Modena, Italy, Biblioteca Estense Universitaria, alpha.M.1.2 (Lat. 457; olim VI.H.I), All folios
Physical description
Material: parchment
Number of leaves: i + 173 + i
Format: upright
Page dimensions: 550 x 390
Quire structure: Text version
Other devices: 1. Original quire signatures, brown ink recto bottom right (largely trimmed off, but possible to reconstruct), a1-a4 ... y1-y41.
2. Original foliation brown ink recto top right, 1-174 (including missing first page).
3. Modern foliation pencil recto bottom left, 1-173.
Page details (zoom):
Preparation and Copying
All foliosPreparation
Disposition of Voice Parts Key
Pricking |
always,
prick for each ruled stave in outer margins, often trimmed off; not aligned with bottom staveline, but consistently below it. Vertical bounding lines pricked at top and bottom, often trimmed off |
Ruled grid |
always,
single vertical bounding lines; text on double line 5 mm apart; rarely text lines below every stave, normally added only where text present |
Ruling pattern |
highly regular
9 pentagrams, very parallel and even |
Staves omitted from grid | never |
Incomplete staves | never |
Medium and colour of grid | Frequency | Folios | Note |
---|---|---|---|
hard point or lead point | always | bounding lines | |
red ink | always | text lines | |
Colour of staves | Frequency | Folios | Note |
black | always | ||
Ruling medium | Frequency | Folios | Note |
single rastrum | always | ||
Indentation for initials | Frequency | Folios | Note |
none | always | no indented staves, music either indented over 1 stave to accommodate initials or initials in left margin | |
Extra space between voice parts | Frequency | Folios | Note |
empty ruled staves on grid | often | ||
Space provided for separate text | Frequency | Folios | Note |
no separate text | always | ||
Adhoc adaptation | Frequency | Folios | Note |
notation and staves extended into margin | rarely | ||
notation extended into margin | occasionally |
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 | ||
provided with single incipit | all except discantus | always |
Music
Colour(s) of notation | black |
Type(s) of notation | void mensural |
Type of notation note | rhomboid shape, with a serif-like point at the bottom and slightly leaning forward |
Monophonic notation | absent |
Level of calligraphy | fair |
Non verbal performance instructions | Folios | Note |
---|---|---|
signa congruentiae | sometimes | |
signes-de-renvoi | often | |
repeat signs | occasionally | |
Line fillers | Folios | Note |
often | series of custodes before page turn when music continues across the break | |
Later changes | Folios | |
f. 29r text erased and overwritten; f. 124v second half of D music erased and overwritten |
Text
Types of script | textura |
Types of script note | with cursive elements |
Level of calligraphy | high |
Colour(s) of text | black |
Multiple texts | no |
Text repetitions | none |
Abbreviations | fairly many |
Non underlaid vocal text | none |
Liminary text | Composer names above new piece, normally. Voice designations for T, Ct and B, with initial in left margin and then under the music, normally. Cross-references, occasionally. Performance instructions (Duo, Tacet, Verte), sometimes. Canonic instructions, rarely (f. 125r). All except voice-designation initials in black ink in the same size and style as underlaid text. |
Decoration
Level of Decoration | fair |
Decoration miniature frequency | Folios | Size position | Description | Discrepancies | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
rarely | 1v | presumably on lost folio | ||||
Decoration border frequency | Border type | Folios | Size | Position | Description | Discrepancies |
rarely | None | 1v | partial borders: two-sided | presumably on lost folio | ||
Decoration initial type | Frequency | Folios | Initial type(s) | Size position | Description | Discrepancies |
painted initials | normally | decorated, flourished | beginning of every new piece or movement, discantus only. | Purple, red, blue, and green on gold, with filigree work and foliate designs | ||
penned initials | always | calligraphic , flourished | Initials of voices other than discantus or subsections of discantus, in margin or more rarely in indentation | medium-sized capitals alternating red and blue with penwork in opposite colour. | ||
Other decoration frequency | Folios | Other decoration type(s) | Size position | Description | Discrepancies | |
normally | embellished final barline |