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 |
Elle a bien ces riz gratieux
|
|
Sermisy, Claudin de
c.1490–1562
|
4 |
|
Elle a mon cueur je croys qu'elle est contente
|
|
Mornable, Antoine de
fl.1530–1553
|
4 |
|
Elle craint cela sur tout rien qu'on la chatoulle
|
|
Janequin, Clément
c.1485–after 1558
|
4 |
|
Elle disoit que son coeur
|
|
Brouck, Jacob de
fl.1568–1583
|
5 |
|
Elle est bien malade ma con ma commere
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Elle est d'endouille friande la galande
|
|
Clereau, Pierre
fl.1539–1567
|
4 |
|
Elle est m'amye en parle qui parler vouldra
|
|
Villiers, Pierre de
fl.c.1532–1550
|
5 |
Le Parangon des chansons Second livre... (RISM 1538/16)
Le Parangon des chansons Second livre contenant. xxxi. Chansons nouvelle au singulier prouffit: & delectation des Musiciens
Lyon: Moderne, Jacques, 1538
(Tablebook, Print)
RISM
#27
|
|
Attrib: P. de Viiliers |
Canon. Qui suyure me vouldra deulx pauses en souspirant pausera |
Le Parangon des chansons Second livre... (RISM 1540/15)
Le Parangon des chansons Second livre contenant. xxxi. Chansons nouvelle au singulier prouffit: & delectation des Musiciens. Reimprime & recorrige
Lyon: Moderne, Jacques, 1540
(Tablebook, Print)
RISM
#27
|
|
Attrib: P. de Villiers |
Canon. Qui suyure me vouldra deulx pauses en souspirant pausera |
|
Elle n’eust sceu la chaleur esprouver
|
|
Jeune, Claude le
c.1528–1600
|
6 |
|
Elle s'en va de moi la mieux aimée
Pothárn Imre
|
|
Lassus, Orlande de
c.1532–1594
|
5 |
Tiers livre des chansons a quatre cin... (RISM L764)
Tiers livre des chansons a quatre cincq et six parties novellement composez par Orlando di Lassus. Convenables tant aux instrumentez comme à la Voix
Leuven: Phalèse the Elder, Pierre, 1560
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#12
|
|
Attrib: Orlando di Lassus |
= Elle sen va de moy |
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
#65
|
|
Attrib: Orlande |
|
Bourdenay codex (F-Pn 851)
Paris, c.1570-c.1599
(Score, MS)
#387
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|
Elle s'en va de moy tant regretée
|
|
Sermisy, Claudin de
c.1490–1562
|
4 |
|
Elle veult donc par estrange rigueur
|
|
Sermisy, Claudin de
c.1490–1562
|
4 |
|
Elle veut donc que d'ell me contente
|
|
Millot, Nicolas
after1589
|
5 |
|
El mio foco e lontano
|
|
Layolle, Francesco de
1492–c.1540
|
4 |
|
Elogeron nous
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Elongatus a nutrice mansit
|
(Responsory) |
Kerle, Jacobus de
1531/1532–1591
|
4 |
|
Elongavit proximos meos - Usquequo Domine
|
|
Kerle, Jacobus de
1531/1532–1591
|
5 |
Sacrae cantiones quas vulgo moteta vo... (RISM K453)
Sacrae cantiones quas vulgo moteta vocant, quinque et sex vocum, quibus adiuncti sunt Ecclesiastici Hymni de Resurrectione & Ascensione Domini, & de Beata Maria Virgine, nunc primum in usum Ecclesiae summa diligentia in lucem aedite
Munich: Berg, Adam, 1575
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#2
|
|
Attrib: Iacobo de Kerle Flandro Yprensi |
|
|
El te par che manchi in fede
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Emanuel nobiscum Deus
|
|
Paminger, Leonhard
1495–1567
|
5 |
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
#73
|
|
Attrib: Leonartum Pamingerum |
|
|
Emendemus in melius
Francis Bevan (ATBarBarB)
Francis Bevan (SATTB)
|
Ash Wednesday |
Rota, Andrea
c.1553–1597
|
5 |
|
Emendemus in melius
Francis Bevan (SATTB)
Francis Bevan (ATBarBarB)
|
Ash Wednesday |
Gabussi, Giulio Cesare
c.1555-1558–1611
|
5 |
|
Emendemus in melius
Pothárn Imre
|
Ash Wednesday |
Lassus, Orlande de
c.1532–1594
|
5 |
(D-Mbs 24)
Munich, c.1555-c.1580
(Choirbook, MS)
RISM
#2
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
Moduli quinis vocibus nunquam hactenu... (RISM L843)
Moduli quinis vocibus nunquam hactenus editi Monachii Boioariae compositi
Paris: Ballard, Robert (i) and Le Roy, Adrian, 1571
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#2
|
|
Attrib: Orlando Lasso |
|
Fasciculus aliquot cantionum sacrarum... (RISM L851)
Fasciculus aliquot cantionum sacrarum, quinque vocum, nunc primum in lucem editus
Munich: Berg, Adam, 1572
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#2
|
|
Attrib: Orlando di Lasso |
|
(D-Sl 11)
Stuttgart: Chamerhueber, Johann, 1572
(Choirbook, MS)
#13
|
|
Attrib: Orlandus Lassus |
|
Fasciculi aliquot sacrarum cantionum ... (RISM L937)
Fasciculi aliquot sacrarum cantionum cum quatuor, quinque, sex & octo vocibus, antea quidem separatim excusi, nunc vero auctoris consensu in unum corpus redacti
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Katharina, 1582
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#23
|
|
Attrib: Orlandi Lassi |
|
Fasciculi aliquot sacrarum cantionum ... (RISM L991)
Fasciculi aliquot sacrarum cantionum cum quatuor, quinque, sex 7 octo vocibus, antea quidem separatim excusi, nunc vero auctoris consensu in unum corpus redacti
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Katharina, 1589
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#23
|
|
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
#218
|
|
Attrib: Orlandi de Lasso |
|
|
Emendemus in melius
Francis Bevan (SSATTB)
|
Ash Wednesday |
Massaino, Tiburtio
before 1550–after 1608
|
6 |
|
Emendemus in melius
|
Ash Wednesday |
Porta, Costanzo
c.1528–1601
|
5 |
|
Emendemus in melius
|
Ash Wednesday |
Tonsor, Michael
before 1546–after 1606
|
5 |
|
Emendemus in melius
|
Ash Wednesday |
Spontoni, Ludovico
1555–before 1609
|
8 |
|