Paris, France, Bibliothèque Nationale, MS Rés. Vmc. 57, All folios
Physical description
Material: parchment
Number of leaves: ii + 77 + ii
Format: upright
Page dimensions: 180 x 125
Quire structure: Text version
Non-musical texts: 1. A portion of a Latin legal treatise, incipit: 'Per racionem enim' (f. 1r).
2. Two inscriptions: 'Sicut aqua extinguit igne / ita elemosinam extinguit peccatum' (Ecclesiasticus 3:30) and 'Cum facis elemosinam nesciat / dextera quid faciat cinistram” (Matthew 6:2–3) (f. 1r).
3. Two excerpts from Pslams: 'Deus meus ad te de luce vigilo' (Psalm 62: 2) and 'non tradas tradas' (Psalm 118: 121), at the end of the discantus part (f. 22v).
4. A proverb: 'Numquam letus eris si vulgo te Regendum tradideris' (f. 80v).
5. A note on color symbolism: 'Ladevise des couleurs / Rouge—orgeuil / Vert—gayté / Jaulne—joyssance / Gris—esperance / Violé—traison / Bleu—loyauté / Blanc—humilité /Noir—deul / Tanné—desesperance' (f. 80v).
6. A citation from Gregory the Great, Thirty-eighth Sermon on the Gospels, 'Gregorius / Non est perfecte bonus nisi qui etc. fuit cum malis / bonus quia bonus non fuit qui malos tolerare recusa / vit' (f. 80v).
7. Proverbs in French: 'Justice dort Raison est morte / Verité le coul tort A celuy qui la porte'; 'De l’ouvrage suis bien recors /
que femme est maulvaise beste / car dieu le Père feist le corps / mais le grant Dyable feist la teste.'
Other devices: 1. Original ink foliation recto top right, i-lxxii, followed by modern pencil foliation, 73-80.
Page details (zoom):
Preparation and Copying
1v-2r, 73v-80rPreparation
Disposition of Voice Parts Key
Pricking | none visible |
Ruled grid |
always,
Justification lines to left and right, no text lines visible. |
Ruling pattern | highly regular |
Staves omitted from grid | never |
Incomplete staves | never |
Medium and colour of grid | Frequency | Folios | Note |
---|---|---|---|
red ink | always | same as staves | |
Colour of staves | Frequency | Folios | Note |
red | always | ||
Ruling medium | Frequency | Folios | Note |
single rastrum | always | ||
Indentation for initials | Frequency | Folios | Note |
single | normally | Only top staves are indented. The text and music are normally indented on staves at the beginning of other voice parts. | |
Extra space between voice parts | Frequency | Folios | Note |
empty ruled staves on grid | often | ||
Space provided for separate text | Frequency | Folios | Note |
not in dedicated space | always | 73v, 74v, 75v, 76v, 77v, 78v, 79r, 79v | Additional stanzas in three-part compositions are written on staves below discantus. Additional text in four-part composition is written partly on staves, partly in the lower margin (ff. 78v-79r) |
Adhoc adaptation | Frequency | Folios | Note |
none | always |
Copying of text and music
Language(s) | French |
---|---|
Order of Copying |
music first
always |
Presence/absence of text | Voice part | Frequency | Folios | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|
provided with single incipit | contratenor secundus | always | ||
fully texted with one text | discantus | normally | 1v, 73v, 74v, 75v, 76v, 77v, 78v | |
fully texted with one or two texts | discantus | rarely | 79v | Residuum. |
provided with single incipit | tenor | normally | 2r, 74r, 75r, 76r, 77r, 78r, 79r | |
provided with two incipits | tenor | rarely | 80r | Residuum. |
untexted | contratenor | normally | 2r, 74r, 75r, 76r, 77r, 78r | |
provided with two incipits | contratenor | rarely | 80r | Residuum. |
provided with single incipit | contratenor | always | 78r |
Music 1
Colour(s) of notation | light brown |
Colour of notation folios | 1v-2r, 73v-78r |
Type(s) of notation | void mensural |
Type of notation note | Rhomboid-shaped notation, rounded and flattened on right-hand side |
Monophonic notation | absent |
Level of calligraphy | high |
Non verbal performance instructions | Folios | Note |
---|---|---|
signa congruentiae | 1v-2r, 73v-74r, 74v-75r, 75v-76r, 76v-77r, 77v-78r |
Music 2
Colour(s) of notation | light brown |
Colour of notation folios | ff. 78v-79r |
Type(s) of notation | void mensural |
Type of notation note | Rhomboid-shape notation |
Monophonic notation | absent |
Level of calligraphy | fair |
Non verbal performance instructions | Folios | Note |
---|---|---|
signa congruentiae | 78v-79r |
Music 3
Colour(s) of notation | light brown |
Colour of notation folios | 79v-80r |
Type(s) of notation | void mensural |
Type of notation note | Rhomboid-shaoed notation |
Monophonic notation | absent |
Level of calligraphy | fair |
Non verbal performance instructions | Folios | Note |
---|---|---|
signa congruentiae | 79v-80r | |
repeat signs | 80r |
Text 1
Types of script | cursive (bastarda) |
Types of script folios | 78v-79r |
Level of calligraphy | fair |
Colour(s) of text | light brown |
Multiple texts | no |
Text repetitions | none |
Abbreviations |
very few
In non underlaid text only. |
Non underlaid vocal text | additional |
Text 2
Types of script | cursive (bastarda) |
Types of script folios | 1v-2r, 73v-78r |
Level of calligraphy | high |
Colour(s) of text | light brown |
Multiple texts | no |
Text repetitions | none |
Abbreviations | very few |
Non underlaid vocal text |
additional
1v, 73v, 74v, 75v, 76v, 77v |
Liminary text |
Inscription 'par despit' (erased but visible in ultra-violet light) in the upper margin.,
73v, 74v, 75v, 76v, 77v |
Text 3
Types of script | cursive |
Types of script folios | 79v-80r |
Level of calligraphy | poor |
Colour(s) of text | light brown |
Multiple texts | yes |
Text repetitions | none |
Abbreviations |
very few
79v |
Non underlaid vocal text |
additional
79v |
Decoration
Level of Decoration | n/a |
Decoration initial type | Frequency | Folios | Initial type(s) | Size position | Description | Discrepancies |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
initials planned | normally |
Preparation
Disposition of Voice Parts Key
Pricking | none visible |
Ruled grid |
always,
Justification lines to left and right, no text lines visible. |
Ruling pattern | highly regular |
Staves omitted from grid | never |
Incomplete staves | never |
Medium and colour of grid | Frequency | Folios | Note |
---|---|---|---|
red ink | always | Same as staves | |
Colour of staves | Frequency | Folios | Note |
red | always | ||
Ruling medium | Frequency | Folios | Note |
single rastrum | always | ||
Indentation for initials | Frequency | Folios | Note |
single | normally | Only the top staves on each page are indented. The text and music are normally indented at the beginning of other voice parts with initials painted over the staves. | |
none | occasionally | 39v, 45v | Text and music not indented at the beginning of the tenor primus with the initial added in between the staves (f. 39v) or in the margin (f. 45v). |
Extra space between voice parts | Frequency | Folios | Note |
empty ruled staves on grid | occasionally | ||
Space provided for separate text | Frequency | Folios | Note |
not in dedicated space | always | In three-part compositions, additional stanzas are written on staves below discantus. In four-part compositions, they are included in any available space on staves (see f. 65v). |
Copying of text and music
Language(s) | French |
---|---|
Order of Copying |
music first
always |
Presence/absence of text | Voice part | Frequency | Folios | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|
provided with single incipit | tenor | normally | ||
provided with single incipit | contratenor | normally | ||
fully texted with one text | discantus | normally | Text almost fully or partially earsed, but presence of texture partly visible (ff. 2v, 6v) | |
fully texted with two texts | discantus | occasionally | 3v, 14v, 28v, 34v, 36v, 43v, 45v, 46v, 53v, 57v | In residua only. |
provided with two incipits | tenor | occasionally | 15r, 29r, 35r, 37r, 44r, 48r, 54r, 58r | In residua only |
provided with two incipits | contratenor | occasionally | 9r, 15r, 29r, 35r, 37r, 40r, 44r, 46r, 48r, 54r, 58r | In residua only |
provided with two incipits | bassus | occasionally | 9r, 46r | in residuum only. |
fully texted with one text | tenor | occasionally | ff. 38v, 50v, 58v, 65v | |
fully texted with one text | contratenor | occasionally | 39r, 56r, 59r | |
partially texted with one text | bassus | rarely | 56r | |
provided with single incipit | bassus | rarely | f. 66r | |
fully texted with one text | bassus | rarely | 59r |
Music
Colour(s) of notation | light brown |
Type(s) of notation | void mensural |
Type of notation note | Teardrop-shaped notation |
Monophonic notation | absent |
Level of calligraphy | high |
Non verbal performance instructions | Folios | Note |
---|---|---|
signa congruentiae | 14v, 44r, 47r, 48r | |
Later changes | Folios | |
Notation erased (ff. 2v-3v, 6v-7r, 48v-51r). Correction made to music (f. 72v, first stave from the top). | 2v-3v, 6v-7r, 48v-51r, 72v |
Text
Types of script | cursive (bastarda) |
Level of calligraphy | high |
Colour(s) of text | brown |
Multiple texts |
yes
3v, 9r, 14v, 15r, 28v, 29r, 34v, 35r, 36v, 37r, 43v, 44r, 45v, 46r, 47v, 48r, 53v, 54r, 57v, 58r, Double texts (or incipits) occur in residua only. Visible under the erasure (f. 3v) |
Text repetitions | none |
Abbreviations | very few |
Non underlaid vocal text |
additional
Almost all songs have additional stanzas written below discantus. There is no additional text in residua. |
Liminary text |
Names of composers: 'Binchois' (f. 26v), also spelled 'Bunchois (f. 51v), 'Busnois' (ff. 27v, 33v, 35v, 40v, 41v, 54v, 58v), 'Delhaye' (ff. 29v, 35v, 31v, 32v, 39v, 65v, 67v), 'Okeghem' (ff. 52v, 55v, 56v, 66v, 69v), 'Boubert' (f. 63v), 'Barbigant' (f. 68v), 'Fede' (f. 72v), and 'Dufay' (ff. 25v, 60v, 64v), twice with performance instructions: 'Dufay tempora bina file dyapson postea scande' (f. 25v) and 'Dufay Ad secundum perfecte' (f. 60v). ,
15v, 26v, 17v, 29v, 30v, 31v, 32v, 33v, 35v, 37v, 39v, 40v, 41v, 51v, 54v, 55v, 56v, 58v, 60v, 63v, 64v, 65v, 66v, 67v, 68v, 69v, 72v |
Later changes |
Text erased except for illuminated initials (ff. 2v, 3r, 3v, 6v, 7r, 48v, 49v, 50r, 50v, 51r).
Correction made to text (f. 72v, first stave from the top); added stanza (f. 56r).,
2v, 3r, 3v, 6v, 7r, 48v, 49v, 50r, 50v, 51r, 56r, 72v |
Decoration
Level of Decoration | fair |
Decoration border frequency | Border type | Folios | Size | Position | Description | Discrepancies |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
always | decorated | partial borders: one- and two-sided | outer margin, upper margin | Vine-scroll border extensions of the initials incorporating some naturalistic flowers and leaves. | ||
Decoration initial type | Frequency | Folios | Initial type(s) | Size position | Description | Discrepancies |
painted initials | always | decorated | Initials in alternating colours of blue or red on square grounds in opposite colour with modelling and decoration in shell gold 'en camaïeu d'or', some inhabited by human heads or aminals (mainly boars). |