Paris, France, Bibliothèque Nationale, fonds français MS 15123 (olim Suppl. Fr. 2637), All folios
Physical description
Material: parchment
Number of leaves: iii + 199 + vi + ii
Format: upright
Page dimensions: 180 x 120
Quire structure: Text version
Non-musical texts: Notes on composers whose works are included in this manuscript by François-Joseph Fétis (b. 1784, d. 1871), Director of the Royal Conservatory of music at Brussels, added on 6 unfoliated paper leaves at the end of the volume.
Other devices: 1. Original ink foliation recto top right often trimmed.
2. Traces of original quire/leaf signatures.
Page details (zoom):
Preparation and Copying
All foliosPreparation
Disposition of Voice Parts Key
Signe de renvoi
| Pricking | none visible |
| Ruled grid |
always,
Justification only; text lines are not visible. |
| Ruling pattern | highly 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 |
| single rastrum | always | ||
| Indentation for initials | Frequency | Folios | Note |
| single | normally | Only the top staves of recto and verso are indented; initials for other voice parts are placed in the margins. | |
| 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 | sometimes | 23v, 29v, 32v, 36v, 37v, 39v, 63v, 90v, 91v, 101v-102r 103v, 116v-117r, 182v. 183v | Additional stanzas are included below or between voices and at the end of voice parts. |
| Adhoc adaptation | Frequency | Folios | Note |
| notation extended into margin | occasionally | 3v, 15r, 26v, 97v, 109r, 126v, 127r, 133r, 159v, 163v, 166v, 182v | |
| notation and staves extended into margin | occasionally | 16r, 60v, 68r, 72r, 85v, 87v, 116r, 123v, 126r, 128r, 138r, 157r, 158r, 186r, 188r, 191r, 193v |
Copying of text and music
| Language(s) | Dutch, French, Latin, Spanish |
|---|---|
| Order of Copying |
music first
always |
| Presence/absence of text | Voice part | Frequency | Folios | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| fully texted with one or two texts | discantus | normally | ||
| provided with one or two incipits | bassus | occasionally | 52r, 81r, 108r, 109r | |
| provided with one or two incipits | tenor | sometimes | 57v, 68v, 70v | |
| partially texted with one or two texts | bassus | rarely | 42r, 43r, 53r, 80r, 142r | |
| fully texted with one text | all voice parts | occasionally | 1v-2r, 8v-9r, 62v-63r, 63v-64r, 104v-105r | |
| fully texted with one text | all except cotratenor | sometimes | 2v-3r, 3v-4r, 40v-41r | |
| provided with one or two incipits | all except discantus | often | 4v-5r, 6v-8r, 10v-15r, 17v-26r, 27v-40r, 43v-51r, 53v-54r, 55v-57r, 58v-61r, 66v-67r, 69v-70r, 71v-79r, 81v-82r, 84v-89r, 90v-98r, 101v-104r, 105v-108r, 109v-110r, 113v-114r, 118v-130r, 131v-132r, 134v-140r, 147v-149r, 151v-157r, 158v-159r, 164v-170r, | 171v-172r, 173v-188r, 189v-190r, 195v-197r |
| partially texted with one or two texts | all except discantus | sometimes | 9v-10r, 54v-55r, 61v-62r, 61v-62r, 64v-65r, 65v-66r, 67v-68r, 89v-90r, 98v-101r, 110v-113r, 114v-117r, 140v-141r, 159v-162r, 173v-174r | ff. 159v-161r are almost fully texted. |
| fully texted with one text | all except cotratenor | rarely | 15v-16r, 194v-195r | Text in tenor and bassus are different than in discantus and contratenor |
| partially texted with one text | contratenor | sometimes | 16r, 43r, 142r | |
| partially texted with one or two texts | contratenor | occasionally | 41r, 55r, 69r, 71r | |
| fully texted with one or two texts | tenor | occasionally | 41v, 42v, 79v, 80v, 141v | |
| partially texted with two texts | contratenor | rarely | 42r | |
| fully texted with one text | all except bassus | rarely | 51v-52r, 52v-53r | |
| partially texted with one or two texts | tenor | rarely | 82v, 107v, 108v | |
| provided with single incipit | all voice parts | occasionally | 117v-118r, 130v-131r, 133v-134r, 142v-144r, 145v-146r, 149v-151r, 157v-158r, 162v-163r, 188v-189r, 190v-194r | |
| untexted | all voice parts | rarely | 144v-145r, 146v-147r, 197v-198r | |
| fully texted with one or two texts | all except tenor tertius | rarely | 170v-171r | |
| provided with two incipits | tenor tertius | rarely | 171r | |
| provided with single incipit | contratenor | sometimes | 3r, 4r, 58r, 80r, 81r, 84r, 108r, 109r, 195r |
Music
| Colour(s) of notation | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| repeat signs | 9v-10r, 45v-46r, 55v-56, 57v-58r, 65v-66r, 98v-99r, 110v-113r, 170v-171r, 186v-187r | |
| signa congruentiae | 1v-2r, 6v-8r, 14v-15r, 39v-40r, 43v-45r, 57v-58r, 60v-61r, 69v-70r, 73v-74r, 77v-78r, 82v-84r, 86v-87r, 88v-89r, 90v-91r, 92v-93r, 97v-98r, 126v-127r, 136v-137r, 145v-146r, 147v-148r, 166v-167r, 168v-170r, 174v-175r, 191v-192r, 196v-197r | |
| signes-de-renvoi | often | elongated custos pointing across the opening |
Text
| Types of script | hybrida |
| Types of script size position | Voice name written in larger script, under a stronger influence of (loopless) bastarda. |
| Level of calligraphy | high |
| Colour(s) of text | brown |
| Multiple texts | yes |
| Text repetitions |
fairly few
8v-9r, 9v-10r, 40v, 62v-63r, 63v, 64r, 64v, 79v, 86v, 87v, 108v |
| Abbreviations | fairly few |
| Non underlaid vocal text |
additional
9v, 13v, 23v, 29v, 32v, 36v, 37v, 39v, 53v, 63v, 90v, 91v, 101v-102r, 103v, 116v-117r, 183v |
| Liminary text |
Names of composers (often cropped): 'Caron' (ff. 6v, 15v, 35v, 36v, 37v, 106v, 165v, 187v), 'Busnoys' (ff. 7v, 86v, 124v, 125v, 126v, 127v, 128v, 131v, 153v, 156v, 159v, 162v, 163v, 164v, 170v, 171v, 172v, 178v, 184v, 189v), 'Cornago' (f. 54v), '.b.yeart.' (f. 62v), 'ochghem' (f. 133v) or 'J. ochghem' (f. 155v), also spelled 'j. okeghem' (f. 158v), 'L. Compere' (f. 169v), 'Morton' (f. 188v).
Traces of cropped names of composers in the upper margins (ff. 10v, 27v, 93v).,
6v, 7v, 15v, 35v, 36v, 37v, 54v, 62v, 86v, 106v, 124v, 125v, 126v, 127v, 128v, 131v, 133v, 153v, 155v, 156v, 158v, 159v, 162v, 163v, 164v, 165v, 169v, 170v, 171v, 172v, 178v, 184v, 187v, 188v, 189v |
Decoration
| Level of Decoration | high |
| Decoration border frequency | Border type | Folios | Size | Position | Description | Discrepancies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| rarely | decorated | 2r | partial borders: two-sided | inner margin, upper margin | Floral border. | |
| rarely | decorated | 1v | partial borders: three-sided | lower margin, outer margin, upper margin | Floral border with candelabra motifs incorporating a historiated medallion of a saint (damaged face) facing the initial for discantus, and a gold heraldic shield supported by two putti in the lower margin; similar putti sitting above the initial T(enor) also incorporated into the border. | |
| Decoration initial type | Frequency | Folios | Initial type(s) | Size position | Description | Discrepancies |
| painted initials | normally | decorated | At the beginning of voice parts. | Faceted Initials (shaped under influence of calligraphic initials) in gold, silver or colours (red, rose, yellow or green) on coloured grounds, sometimes decorated with golden pattern imitating French camaïeu d'or, (ff. 1v-2r) or with flowers and leaves. | Some initials are constructed of acanthus leaves (eg. ff. 41v, 50r, 92v). | |
| painted initials | rarely | 33v | zoomorphic initial | Initial 'H'(ella) formed by the body of a green dragon. |