PRoMs - The Production and Reading of Music Sources

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

Manuscript: Paris, France, Bibliothèque Nationale, fonds français MS 1597 (olim Colbert 1625)

Manuscript type: choirbook

RISM siglum: F-Pn frc. 1597

DIAMM Source Key: 2027

Image repositories: Gallica

Folio(s): All folios

Date: c. 1500

According to Litterick 1976, copied before 1500; according to Couchman 1980, probably copied in Paris in the early 16th century (before 1507), for René II de Vaudemont, Duke of Lorraine, or for René's son Antoine I, Duke of Lorraine.

Location of origin: France ; Paris, France

Provenance

1. René II (b. 1451, d. 1508), Duke of Lorraine, perhaps owned by him or by his son, Antoine I, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1489, d, 1544: arms used by both René and Antoine, surmounted by a ducal coronet, quarterly Hungary ancient impaled with Naples, Jerusalem impaled with Aragon, Anjou and Bar (f. 78v); 2. Claude Hardy (b. c. 1604, d. 1678), mathematician, lawyer and bibliophile: purchased at a sale after his death by Etienne Baluze for Jean-Baptiste Colbert (see 'Catalogue des manuscrits achetez a l'inventaire de feu M. Hardy le 14 juillet 1678', BnF, ms. Lat 9363, f. 147r, no 154: 'Livre de vers en musique. Fol'; 3. Jean-Baptiste Colbert (b. 1619, d. 1683), minister of finance under Louis XIV: included in the inventory of manuscripts in his library, BnF, ms. n.a.l. 1187, f. 132, no. 1625 as 'Ancien livre de chanson françoises en musique', but omitted in Bibliotheca Colbertina, seu catalogus librorum..., 3 vols (Paris, 1728); sold to King Louis XV of France; 4. Entered the Royal Library of France (from 1792, Bibliothèque nationale) with the Colbert manuscripts in 1732 (Ancien fonds royal): royal library stamp (model Josserand-Bruno, no. 5, before 1735) and old shelfmarks 'Codex Colb. 1625', 'Regius 7617/ 3' and '7617/3' (f. iir).

Artists/Scribes

Person: Anonymous, Anonymous
Person type: scribe
Location of origin: France
Note: Probably one music scribe and two scribes responsible for the text (ff. iv-69r and 69v-77r).

Person: Anonymous, Anonymous
Person type: artist
Location of origin: France
Note: One workshop was responsible for all painted initials and borders.

Bibliography

Delisle 1868–81, I, 55; Omont et al. 1868–1902, I, 270; Paris 1875; Wolf 1908–21, repr. 1968, XXI, 124-5; Finscher 1958, V, viii; Shipp 1960; Picker 1960, I, 365; Lerner 1961–70, IV, xiv-xvi, xix-xx, 47-51 V, passim; Osthoff 1962, II, 165-6, 171, 185, 279, 283, 299, 339; Hewitt 1967, 28, passim; Jeppesen 1968–70, II, 87, 150-153, 168-169, 190-191; Douglas 1969, 49-50, 72-4, 108, 129; Wexler 1974, 226-7, 304, 330-331, 373; Atlas 1975–6, I, 70, passim; Litterick 1976, 104, 116ff, 150, 166, 190; van Benthem 1976; Hudson 1977, xvii-xviii, xxv, xxxiv, xliii-xlvi, 26-28; Census-Catalogue 1979-1988, III, 21; IV, 463; Litterick 1980, 474-485; Couchman 1980; Bernstein 1982, 289-90, 294-297; Keahey/Douglas 1982–5, III, xi-xii, xvii, xix-xx, 126-128.

Basis for description: original

Paris, France, Bibliothèque Nationale, fonds français MS 1597 (olim Colbert 1625), All folios

Physical description

Material: parchment

Number of leaves: ii + 78 + i

Format: upright

Page dimensions: 279 x 201

Quire structure: Text version

Index / Table of Contents: f. i v (front flyleaf): written in two columns:
Sensuit La table de ce present livre. Et premier
Deul et ennuy I
Beata es maria ii
Da pacem domine iii
Da pacem domine iiii
Dulcis amica dei v
Si sumpsero vi
O q[uam] glorifica vii
Si dedero viii
Mes pensees ix
Leure est venue x
Despitant fortune xi
Allez Regretz xii
Les grans regretz xiii
Vatem regret xiiii
Qui belles amors a xv
Si ie vo[u]s eslongne xvi
Si vous voulez estre xviii
Ha quil mennuye xx
Seal et eureux xxi
La saison en est xxii
Penser en voies xxiii
Venez regretez xxiiii
Des fais mondains xxv
De plus en plus xxvi
Mon souvenir xxvii
A heur le tiens xxviii
Tant ay dennuyt xxix
Comme femme desconfortee xxx
Si congie prens xxxi
Si mieulx ne vient xxxii
Plus que aultre xxxiii
En lombre dung buyssonnet xxxiiii
La Regrettee xxxv
Ja scay tout xxxvi
Fors seullement xxxvii
Il nest vinant xxxviii
Vostre beaulte xxxix
helas pour quoy xl
Je ne viz oncques xli
Royne dez flours xlii
fousons boutons xliii
fin chyo vivo xliiii
Yo so contento xlv
Que vous ma dame xlvi
La gaye pastoure xlvii
Se iay perdu mon amy xlviii
Mon seul plaisir xlix
Ce moys de may l
Pastourelle lii
Belle se iavoye liii
Amoureuse my fault est liiii
Tant bel my sont lv
Se iavoye de la foie lvi
Lourdault lvii
Lautre tour my lviii
La nuyt sen va lix
Il estoit ung bon homme lx
Fors seulement lxi
Crux triumphans lxii
My levay lxiiii
Mary de par sa mere lxv
La cuillier dor lxvi
faictes sil vous plait lxvii
Ne par dieu lxviii
Seulette suis lxix
Mon mari ma diffamee lxx
Lamour de moy lxxii
Mannette ma mande lxxiiii
A lombre du bissonnet lxxvi
Triste et pensif lxxvii

Other devices: 1. Original ink foliation (in Roman numerals) recto top centre (except f. 78), i-lxxvii
2. Modern red ink foliation verso top left, 1-74 (omitting folios after ff. 70, 71, 72, 74).
3. Quire/leaf signatures, ff. 64-67: ai, aii, aiii aiiii
4. Modern quire numbering in pencil.

Page details (zoom):

Preparation and Copying

All folios

Preparation

Disposition of Voice Parts Key

Pricking normally,
Pricking holes indicate text lines, which are not, however, visible.
Ruled grid always,
Justification only; text lines not visible.
Ruling pattern highly regular
Staves omitted from grid never
Incomplete staves never
Medium and colour of grid Frequency Folios Note
lead point normally
Colour of staves Frequency Folios Note
brown always
Ruling medium Frequency Folios Note
single rastrum always
Indentation for initials Frequency Folios Note
single normally
none rarely 7r, 9r There is sometimes no indentation of staves for initials at the beginning of third voice in three-voice compositions or second and fourth voice in four-voice compositions. Initials are usually placed on staves with text and music indented. On f. 9r, initial is placed in the same line at the end of the voice part.
Extra space between voice parts Frequency Folios Note
empty ruled staves on grid sometimes Ruled staves left empty below discantus in three-voice compositions and occasionally between the voices.
Space provided for separate text Frequency Folios Note
provided, in dedicated space rarely iv Additional stanzas are included in the space left below discantus.
not in dedicated space normally 9v, 10v, 16v, 18v, 21v, 22v, 27v, 32v, 36v, 38v, 40v, 43v Additional stanzas written below discantus over ruled staves.
Adhoc adaptation Frequency Folios Note
notation and staves extended into margin occasionally 1r, 42r, 48r, 57v, 62r
notation extended into margin sometimes 34r, 35r, 35v, 39v, 40r, 42r, 43r, 45v, 46r, 48v-49v, 54r-55v, 56v, 58v, 59v-60r, 61r, 72v, 75v

Copying of text and music

Language(s) French, Italian, Latin
Order of Copying music first
always
Presence/absence of text Voice part Frequency Folios Note
fully texted with one or two texts all voice parts occasionally 48v-49r
partially texted with one or two texts contratenor rarely ff. 44r, 51r
fully texted with one text all except cotratenor often 6v-7r, 11v-12r, 13v-14r, 16v-20r, 21v-23r, 24v-26r, 27v-29r, 33v-42r, 56v-57r
partially texted with one text all except discantus rarely 45v-46r, 75v-76r
partially texted with one text contratenor rarely 56r, 57r, 59r
partially texted with one text bassus occasionally 56r, 65r check
fully texted with one or two texts bassus rarely 51r, 58r
fully texted with one text discantus normally
fully texted with one text all voice parts often iiv-5r, 14v-15r, 26v-27r, 44v-45r, 47v-48r, 49v-50r, 51v-55r, 59v-60r, 61v-64r, 65v-75r
provided with single incipit all except discantus sometimes 5v-6r, 7v-10r, 12v-13r, 15v-16r, 20v-21r, 23v-24r, 32v-33r, 46v-47r, 60v-61r
provided with two incipits all except discantus rarely 10v-11r
untexted contratenor rarely 29r, 77r
provided with single incipit all voice parts rarely 29v-30r
partially texted with one text tenor rarely 31r, 32r, 43r, 77r
provided with single incipit contratenor often 7r, 12r, 14r, 17r, 18r, 19r, 20r, 22r, 23r, 25r, 26r, 28r, 31r, 32r, 34r, 35r, 36r, 37r, 38r, 39r, 40r, 41r, 42r, 43r, 59r
fully texted with one or two texts all except cotratenor rarely 43v-44r
fully texted with one text tenor occasionally 55v, 57v, 58v, 64v check voice disposition
provided with single incipit bassus rarely 59r check
fully texted with one text bassus occasionally 65r
Music
Colour(s) of notation brown
Type(s) of notation void mensural
Type of notation note rhomboid-shaped notation
Monophonic notation absent
Level of calligraphy high
Non verbal performance instructions Folios Note
repeat signs 43v-44r, 48v-49r, 51r
Later changes Folios
Added partially texted, 3-voice composition 78r
Text
Types of script cursive (bastarda)
Level of calligraphy high
Colour(s) of text brown
Multiple texts yes
11r, 43v-44r, 48v-49r, 51r, 65v-66r, 75v
Text repetitions fairly many
iv-1r, 14v-15r, 44v-45r, 47v-48r, 51v-52r, 53r, 55v, 56v-58v, 59v-60r, 63v-64r, 65v-75v
Abbreviations fairly many
Non underlaid vocal text additional
iv, 9v, 10v, 16v, 18v, 21v, 22v, 27v, 32v, 36v, 38v, 40v, 43v
Liminary text Performance instruction: 'verte folium' (f. 57v).,
57v

Decoration

Level of Decoration high
Decoration miniature frequency Folios Size position Description Discrepancies
rarely 78v Added on a page, previously left blank, at the end of the volume; 112 x 90 mm. Coat of arms of Dukes of Lorraine in colours and gold.
Decoration border frequency Border type Folios Size Position Description Discrepancies
always decorated partial borders: two- and three-sided inner margin, outer margin, upper margin Partial borders, covering only a portion of the margin next to initials, decorated with a repeated initial letter in black or white on gold ground.
Decoration initial type Frequency Folios Initial type(s) Size position Description Discrepancies
painted initials always decorated Initials in black or white with foliate decoration on gold grounds.