Modena, Italy, Biblioteca Estense Universitaria, alpha.F.9.9 (Ital. 1221; olim VIII.F.27), All folios
Physical description
Material: paper (with parchment)
Number of leaves: ix + 80 + i
Format: oblong
Page dimensions: 112 x 166
Quire structure: Text version
Title page / Frontispiece: series of introductory paratexts in quire i.
Index / Table of Contents: 1. Modern alphabetical index, list of composers and summary of contents, bound in front on ff. ii-ix.
2. Original alphabetical index, ff. 3v-5v
Other devices: 1. Original foliation 4-7 (= 9-12); 14-18 (= 13-17); 21 (= 18); 30 (= 19); 33-38 (= 20-25); 43-48 (= 26-31); 54-80 (= 32-58); 82-89 (= 59-66); 91-101 (= 67-77); last three folios unnumbered.
2. Modern library foliation pencil recto bottom left, 1-80.
Page details (zoom):
Preparation and Copying
All foliosPreparation
Disposition of Voice Parts Key
Pricking |
always,
single prick in outer margins, aligned with bottom line of second stave (?) |
Ruled grid |
always,
single vertical bounding lines; no text lines |
Ruling pattern |
highly regular
5 pentagrams, very even |
Staves omitted from grid | never |
Incomplete staves | never |
Medium and colour of grid | Frequency | Folios | Note |
---|---|---|---|
light brown ink | always | ||
Colour of staves | Frequency | Folios | Note |
brown | normally | ||
gold | rarely | 8v | painted over original black ruled staves |
Ruling medium | Frequency | Folios | Note |
single rastrum | always | ||
Indentation for initials | Frequency | Folios | Note |
single | always | staves 1 and 4, c. 15 mm, always | |
Extra space between voice parts | Frequency | Folios | Note |
empty ruled staves on grid | always | stave 3 almost always left empty for verbal text; in 3v pieces staves 1-2 on recto pages also left blank | |
Space provided for separate text | Frequency | Folios | Note |
provided, in dedicated space | always | stave 3 between voices |
Copying of text and music
Language(s) | Italian |
---|---|
Order of Copying |
music first
always |
Presence/absence of text | Voice part | Frequency | Folios | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|
fully texted with one text | discantus | always | ||
provided with single incipit | all except discantus | normally |
Music
Colour(s) of notation | black gold |
Colour of notation note | <p>gold on f. 8v, staves 1-2</p> |
Type(s) of notation | void mensural |
Type of notation note | rhomboid shaped notation |
Monophonic notation | absent |
Level of calligraphy | very high |
Line fillers | Folios | Note |
---|---|---|
none | ornaments at end of notation after final barline, but not for the purpose of filling the line |
Text
Types of script | cursive (italic) |
Level of calligraphy | high |
Colour(s) of text | black |
Multiple texts | no |
Text repetitions | none |
Abbreviations | few |
Non underlaid vocal text | additional |
Liminary text | Voice designations in initials |
Decoration
Level of Decoration | very high |
Decoration miniature frequency | Folios | Size position | Description | Discrepancies | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
often | in space left empty by three-voice compositions and in margins or on empty staves | Animals and plants, highly elaborate | ||||
Decoration initial type | Frequency | Folios | Initial type(s) | Size position | Description | Discrepancies |
penned initials | always | calligraphic , flourished | At the beginning of every voice-part | Multi-coloured cadel-type initials, with voice designations integrated for lower voices | ||
Other decoration frequency | Folios | Other decoration type(s) | Size position | Description | Discrepancies | |
normally | decorative final long, end-symbol | at the end of every voice | extended and elaborate final long, followed by decorative end symbols, partly with plants, objects, human heads. |