PRoMs - The Production and Reading of Music Sources

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

Manuscript: Basel, Switzerland, Öffentliche Bibliothek der Universität, MS F IX 55

Manuscript type: choirbook (single quire(s))

RISM siglum: CH-Bu F.IX.55

DIAMM Source Key: 1548

Image repositories: E-manuscripta

Folio(s): All folios

Date: c. 1507-1510

The first part of the manuscripts is inscribed 'Venerabili magistro Jacobo salandronio | lude magistro scole divi theodori'. Since Jacob Salandronius (or Salzmann) left his post at the Latin School of St. Theodor in Basel in April 1510 and since one of the pieces in this part is Heinrich Isaac's motet 'Sancti spiritus / Imperii proceres' composed for the Imperial Diet in Constance in 1507, the copy must date from between these two dates. See Kmetz 1988, 177.

Location of origin: Basel, Switzerland

Provenance

The first part of the manuscript was copied by Jacob Salandronius (Salzmann), teacher at the Latin School of St. Theodor in Basel, between 1507 and 1510. It was folded and posted to 'Matis brotbeck in der cleinen stat' (Mathis brotbeck [baker] in Kleinbasel), together with the second part which must thus date from the same time as the first or earlier. A later ownership remark (probably by Brotbeck states 'Filius suus dono mihi misit ex Tegbuiler Urbe Helvetia', indicating that it was Salandronius' son who had sent the volume to him, possibly from Tägerwilen near Constance. The manuscript was possibly later in the possession of the Remigius Faesch Museum whose holdings were taken over by Basel University Library in 1823.

Artists/Scribes

Person: Salzmann (Salandronius), Jacob
Person type: scribe
Location of origin: Basel, Switzerland
Note: 1v-8r

Person: Anonymous, Anonymous
Person type: scribe
Note: 9v-12r

Bibliography

Kmetz 1988, 176-180

Basis for description: original

Basel, Switzerland, Öffentliche Bibliothek der Universität, MS F IX 55, All folios

Physical description

Material: paper

Number of leaves: ii + 12 + i

Format: upright

Page dimensions: 310 x 220

Quire structure: Text version

Title page / Frontispiece: Various ownership and provenance entries on f. 1r:
upright in left margin: 'Venerabili magistro Jacobo salandronio | lude magistro scole divi theodori'
middle of page: 'Matis brot|beck in | der cleinen | stat'
below that: 'Filius suus dono mihi misit ex Tegbuiler Urbe Helvetia'

Other devices: modern pencil foliation, 1-12

Page details (zoom):

Preparation and Copying

1-8

Preparation

Disposition of Voice Parts Key

Pricking never
Ruled grid always,
Double lines left and right: outer margin 35–39 mm, inner margin 20–26 Sometimes additionally frame line below ruled staved in lower margin, 50–62 mm from bottom
Ruling pattern fairly regular
Staves omitted from grid never
Incomplete staves never
Medium and colour of grid Frequency Folios Note
brown ink always
Colour of staves Frequency Folios Note
brown always
Ruling medium Frequency Folios Note
freehand always
Indentation for initials Frequency Folios Note
none always
Extra space between voice parts Frequency Folios Note
none always
Space provided for separate text Frequency Folios Note
no separate text always
Adhoc adaptation Frequency Folios Note
made for complete additional staves occasionally 1v, 4r, 7r
partial additional staves rarely 4r
notation and staves extended into margin occasionally
notation extended into margin sometimes

Copying of text and music

Language(s) Latin
Order of Copying music first
always
Presence/absence of text Voice part Frequency Folios Note
untexted tenor rarely 2r
provided with one or two incipits all except discantus sometimes
provided with one or two incipits all voice parts sometimes
fully texted with one text discantus sometimes
partially texted with one text all voice parts sometimes 5v-7r
fully texted with one text tenor occasionally 7v-8r
provided with single incipit all except tenor occasionally 7v-8r
Music
Colour(s) of notation black
Type(s) of notation chant (square), void mensural
Type of notation note teardrop-shape notation
Monophonic notation present
2r, 3r, 3v,
Chant-based cantus firmus voices
Level of calligraphy poor
Non verbal performance instructions Folios Note
none
Line fillers Folios Note
none
Text
Types of script cursive (German)
Level of calligraphy poor
Colour(s) of text black
Multiple texts no
Text repetitions none
Abbreviations many
Non underlaid vocal text none
Liminary text Composer ascriptions (consistently) Voice designations (occasionally) Canonic instruction 'Bassus cim supremo in decimis baritonizat (3v) 'Resoluciones super missam rosina' (4r) ,
3v, 4r

Decoration

Level of Decoration very poor
9-12

Preparation

Disposition of Voice Parts Key

Pricking none visible
Ruled grid never
Ruling pattern fairly regular
Staves omitted from grid never
Incomplete staves never
Medium and colour of grid Frequency Folios Note
n/a always
Colour of staves Frequency Folios Note
black always
Ruling medium Frequency Folios Note
single rastrum always
Indentation for initials Frequency Folios Note
none always Music and text sometimes slightly indented at the beginning of voice parts.
Extra space between voice parts Frequency Folios Note
empty ruled staves on grid normally
Space provided for separate text Frequency Folios Note
no separate text always
Adhoc adaptation Frequency Folios Note
none always

Copying of text and music

Language(s) Latin
Order of Copying music first
always
Presence/absence of text Voice part Frequency Folios Note
fully texted with one text discantus always
partially texted with one text all except discantus always
Music
Colour(s) of notation black
Type(s) of notation void mensural
Type of notation note teardrop-shape notation
Monophonic notation absent
Level of calligraphy poor
Non verbal performance instructions Folios Note
none
Line fillers Folios Note
none
Text
Types of script cursive (German)
Level of calligraphy poor
Colour(s) of text black
Multiple texts no
Text repetitions none
Abbreviations many
Non underlaid vocal text none
Liminary text Composer ascriptions Voice designations 'Tenor' and 'Bassus' above voice part on blank staves (Bassus on f. 11r in indentation before voice paet for space reasons)

Decoration

Level of Decoration very poor