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 |
Adesto dolori meo Deus
|
|
Utendal, Alexander
c.1530-1540–1581
|
6 |
Sacrae cantiones vulgo motecta appell... (RISM U121)
Sacrae cantiones vulgo motecta appellatae sexet plurium vocum tum viva voce tum omnis generis instrumentis cantatu commodissimae. Liber secundus
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Dietrich, 1573
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#16
|
|
Attrib: Alexandri Vtendal |
|
|
Adesto dolori meo Deus - Interiora mea
|
|
Gallet, François
c.1555–after 1585
|
5 |
|
Adesto dolori meo Deus - Interiora mea
|
|
Conflicting attributions
|
5 |
Liber sextus ecclesiasticarum cantion... (RISM 1553/13)
Liber sextus ecclesiasticarum cantionum quinque vocum vulgo moteta vocant
Antwerp: Susato, Tylman, 1553
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#7
|
|
Attrib: Iaco. Clemens non Papa |
|
Liber tertius cantionum sacrarum vulg... (RISM 1554/3)
Liber tertius cantionum sacrarum vulgo moteta vocant, quinque et sex vocum
Lyon: Phalèse the Elder, Pierre, 1554
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#8
|
|
Attrib: Clemens non papa |
|
(D-Dl Mus.Pi.Cod.VII)
Dresden: Weissenberger, Albert, 1556
(Choirbook, MS)
RISM
#5
|
|
Attrib: Thomas Crequilon |
|
Quintus tomus evangeliorum et piarum ... (RISM 1556/8)
Quintus tomus evangeliorum et piarum sentiarum quinque vocum continens historias & doctrinam, quae in Ecclesia proponi solet: de poenitentia
Nuremberg: Berg, Johann and Neuber, Ulrich, 1556
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#10
|
|
Attrib: Clemens non Papa |
|
Quintus liber modulorum, quinque vocu... (RISM C2685)
Quintus liber modulorum, quinque vocum, (quos vulgo moteta vocat)
[Geneva]: Du Bosc, Simon, 1556
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#10
|
|
Attrib: Clemente non Papa |
|
|
Adesto sancta Trinitas
|
Trinity |
Mantua, Jacquet de
1483–1559
|
4 |
Himni vesperorum totius anni secundum... (RISM J22)
Himni vesperorum totius anni secundum Romanam curiam
Venice: Scotto, Girolamo, 1566
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#9
|
|
Attrib: Iachet svavissimi olim musici reverendissimi cardin. Mantvae |
Unum te lumen: Canon in diapente superius. Cum quinque vocibus. |
|
Adesto sancta Trinitas
|
Trinity |
Anon
|
4 |
(I-Vsm 14)
Venice
(Choirbook, MS)
#18
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
Te caelorum militia |
|
Adesto sancta Trinitas [I]
|
Trinity |
Sheppard, John
c.1515–1558
|
6 |
|
Adesto sancta Trinitas [II]
|
Trinity |
Sheppard, John
c.1515–1558
|
6 |
Baldwin partbooks (GB-Och 979-983)
Windsor: Baldwin, John, c.1575-c.1581
(Partbook, Print/MS)
#118
|
|
Attrib: mr S |
#166 in Superius (979) book. Tenor (missing) book also contains contratenor part. |
|
Adesto sancta Trinitas - Te caelorum militia
|
Trinity |
Chaynée, Jean de
c.1540–1577
|
5 |
|
Adesto unus Deus omnipotens
|
Trinity |
Aichinger, Gregor
1564–1628
|
7 |
|
Adesto unus Deus omnipotens
|
Trinity |
Neander, Alexius
c.1560–1605
|
8 |
Sacrarum symphoniarum continuatio div... (RISM 1600/2)
Sacrarum symphoniarum continuatio diversorum excellentissimorum authorum quaternis, V. VI. VII. VIII. X. & XII. vocibus tam vivis, quam instrumentalibus accommodata
Nuremberg: Kauffmann, Paul, 1600
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#67
|
|
Attrib: Alexii Neandri |
|
Florilegium selectissimarum cantionum... (RISM 1603/1)
Florilegium selectissimarum cantionum, praestantissimorum aetatis nostrae autorum, 4. 5. 6. 7, & 8. vocum
Leipzig: Lamberg, Abraham, 1603
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#72
|
|
Attrib: Alexii Neandri |
|
|
Adesto unus Deus omnipotens
Pothárn Imre
|
Trinity |
Praetorius, Hieronymus
1560–1629
|
5 |
|
Adew adew le company
|
|
Anon
|
3 |
|
Adew adew my hartis lust
|
|
Cornysh, William
d.c.1523
|
3 |
|
Adew courage adew
|
|
Cornysh, William
d.c.1523
|
3 |
|
Ad festa sanctorum Ecclesiae
|
|
Handl, Jacob (Gallus)
1550–1591
|
5 |
Quartus tomus musici operis harmoniar... (RISM H1985)
Quartus tomus musici operis harmoniarum quatuor, quinque, sex, octo et plurium vicum, quae ex sancto catholicae ecclesiae usu ita sunt dispositae, ut omni tempore inservire queant
Prague: Nigrinus, Georg, 1590
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#95
|
|
Attrib: Iacobo Hándl |
|
|
Adhaesit anima mea post te quia caro mea igne cremata
|
St Lawrence |
Anon
|
4 |
|
Adhaesit pavimento
|
|
Mundy, William
c.1529–1591
|
5 |
|
Adhaesit pavimento
|
|
Dalla Casa, Girolamo
d.1601
|
6 |
|
Adhaesit pavimento anima mea - Dormitavit anima mea praesedio
|
|
Gerarde, Derrick
fl.c.1540–1580
|
5 |
|
Ad honorem tuum Christe - Gaudent in caelis
|
|
Compère, Loyset
c.1445–1518
|
4 |
|
Adieu adieu you kind and cruel
|
|
Morley, Thomas
1557/1558–1602
|
5 |
|
Adieu amours de vous suys las
|
|
Anon
|
3 |
|
Adieu celle que j'ay servy
|
|
Hollande, Joannes de
|
6 |
|
Adieu celle que j'ay servy
|
|
Barbion, Eustachius
c.1515–1556
|
5 |
|
Adieu celle que j'ay servy
|
|
Gerard, Jan
|
5 |
|