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 |
Si quid vota valent
Pothárn Imre
|
|
Lassus, Orlande de
c.1532–1594
|
5 |
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
#14
|
|
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
#14
|
|
Attrib: Orlando di Lasso |
|
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
#61
|
|
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
#61
|
|
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
#152
|
|
Attrib: Orlandi de Lasso |
|
|
Si quis diligit me
|
|
Maillard, Jean
fl.c.1538–1570
|
5 |
|
Si quis diligit me
|
|
Villefond
|
4 |
Moduli undecim festorum solemnium tot... (RISM 1554/7)
Moduli undecim festorum solemnium totius anni, cum quatuor & quinque vocibus, a celeberrimis authoribus conditi, nunc recens editi
Paris: Du Chemin, Nicolas, 1554
(Choirbook, Print)
RISM
#3
|
|
Attrib: Villefond |
|
Secundus tomus evangeliorum quatuor, ... (RISM 1555/10)
Secundus tomus evangeliorum quatuor, quinque, sex, et plurium vocum continens historias & doctrinam, quae in Ecclesia proponi solet: De Ascensione Christi. De Missione Spiritussancti
Nuremberg: Berg, Johann and Neuber, Ulrich, 1555
(Choirbook, Print)
RISM
#37
|
|
Attrib: Ville Font |
|
Sextus liber modulorum, quatuor, quin... (RISM 1556/10)
Sextus liber modulorum, quatuor, quinque et sex vocum, (quos vulgus moteta vocat) à quibusvis celeberrimis authoribus excerptus, & nunc primùm in lucem aeditus.
[Geneva]: Bosc, Simon du, 1556
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#5
|
|
Attrib: Ville Font |
|
|
Si quis diligit me
|
|
Ghibel, Eliseo
c.1520–after 1581
|
5 |
|
Si quis diligit me
|
|
Lauro, Domenico
1540–after 1607
|
8 |
|
Si quis diligit me
|
|
Ruffo, Vincenzo
c.1508–1587
|
6 |
|
Si quis diligit me
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Si quis diligit me
|
|
Vulpius, Melchior
c.1570–1615
|
6 |
|
Si quis diligit me
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
(I-TVd 14)
Treviso, c.1560-1626
(Choirbook, MS)
#60
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|
Si quis diligit me - Non turbetur cor vestrum
|
|
Paminger, Leonhard
1495–1567
|
5 |
Secundus tomus ecclesiasticarum canti... (RISM P829)
Secundus tomus ecclesiasticarum cantionum, quatuor, quinque, sex, et plurium vocum, a passionem Domini et salvatoris nostri Jesu Christiu usque ad primam Dominicam post Festum S. Trinitatis
Nuremberg: Gerlach, Dietrich, 1573
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#162
|
|
Attrib: Leonartum Pamingerum |
|
|
Si quis diligit me - Pacem meam relinquo - Iam non multa loquor
|
|
Maistre Jhan
c.1485–1538
|
5 |
(I-TVd 36)
Treviso, c.1530
(Partbook, MS)
#25
|
|
Attrib: M Jan |
|
|
Si quis mihi ministraverit
|
|
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
#225
|
|
Attrib: Leonarto Pamingero |
|
|
Si quis mihi ministraverit - qui me confessus fuerit
|
|
Zaphelius, Matthias
before 1550–after 1572
|
5 |
|
Si quis mihi ministraverit - Venit ergo vox de caelo dicens
|
|
Burck, Joachim a
1546–1610
|
5 |
|
Si quis ministraverit honorificabit
|
|
Handl, Jacob (Gallus)
1550–1591
|
6 |
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
#59
|
|
Attrib: Iacobo Hándl |
|
|
Si quis per me intraverit
|
|
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
#224
|
|
Attrib: Leonarto Pamingero |
|
|
Si quis vobis dixerit
|
|
Dulichius, Philipp
1562–1631
|
5 |
|
Si quis vult post me - Quid enim prodest homini
|
|
Wanning, Johannes
1537–1603
|
5 |
|
Si quis vult post me venire - Quid proderit homini
|
|
Ponta, Adamus de
fl.1563–1585
|
5 |
|
Sire don dieu tant ils sont aises
|
|
Willaert, Adrian
c.1490–1562
|
5 |
|
Sire don dieu tant ilz sont ayses noz bergieres
|
|
Willaert, Adrian
c.1490–1562
|
3 |
|
Sire dont dieu tant ilz sont aises
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Si refuz de joyssance a puissance
|
|
Belin, Guillaume
c.1500–1568
|
4 |
|
Sire m'est
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Si resurrexistis una cum Christo
|
|
Rore, Cipriano de
1515/1516–1565
|
5 |
Thematic catalogue. MS destroyed in 1944 (I-TVd 30)
Treviso: d'Alessi, Giovanni, c.1570
(Partbook, MS)
#16
|
|
Attrib: Ciprianus Rore |
Thematic catalogue, first phrase only |
|