Naples, Italy, Biblioteca Nazionale, MS VI E 40, All folios
Physical description
Material: parchment
Number of leaves: i + 64 + i
Format: upright
Page dimensions: 443 x 313
Quire structure: Text version
Other devices: 1. Modern pencil foliation recto top right, 1-64.
Page details (zoom):
Preparation and Copying
All foliosPreparation
Disposition of Voice Parts Key
Pricking |
normally,
visible only for vertical bounding lines |
Ruled grid |
always,
single line to left and right, single line for text where present |
Ruling pattern |
highly regular
consistent and very even 12-stave ruling |
Staves omitted from grid | never |
Incomplete staves | never |
Medium and colour of grid | Frequency | Folios | Note |
---|---|---|---|
hard point or lead point | always | ||
Colour of staves | Frequency | Folios | Note |
brown | always | ||
Ruling medium | Frequency | Folios | Note |
single rastrum | always | ||
Indentation for initials | Frequency | Folios | Note |
none | always | music and text indented over ruled staves to accommodate initials | |
Extra space between voice parts | Frequency | Folios | Note |
empty ruled staves on grid | normally | ||
Space provided for separate text | Frequency | Folios | Note |
not in dedicated space | sometimes | elaborate canonic inscriptions below tenor on empty ruled staves | |
Adhoc adaptation | Frequency | Folios | Note |
notation extended into margin | often | ||
notation and staves extended into margin | rarely |
Copying of text and music
Language(s) | Latin |
---|---|
Order of Copying |
music first
normally, all except tenor |
Order of Copying |
text first
normally, tenor |
Presence/absence of text | Voice part | Frequency | Folios | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|
fully texted with one text | all voice parts | always | Tenor with 'L'homme armé' text only; Kyries with trope texts in addition to ordinary text |
Music
Colour(s) of notation | black red |
Colour of notation note | <p>outer voices in tenor-free sections in red</p> |
Type(s) of notation | void mensural |
Type of notation note | teardrop-shaped notation, quite slender and elegant, tending towards rhomboid shape |
Monophonic notation | absent |
Level of calligraphy | high |
Later changes | Folios | |
---|---|---|
Tenors consistently written out 'ad longum' below or above canonic tenors, on existing staves in later (but still broadly contemporary) hand, texted only with incipit |
Text 1
Types of script | cursive (bastarda) |
Level of calligraphy | very high |
Colour(s) of text | black |
Multiple texts |
yes
L'homme armé text in T, trope texts in other voice in Kyries |
Text repetitions | very few |
Abbreviations | some |
Non underlaid vocal text | none |
Liminary text | Voice designations (with initials except for D), Verte instructions, very elaborate canonic instructions, Tacet instructions. |
Text 2
Types of script | display script |
Types of script size position | all liminary texts |
Types of script note | larger and more elaborate than sung text, but same scribe |
Level of calligraphy | very high |
Colour(s) of text | black |
Decoration
Level of Decoration | fair |
Decoration initial type | Frequency | Folios | Initial type(s) | Size position | Description | Discrepancies |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
penned initials | normally | calligraphic with decoration, calligraphic with grotesque heads, flourished | Tenor only, two lines | elaborate cadel-type initials, some flourished, some in colour, occasionally with grotesque heads, embellished with yellow wash | ||
penned initials | normally | plain initials | all voices except tenor, one line; some at the beginning of sections below stave | large, slightly embellished capitals alternating in red and blue | ||
Other decoration frequency | Folios | Other decoration type(s) | Size position | Description | Discrepancies | |
normally | littera notabilior | most capital letters within sections, second letters after initials, initial letters of Verte and canonic instructions | larger and embellished capital letter, filled with yellow wash |