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 |
Felix o ter - Ceu plantaria - Quem timor
|
|
Lechner, Leonhard
c.1553–1606
|
5 |
|
Felix sancti martyris
|
|
Anon
|
5 |
|
Felix Thomas
|
|
Dragoni, Giovanni Andrea
c.1540–1598
|
5 |
Motectorum ... Quae quinque vocibus c... (RISM D3499)
Motectorum ... Quae quinque vocibus concinuntur, super omnia fere Festa Sanctorum, tres in partes divisa, quarum quaelibre continet festa quatuor mensium, Liber Primus, Prima Pars
Rome: Mutii, Nicolo, 1600
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#18
|
|
Attrib: Io. Andreae Draconis |
|
|
Felix virgo Maria
|
BVM |
Ceresini, Giovanni
1584–1659
|
2 |
|
Fera gentil che con leggiadro modo - Perche si strett'el nodo e la ferita
|
|
Rore, Cipriano de
1515/1516–1565
|
5 |
|
Fera stella se'l ciel - Ma tu prendi a diletto
|
|
Monte, Philippe de
1521–1603
|
6 |
|
Fercula qui tribuit
|
|
Schwaiger, Georg
d.1581
|
5 |
Fasciculus selectiorum aliquot cantio... (RISM S2457)
Fasciculus selectiorum aliquot cantionum sacrarum, quinque vocum, quae cum vivae voci, tum omnis generis instrumentis musicis commodissimae applicari possunt. Secunda pars
Munich: Berg, Adam, 1579
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#10
|
|
Attrib: Georgio Schvvaigero |
|
|
Ferculum fecit sibi rex Salomon - Egredemini et videte filiae Sion
|
|
Zarlino, Gioseffo
1517–1590
|
5 |
|
Ferdinande tuo congestos nomine cantus - Si tamen haec nequeant
|
|
Utendal, Alexander
c.1530-1540–1581
|
5 |
Sacrarum cantionum, quas vulgo moteta... (RISM U120)
Sacrarum cantionum, quas vulgo motetas vocant, antea nunquam in lucem editarum, sed nunc recens admodum tam instrumentas musicis quam vivae melodiae quinque vocibus attemperatarum, liber primus
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Dietrich, 1571
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#1
|
|
Attrib: Alexandro Uttendal |
|
|
Ferdnande Imperio - Dux virtus fortuna
|
|
Vaet, Jacobus
c.1529–1567
|
6 |
|
Fer pietatis
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Ferto crucem quia vera
|
Holy Cross |
Dressler, Gallus
1533–1580-1589
|
5 |
XC cantiones quatuor, quinque et plur... (RISM D3520)
XC cantiones quatuor, quinque et plurium vocum
Magdeburg: Kirchner, Wolfgang, 1570
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#16
|
|
Attrib: Galli Dreßleri |
|
Opus sacrarum cantionum, quatuor, qui... (RISM D3522)
Opus sacrarum cantionum, quatuor, quinque et plurium vocum, nunc denuo recognitum, et multo quam antea correctius in gratiam Musicorum editum
Nuremberg: Berg, Johann and Gerlach, Katharina, 1577
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#16
|
|
Attrib: Galli Dressleri Nebraei |
|
|
Fertur in conviviis
|
|
Lassus, Orlande de
c.1532–1594
|
4 |
Quatriesme livre des chansons a quatr... (RISM L782)
Quatriesme livre des chansons a quatre et cincq parties nouvellement composees par Orlando di Lassus, convenables tant aux Instruments comme à la Voix
Leuven: Phalèse the Elder, Pierre, 1564
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#8
|
|
Attrib: Orlando di Lassus |
|
Sacrarum cantionum quatuor vocum vulg... (RISM 1569/8)
Sacrarum cantionum quatuor vocum vulgo motetas vocant cantui omnisque generis instrumentis accommodatarum
Leuven: Phalèse the Elder, Pierre, 1569
(Partbook, Print)
#7
|
|
Attrib: Orlando de Lassvs |
|
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
#38
|
|
Attrib: Orlande |
|
Altera pars selectissimarum cantionum... (RISM L916)
Altera pars selectissimarum cantionum, quas vulgo motetas vocant, quinque et quatuor vocibus compositarum
Nuremberg: Berg, Johann and Gerlach, Katharina, 1579
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#67
|
|
Attrib: Orlandum di Lassus |
|
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
#141
|
|
Attrib: Orlandi de Lasso |
|
|
Festa Christi omnis
|
|
Senfl, Ludwig
c.1486–1542/1543
|
4 |
|
Festa Christi omnis
|
|
Isaac, Heinrich
c.1450–1517
|
4 |
|
Festa Galilaeis genitalia aguntur in oris
|
|
Kessler, Wendelin
fl.1572–1580
|
5 |
Selectae aliquot et omnibus fere musi... (RISM K492)
Selectae aliquot et omnibus fere musicalium instrumentorum generibus accommodatissimae cantiones super evangelia, quae diebus dominicis et praecipuis sanctorum festis, ab adventu resurrectionem usque Christi, solent tractari
Wittenberg: Lehmann, Zacharias, 1582
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#14
|
|
Attrib: Wwendelino Kesslero Cantharo |
|
|
Festa Laurenti
|
St Lawrence |
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
#160
|
|
Attrib: Leonarto Pamingero |
|
|
Festina lente
|
|
Agricola, Martin
c.1486–1556
|
4 |
Suavissimae et iucundissimae harmonia... (RISM 1567/1)
Suavissimae et iucundissimae harmoniae: octo, quinque et quatuor vocum, ex duabis vocibus, a praesentissimis artificibus huius artis compositae, & nunc primum in lucem aeditae
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Dietrich, 1567
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#2
|
|
Attrib: Martinus Agricola |
Tenor in Epidiatessaron; Altus in Subdiatessaron |
|
Festina ne tardavaris
|
|
Anon
|
5 |
Cantiones triginta selectissimae. Qui... (RISM 1568/7)
Cantiones triginta selectissimae. Quinque. Sex. Septem: Octo: Dvodecim et plurium vocum, sub quatuor tantum, artificiose Musicis numeris a praesentissimis huius artis artificibus ornatae ac compositae.
Nuremberg: Neuber, Ulrich, 1568
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#16
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
Secundus discantus in Hyperdiatessaron: post Tria Tempora |
|
Festina ne tardavaris
|
|
Schaeffer, Paul
fl.1617–1645
|
8 |
|
Festina ne tardaveris Domine
|
|
Handl, Jacob (Gallus)
1550–1591
|
5 |
|
Festiva nobis
|
|
Foggia, Francesco
1604–1688
|
3 |
|
Festiva perplacet Deo - Adeste sponsi
|
|
Crappius, Andreas
c.1542–1623
|
5 |
|
Festivitas est hodie
|
|
Belli, Giulio
c.1560–after 1620
|
2 |
|
Festivitatem dedicationis - Sit igitur ad ipsum templum
|
|
Clibano, Jheronimus de
c.1459–1503
|
4 |
Motetti libro quarto (RISM 1505/2)
Venice: Petrucci, Ottaviano, 1505
(Choirbook, Print)
RISM
#27
|
|
Attrib: Jero. de Clibano |
|
|