RISM P828)
Primus tomus ecclesiasticarum cantionum, quatuor, quinque, sex, et plurium vocum, a prima dominica adventus, usque ad passionem Domini et salvatoris nostri Jesu Christi
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Dietrich, 1573
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#101
|
|
Attrib: Leonartum Pamingerum |
|
|
Ecce Maria genuit
|
BVM |
Certon, Pierre
d.1572
|
3 |
Petri Certon Institutoris Symphoniaco... (RISM C1707)
Petri Certon Institutoris Symphoniacorum puerorum Sancti Sacelli Parisiensis recens modulorum editio ... Liber secundus
Paris: Attaingnant, Pierre and Jullet, Hubert, 1542
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#21
|
|
Attrib: Petri Certon |
|
Libro secondo de li motetti a tre voc... (RISM 1549/14)
Libro secondo de li motetti a tre voce da diversi eccellentissimi musici composti
Venice: Scotto, Girolamo, 1549
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#2
|
|
Attrib: Certon |
|
Selectissimarum sacrarum cantionum (q... (RISM 1569/6)
Selectissimarum sacrarum cantionum (quas vulgo Moteta vocant) flores, trium vocum: ex optimis ac praestantissimis quibusque divinae Musices authoribus excerptarum. Iam primum summa cura ac diligentia collecti et impressi. Liber terius.
Leuven: Phalèse the Elder, Pierre, 1569
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#6
|
|
Attrib: Certon |
|
|