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 2245

Manuscript type: choirbook

RISM siglum: F-Pn frc. 2245

DIAMM Source Key: 2028

Image repositories: Gallica

Folio(s): All folios

Date: c. 1490-8

The manuscript includes the arms of Louis, Duke of Orleans, therefore must have been completed before his accession to the throne of France as Louis XII in 1498.

Location of origin: France

Provenance

1. Louis, Duke of Orléans, from 1498 King of France as Louis XII (b. 1462, d. 1515): his coat of arms as Duke of Orléans, France modern with a label of three points (f. 1v); possibly to be identified with the chansonnier written and compiled for him by his court musician Jehan de Crespières, one of the three manuscripts for which Crespières was paid between July and September 1496 (see Delisle 1868-1881, I, 121 and Litterick 1976, 40). 2. French Royal Library (from 1792 Bibliothèque Nationale): three old shelfmarks: 'mmcxvi' (crossed out), '1496' (the same shelfmark was also allocated to ms. fr. 1596) and '8018' (f. 1r) corresponding respectively to Nicolas Rigault's and Jean Baptiste Hautin's supplementary catalogue of c. 1620, Pierre and Jacques Dupuy's 1645 catalogue (second part) and Nicolas Clement's 1682 catalogue (edited in Omont 1909-1921, II, 368, III, 75, IV, 66); red stamp 'BIBLIOTHECA REGIA' and the royal arms of France.

Artists/Scribes

Person: de Crespières, Jehan
Person type: scribe
Note: Text and music (ff. 1v-26r) are by one scribe, perhaps to be identified with Jehan de Crespières (see Provenance).

Person: Anonymous, Anonymous
Person type: scribe
Note: Music scribe responsible for an added song (ff. 31v-32r).

Person: Anonymous, Anonymous
Person type: artist
Note: A single illuminator responsible for decoration (ff. 1v-26).

Bibliography

Omont et al. 1868–1902, I, 390; Jeppesen 1965 (repr), xxxii, lxv, lxxi, c.; Marix 1942, 276-287, 282; Birmingham 1955; Picker 1960, I, 365; Lerner 1961–70, V, liv, lxxxiv-xc, 63-64, 119-121; Douglas 1969, 49-50, 65-66; Hudson 1969–72, IV, xix, 12; Jones 1972, I, 238 II, 20; Wexler 1974, 48-49, 217-218, 297, 304, 373, 376, 556-558; Atkinson, XIV, xi-xii, xxix, 5-7; Atlas 1975–6, I, 73; Litterick 1976, 40, 196-202; Kellman 1976, 181-216, 205-206; Hudson 1977, xvii-xx, xxvi, xxxiv-xxxvii, xliv-xlvii, 12-3, 38-40; Census-Catalogue 1979-1988, III, 22, IV, 46; Litterick 1980, 474-485; Atlas 1981, 249, 251-2, 261, 266, 278-281, 283; Keahey/Douglas 1982–5, III, xi-xii,xviii, 126-128; Urkevich 2011, 100, 110.

Basis for description: original

Paris, France, Bibliothèque Nationale, fonds français MS 2245, All folios

Physical description

Material: parchment

Number of leaves: ii + 33 + ii

Format: upright

Page dimensions: 178 x 122

Quire structure: Text version

Other devices: 1. Modern ink foliation recto top right, 1-33

Page details (zoom):

Preparation and Copying

All folios

Preparation

Disposition of Voice Parts Key

Pricking none visible
Ruled grid none visible,
Justification lines sometimes visible, text lines not visible; but text inscribed in a fairly regular way suggests ruling.
Ruling pattern fairly regular
The same ruling patter throughout: 5 staves on the verso and 8 staves on the recto with additional staves sometimes added on the verso.
Staves omitted from grid sometimes
Incomplete staves never
Medium and colour of grid Frequency Folios Note
brown ink always Justification lines are in brown ink, text lines are not visible.
Colour of staves Frequency Folios Note
light brown always
Ruling medium Frequency Folios Note
single rastrum always
Indentation for initials Frequency Folios Note
single always Indentation occurs in the top line of each recto and verso and in the fifth lines of a recto-side of each leaf.
Extra space between voice parts Frequency Folios Note
empty ruled staves on grid occasionally 1v, 3v, 4r, 6v, 10v, 11v, 12r, 15v, 25r, 32r
Space provided for separate text Frequency Folios Note
not in dedicated space sometimes 18r, 19r, 24r Text added in the lower margin or on an empty stave.
provided, in dedicated space normally Additional stanzas are usually written in the space left empty below discantus.
Adhoc adaptation Frequency Folios Note
notation and staves extended into margin rarely 17r, 18r
made for complete additional staves occasionally 20v, 21v It is difficult to say whether these additional staves were adhoc or pre-planned adaptations. Similar staves but without notation were added on ff. 15v, 22v, 25v and on blank folios, ff. 27v, 29v, 32v, 33v.

Copying of text and music 1

Language(s) Dutch, French
Order of Copying music first
always
Presence/absence of text Voice part Frequency Folios Note
fully texted with two texts all except discantus rarely 12r
fully texted with one text all voice parts normally 1v-11v, 12v-13r
partially texted with one text tenor rarely 14r, 15r
provided with single incipit contratenor rarely 14r, 24r
partially texted with one text contratenor occasionally 15r, 18r, 23r
fully texted with one or two texts discantus rarely 18v
partially texted with one or two texts all except discantus rarely 19r
partially texted with one text all except discantus rarely 20r
partially texted with one text all voice parts rarely 21v-22r
Music
Colour(s) of notation light brown
Type(s) of notation void mensural
Type of notation note Rhomboid-shaped notation
Monophonic notation absent
Level of calligraphy fair
Non verbal performance instructions Folios Note
signa congruentiae 9v, 10r, 11v, 12r, 12v, 13r, 14v, 15r, 18v, 19r, 19v, 20r, 20v, 21r, 22v, 23r, 24r, 25r, 25v, 26r
signes-de-renvoi 18v, 19r, 20v, 21r, 21v, 22r symbols of a cross (ff. 18v-19r, 20v-21r)
repeat signs 21v, 22r
pointers 24v A pair of dice used as pointer at the beginning of two parts of a canon; two dice displaying four points indicate that the canonic realisation of the upper voice starts four breves later than the written voice, and at the interval of a fourth lower; and two dice displaying five and four points indicate that the canonic realisation of the lower voice starts five breves later than the written voice, and at the interval of a fourth lower.
Later changes Folios
Corrected text f. 24v
Text
Types of script cursive (bastarda)
Level of calligraphy fair
Colour(s) of text light brown
Multiple texts yes
12r, 18v
Text repetitions very few
21v
Abbreviations very few
Non underlaid vocal text additional
1v, 2v, 3v, 4v, 5v, 6v, 7v, 8v, 9v, 10v, 11v, 12v, 13v, 14v, 15v, 16v, 17r, 17v, 18v, 19v, 22v, 23v, 24r, 25v,
Additional stanzas written below discantus, with two exception (ff. 17r, 24r) where the additional text is provided also below cotratenor.
Liminary text Performance instructions and rubrics: 'Royal' (written vertically, f. 2v) and 'Canon' 'Royal' (f. 16v); 'verte folium (f. 11r); 'residuum' (f. 11v); 'bourbon' (ff. 17v, 20v, 22v); 'canon' (f. 24v); Names of composers: 'hayne' (ff. 1v, 4v, 5v, 6v, 8v, 14v, 17v, 19v), 'Compere' or [com]pere (ff. 2v, 7v, 9v, 10, 12v, 15v, 20v, 22v, 24v), 'Prioris' (f. 3v), 'Ver Jeust (f. 6v); 'Okeghem' (ff. 13v, 16v); 'Fresneau' (f. 18v); 'Agricola' (f. 21v); 'Mureau' (f. 23v); 'Josquin' (f. 25r); 'Lafoulerie' (f. 25v).,
1v, 2v, 3v, 5v, 6v, 7v, 8v, 9v, 10v, 11r, 12v, 13v, 14v, 15v, 16v, 17v, 18v, 19v, 20v, 21v, 22v, 23v, 25r, 25v

Copying of text and music 2

Language(s) n/a
Order of Copying n/a
always
Presence/absence of text Voice part Frequency Folios Note
untexted all voice parts always
Music
Colour(s) of notation brown
Type(s) of notation void mensural
Monophonic notation absent
Level of calligraphy poor

Decoration

Level of Decoration fair
Decoration miniature frequency Folios Size position Description Discrepancies
rarely 1v 30 x 31 mm, lower margin. Coat of arms of Louis, Duke of Orleans, France modern with the label of three points, with the feur-de-lys and the label painted in liquid gold on blue ground.
Decoration border frequency Border type Folios Size Position Description Discrepancies
rarely decorated 1v partial borders: two-sided outer margin, upper margin Blue and red acanthus leaves on gold grounds.
rarely decorated 1v partial borders: two-sided outer margin, upper margin Blue and red acanthus leaves on gold grounds.
Decoration initial type Frequency Folios Initial type(s) Size position Description Discrepancies
painted initials always decorated Initials with a foliate decoration en camaïeu d'or on red or blue grounds.
initials planned rarely 31v-32r