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.
The best way to help fund the project is to commission performing editions. New editions can be made quickly for as little as £10.
Read more about the project's history at the 2018 Crowdfunder page.
Title |
Function(s) |
Composer |
# |
Sources |
Absalon fili mi
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
|
Absalon fili mi
|
|
Josquin Desprez
c.1450–1521
|
4 |
(GB-Lbl Royal-8-G-vii)
London: Alamire, Petrus, c.1513-c.1525
(Choirbook, MS)
#32
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
Selectissimae necnon familiarissimae ... (RISM 1540/7)
Augsburg: Kriesstein, Melchior, 1540
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#24
|
|
Attrib: Iosquin |
|
Tertia pars magni operis musici, cont... (RISM 1559/2)
Nuremberg: Berg, Johann and Neuber, Ulrich, 1559
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#10
|
|
Attrib: Iosquin de Prees |
|
|
Absolve Domine
|
|
Vasquez, Juan
c.1500–c.1560
|
4 |
Agenda defunctorum (RISM V996)
Montedosca: Montedosca, Martin de, 1556
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#22
|
|
Attrib: Ioanes Vasquez |
|
|
Absolve Domine
|
|
Anon
|
4 |
(E-SI 21)
Santo Domingo de Silos
(Choirbook, MS)
#29
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|
Absolve Domine animas eorum
|
(Responsory), Office for the dead |
Anon
|
4 |
(D-Mbs 2747)
(Choirbook, MS)
#12
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
Officium defunctorum: Matins, second nocturn - responsory, lectio I |
|
Absolve quaesumus Domine
|
|
Anon
|
8 |
|
Absorbeat quaeso
Pothárn Imre
|
|
Monte, Philippe de
1521–1603
|
6 |
|
Absterge Domine
Tallis Scholars
|
|
Tallis, Thomas
c.1505–1585
|
5 |
Hamond partbooks (GB-Lbl Add. 30480–4)
London, c.1560-c.1590
(Partbook, MS)
#27
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
as Wipe away my sins |
(GB-Ckc Rowe 316)
Cambridge, 1565
(Partbook, MS)
#4
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
as Wipe away my sins |
Sadler partbooks (GB-Ob 1-5)
Oxford: Sadler, John, c.1565-1585
(Partbook, MS)
#35
|
|
Attrib: Thomas Tallis |
|
(GB-Lbl Add. 22597)
London, c.1565-c.1585
(Partbook, MS)
#35
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
Textless, titled 'Discomfit them, O Lord' |
Cantiones quae ab argumento sacrae vo... (RISM 1575/3)
London: Vautrollier, Thomas, 1575
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#2
|
|
Attrib: T. Tallis |
|
(GB-Ob Tenbury 1464)
Oxford, c.1575
(Partbook, MS)
#48
|
|
Attrib: Mr Tallys |
|
A booke of In nomines & other solfain... (GB-Lbl Add. 31390)
London: Woodcock, Clement, c.1578
(Tablebook, MS)
#109
|
|
Attrib: mr Tallis |
|
Braikenridge MS (GB-Ob Tenbury 1486)
Oxford: Sadler, John, 1591
(Partbook, MS)
#23
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
Willmott MS (GB-Ob MS. Mus. c. 784)
Oxford: Sadler, John, 1591
(Partbook, MS)
#23
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
(US-NYp Drexel 4180-4185)
New York: Merro, John, 1600-1650
(Partbook, MS)
#39
|
|
Attrib: Mr Tallis |
as Wipe away my sins |
(US-NYp Drexel 4180-4185)
New York: Merro, John, 1600-1650
(Partbook, MS)
#95
|
|
Attrib: Mr Tallis |
|
Chirk Castle Partbooks (US-NYp Mus. Res. *MNZ (Chirk) [1-4])
Wrexham, c.1618-c.1633
(Partbook, MS)
RISM
#40
|
|
Attrib: mr Thomas Tallis |
as Discomfort them, O Lord |
The first book of selected church mus... (RISM 1641/5)
London: Griffin, Edward and Barnard, John, 1641
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#55
|
|
Attrib: Tho. Tallis |
as Wipe away my sins |
|
Absterget Deus omnem lacrymam
|
Comm. Martyrs |
Handl, Jacob
1550–1591
|
6 |
|
Absterget Deus omnem lacrymam
Francis Bevan (SATB)
|
Comm. Martyrs |
Paminger, Leonhard
1495–1567
|
4 |
|
Absterget Deus omnem lacrymam
|
Comm. Martyrs |
Paminger, Balthasar
c.1523–1546
|
4 |
|
Absterget Deus omnem lacrymam
|
Comm. Martyrs |
Paminger, Sigismund
1539–1571
|
4 |
|
Absterget Deus omnem lacrymam
|
Comm. Martyrs |
Porta, Costanzo
c.1528–1601
|
6 |
|
Absterget Deus omnem lacrymam - Non esurient
|
Comm. Martyrs |
Vecchi, Orfeo
c.1551–1603
|
4 |
|
Abus sert a conduire en court
|
|
Anon
|
3 |
|
Acabarseam mis plazeres
|
|
Anon
|
3 |
|
A caena calice accepto
|
|
Kessler, Wendelin
fl.1572–1580
|
5 |
|
Accedens tentator dixit Jesu
|
|
Dulichius, Philipp
1562–1631
|
5 |
|
Accedentes servi ad patrem - At ille dixit non - Colligite primum zizania
|
|
Vulpius, Melchior
c.1570–1615
|
6 |
|
Accepit autem omnes timor
|
|
Faber, Benedikt
|
6 |
|
Accepit ergo Jesus panes
|
|
Cardoso, Manuel
1566–1650
|
5 |
Livro de varios motetes, officio da s... (RISCM C1042)
Lisbon: Craesbeeck, Laurenco, 1648
(Choirbook, Print)
RISM
#18
|
|
Attrib: Fr. Manoel Cardoso |
|
|
Accepit Jesus calicem
|
Corpus Christi |
Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da
c.1525–1594
|
6 |
Bourdenay codex (F-Pn 851)
Paris, c.1570-c.1599
(Score, MS)
#342
|
|
Attrib: Gianetto Palestrina |
|
Motettorum quae partim quinis, partim... (RISM P711)
Venice: Scotto, Girolamo, 1575
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#26
|
|
Attrib: Iohannis Petraloysii Praenestini |
|
Motettorum quae partim quinis partim ... (RISM P712)
Venice: Scotto, Girolamo, 1581
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#26
|
|
Attrib: Iohannis Petraloysii Praenestini |
|
Liber tertius ... Motectorum quae par... (RISM P715)
Venice: Gardano, Angelo, 1594
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#26
|
|
Attrib: Ioan: Petri Aloysii Praenestini |
|
|
Accepit Jesus panem
|
Corpus Christi |
Guyot de Châtelet, Jean
1512–1588
|
6 |
|
Accepit Jesus panem
Nancho Alvarez
|
Corpus Christi |
Guerrero, Francisco
1528–1599
|
4 |
(E-SE 6)
(Choirbook, MS)
#32
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
Motteta ... que partim quaternis, par... (RISM G4871)
Venice: Gardano, Antonio, 1570
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#10
|
|
Attrib: Francisci Gverreri |
|
Motecta (RISM G4877)
Venice: Vincenti, Giacomo, 1597
(Partbook, Print)
RISM
#31
|
|
Attrib: Francisci Gverreri |
|
|
Accepit Jesus panem
|
Corpus Christi |
Anon
|
4 |
(E-SI 21)
Santo Domingo de Silos
(Choirbook, MS)
#13
|
|
Attrib: Anon |
|
|