PRoMs - The Production and Reading of Music Sources

Mise-en-page in manuscripts and printed books containing polyphonic music, 1480—1530

Manuscript: Oxford, Great Britain, Bodleian Library, [Printed Book] Arch. A.c.10

Manuscript type: printed book with interpolated polyphony

RISM siglum: GB-Ob Arch.A.c.10

DIAMM Source Key: 545

Image repositories: DIAMM

Folio(s): 34-43

Date: c.1510-20

Location of origin: Northamptonshire, England

Provenance

Of English origin; perhaps copied in Northamptonshire. Later owned by the statesman Sir Robert Walpole (1676-1745), of Houghton, Norfolk; passed to Cholmondeley family in 18th century. Purchased by Bodleian Library in 1955 at a Sotheby's sale of property of Sir George Horatio Charles, 5th Marquess of Cholmondeley (1883-1968).

Artists/Scribes

Person: Anonymous, Anonymous
Person type: scribe

Basis for description: high-quality image

Oxford, Great Britain, Bodleian Library, [Printed Book] Arch. A.c.10, 34-43

Physical description

Material: paper

Number of leaves: 65

Format: upright

Page dimensions: 280-288 x 195-210

Quire structure: Text version

Other devices: 1. Modern pencil foliation recto top right, 1-65.

Page details (zoom):

Preparation and Copying

All folios

Preparation

Disposition of Voice Parts Key

Pricking none visible
Ruled grid normally,
single lines to left and right
Ruling pattern fairly irregular
mostly 8 staves, but ruled very unevenly
Staves omitted from grid n/a
Incomplete staves never
Medium and colour of grid Frequency Folios Note
black ink always
Colour of staves Frequency Folios Note
black always
Ruling medium Frequency Folios Note
freehand always hand-drawn without guide, very uneven
Indentation for initials Frequency Folios Note
none always
Extra space between voice parts Frequency Folios Note
empty ruled staves on grid sometimes
variable space, not on grid sometimes
Space provided for separate text Frequency Folios Note
no separate text always

Copying of text and music

Language(s) Latin
Order of Copying mixed
always
Presence/absence of text Voice part Frequency Folios Note
fully texted with one text all voice parts always
Music
Colour(s) of notation black
Type(s) of notation void mensural
Type of notation note teardrop-shaped notation
Monophonic notation absent
Level of calligraphy poor
Line fillers Folios Note
sometimes abstract ornaments filling remaining stave after final double barline
Text
Types of script cursive (Anglicana)
Level of calligraphy fair
Colour(s) of text black
Multiple texts no
Text repetitions none
Abbreviations few
Non underlaid vocal text none
Liminary text Voice designations, in left margin

Decoration

Level of Decoration very poor