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 |
Angelus Domini astitit
|
St Peter in chains |
Barbarini Lupus, Manfred
fl.1557–1561
|
4 |
|
Angelus Domini astitit
|
St Peter in chains |
Contino, Giovanni
c.1513–1574
|
5 |
|
Angelus Domini astitit - Surge Petre
|
St Peter in chains |
Avenarius, Philipp
c.1553–1610
|
5 |
Cantiones sacrae quinque vocum, accom... (RISM A2903)
Cantiones sacrae quinque vocum, accommodate ad omnes usus, tam viva voce, quam omnis generis instrumentis cantatu iucundae iam recens in lucem editae
Nuremberg: Neuber, Ulrich, 1572
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#22
|
|
Attrib: Philippo Auenario |
|
|
Angelus Domini de caelo clamavit
|
Ordinary Time 6 (Quinquagesima) |
Rossi, Giovanni Maria
c.1522–1590
|
5 |
Mottetti di Giovanni Maria Rosso maes... (RISM R2769)
Mottetti di Giovanni Maria Rosso maestro del Duomo di Mantova; nuovamente dati in luce et corretti da Claudio da Correggio, a cinque voci, libro primo
Venice: Merulo, Claudio, 1567
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#4
|
|
Attrib: Giovanni Maria Rosso |
|
|
Angelus Domini descendebat
|
|
Gutiérrez, Francisco
|
4 |
(E-TUY 3)
(Choirbook, MS)
#44
|
|
Attrib: Gutierres |
|
|
Angelus Domini descendit
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
(P-Cug 70)
Coimbra, after 1570
(Partbook, MS)
#5
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|
Angelus Domini descendit
|
|
Certon, Pierre
d.1572
|
5 |
|
Angelus Domini descendit de caelo
David Fraser (ATT)
The Cardinall's Musick
|
Easter Monday |
Byrd, William
c.1540–1623
|
3 |
Gradualia ac cantiones sacrae, quinis... (RISM B5218)
Gradualia ac cantiones sacrae, quinis, quaternis, trinisque vocibus concinnate Lib. Primus authoe Gulielmo Byrde, Organista Regio, Anglo Editio secunda, priore emendatior
London: Redmer, Richard, 1610
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#58
|
|
Attrib: Gulielmo Byrde |
|
|
Angelus Domini descendit de caelo
|
Easter Monday |
Rota, Andrea
c.1553–1597
|
5 |
|
Angelus Domini descendit de caelo
|
Easter Monday |
Giovannelli, Ruggiero
c.1560–1625
|
5 |
|
Angelus Domini descendit de caelo
|
Easter Monday |
Massaino, Tiburtio
before 1550–after 1608
|
7 |
|
Angelus Domini descendit de caelo
|
Easter Monday |
Mel, Rinaldo del
c.1554–c.1598
|
12 |
|
Angelus Domini descendit de caelo
|
Easter Monday |
Hassler, Hans Leo
1564–1612
|
8 |
Cantiones sacrae de festis praecipius... (RISM H2323)
Cantiones sacrae de festis praecipius totius anni, 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. & plurium vocum
Augsburg: Schönigk, Valentin, 1591
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#25
|
|
Attrib: Iohanne Leone Haslero |
|
Cantiones sacrae de festis praecipuis... (RISM H2324)
Cantiones sacrae de festis praecipuis totius anni, 4,5,6,7,8, & plurium vocum
Nuremberg: Kauffmann, Paul, 1597
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#31
|
|
Attrib: Joanne Leone Haslero |
|
|
Angelus Domini descendit de caelo
|
Easter Monday |
Leoni, Leone
c.1560–1627
|
8 |
|
Angelus Domini descendit de caelo
|
Easter Monday |
Mel, Rinaldo del
c.1554–c.1598
|
6 |
|
Angelus Domini descendit de caelo
|
Easter Monday |
Gabrieli, Andrea
1532/1533–1585
|
7 |
Concerti di Andrea et di Gio: Gabriel... (RISM 1587/16 (G85))
Concerti di Andrea et di Gio: Gabrieli organisti della sereniss. sig. di Venetia. Continenti musica DI CHIESA, Madrigali, & altro, per voci, & stromenti Musicali; a 6. 7. 8. 10. 12. & 16. Novamente con ogni diligentia dati in luce Libro primo et Secondo
Venice: Gardano, Angelo, 1587
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#16
|
|
Attrib: Andrea Gabrieli |
|
Continuatio cantionum sacrarum quatuo... (RISM 1588/2)
Continuatio cantionum sacrarum quatuor, quinque, sex, septem, octo et plurium vocum de festis praecipuis anni
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Katharina, 1588
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#15
|
|
Attrib: Andreae Gabriel |
|
Basso per l'organo Concerti di Andrea... (D-As Tonk.Sch. 200a)
Basso per l'organo Concerti di Andrea et di Gio: Gabrieli organisti della sereniss. sig. di Venetia. Continenti musica DI CHIESA, Madrigali, & altro, per voci, & stromenti Musicali; a 6. 7. 8. 10. 12. & 16. Novamente con ogni diligentia dati in luce Libro primo et Secondo
Augsburg, 1636
(Partbook, MS)
RISM
#15
|
|
Attrib: Andrea Gabrieli |
|
|
Angelus Domini descendit de caelo
|
Easter Monday |
Mornable, Antoine de
fl.1530–1553
|
5 |
|
Angelus Domini descendit de caelo
|
Easter Monday |
Croce, Giovanni
c.1557–1609
|
5 |
|
Angelus Domini descendit de caelo
|
Easter Monday |
Cifra, Antonio
1584–1629
|
2 |
|
Angelus Domini descendit de caelo
|
Easter Monday |
Gallus, Joannes (Jean le Cocq)
fl.1514–1543
|
4 |
Liber cantus (vocum quatuor) triginta... (RISM 1538/5)
Liber cantus (vocum quatuor) triginta novem motetos habet, ut in sequenti indice demonstratur
Ferrara: Buglhat, Johannes de, Campis, Henrici de, and Hucher, Antonio, 1538
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#27
|
|
Attrib: Io. Gallus |
|
Selectissimarum mutetarum partim quin... (RISM 1540/6)
Selectissimarum mutetarum partim quinque partim quatuor vocum tomus primus
Nuremberg: Petreius, Johann, 1540
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#30
|
|
Attrib: Io. Gallus |
|
Evangelia Dominicorum et festorum die... (RISM 1554/10)
Evangelia Dominicorum et festorum dierum musicis numeris pulcherrimae comprehensa & ornata. Tomi Primi
Nuremberg: Berg, Johann and Neuber, Ulrich, 1554
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#39
|
|
Attrib: Ioan Gallus |
|
|
Angelus Domini descendit de caelo
|
Easter Monday |
India, Sigismondo d'
c.1582–1629
|
4 |
|
Angelus Domini descendit de caelo
|
Easter Monday |
Corte, Bartolomé de la
|
5 |
|
Angelus Domini descendit de caelo
|
Easter Monday |
Utendal, Alexander
c.1530-1540–1581
|
23 |
(A-Wn 9814)
Vienna: Alamire, Petrus, c.1519-c.1525
(Partbook, MS)
#2
|
|
Attrib: Alexandro Vtendal |
|
|
Angelus Domini descendit de caelo
|
Easter Monday |
Anon
|
8 |
|
Angelus Domini descendit de caelo
Francis Bevan (ATBarBarB)
|
Easter Monday |
Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da
c.1525–1594
|
5 |
|