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 1596

Manuscript type: choirbook

RISM siglum: F-Pn frc. 1596

DIAMM Source Key: 2383

Image repositories: Gallica

Folio(s): All folios

Date: c. 1495

According to Wexler 1979 written in Cognac around 1495, prior to the death of Charles of Orleans (d. 1496) when the work on the book halted. According to Litterick 1976, made at the court of Louis of Orléans (King Louis XII after 1498).

Location of origin: Cognac, France

Provenance

1. Perhaps a portion of an uncompleted chansonnier originally intended for use at the court of either Louis of Orléans, from 1498 King Louis XII (see Litterick 1976, 66) at Blois, or Charles of Orléans, Count of Angoulême (d. 1496) at Cognac (see Wexler 1979). 2. Margaret of Angoulême (b. 1492, d. 1592), daughter of Charles of Orléans and Louise of Savoy (Duchess of Alençon from 1509 and Queen of Navarre from 1525): given to her before she became Duchess of Alençon in 1509, two inscriptions: 'A Marguerite dorleans appartient cest livre' and, probably in her own hand: 'Ce livre est a marguerte dorleans qui le trouvera sil ne prandrea vous qui mires par orgueil voustre(?) fave', with a title in a contemporary hand: 'musica' and 'Plusieurs chancons prophanes a trois parties' (f. 1v). 2. French Royal Library (from 1792 Bibliothèque Nationale): three old shelfmarks 'mccclviii', '1496' and '7617' (f. 2r) 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 1909–21, II, 332, III, 75, IV, 47).

Artists/Scribes

Person: Anonymous, Anonymous
Person type: scribe

Bibliography

Delisle 1868–81, I, 112; Omont et al. 1868–1902, I, 270; Picker 1960, I, 364-365; Wexler 1974, 223-226, 375, 523-532; Litterick 1976, 65-66, 76-80; Census-Catalogue 1979-1988, III, 20, IV, 463; Wexler 1980, 102-114; Picker 1980, 81-101, 82-4, 90-92; Keahey/Douglas 1982–5, III, xiv-xv, 94-95; Urkevich 2012, 98.

Basis for description: original

Paris, France, Bibliothèque Nationale, fonds français MS 1596, All folios

Physical description

Material: parchment

Number of leaves: ii + 10 + ii

Format: upright

Page dimensions: 249 x 186

Quire structure: Text version

Other devices: 1. Modern ink foliation recto top right, 1-10.

Page details (zoom):

Preparation and Copying

All folios

Preparation

Disposition of Voice Parts Key

Pricking always,
Pricking holes indicate top lines of staves.
Ruled grid none visible,
Justification lines are sometimes visible; text lines not visible.
Ruling pattern highly regular
Staves omitted from grid never
Incomplete staves never
Medium and colour of grid Frequency Folios Note
hard point and lead point sometimes Justification lines only.
Colour of staves Frequency Folios Note
light brown always
Ruling medium Frequency Folios Note
single rastrum always
Indentation for initials Frequency Folios Note
none rarely 3v, 7v, 8r
single normally 2v, 3r, 4r-7r Indentation for initials at the beginning of discantus and tenor parts only.
Extra space between voice parts Frequency Folios Note
empty ruled staves on grid always all versos Empty space left below discantus only.
Space provided for separate text Frequency Folios Note
not in dedicated space normally 2v, 4v, 5v, 6v, 7v Additional stanzas written on staves left empty by the music scribe.
Adhoc adaptation Frequency Folios Note
notation extended into margin occasionally 4r, 5r, 5v, 6r, 7r

Copying of text and music

Language(s) French
Order of Copying music first
always
Presence/absence of text Voice part Frequency Folios Note
fully texted with one text all voice parts normally 2v-3r, 4v-5r, 5v-6r, 6v-7r, 7v-8r
provided with single incipit all voice parts rarely 3v-4r
Music
Colour(s) of notation brown
Type(s) of notation void mensural
Type of notation note rhomboid-shaped notation, slightly rounded
Monophonic notation absent
Level of calligraphy high
Non verbal performance instructions Folios Note
signa congruentiae 2v, 3r
Text
Types of script cursive (bastarda)
Types of script size position Larger script is used for voice names, which are written vertically at the beginning of voice parts (tenor and bassus only).
Types of script folios 3r, 4r, 5r, 6r, 7r, 8r
Level of calligraphy high
Colour(s) of text brown
Multiple texts no
Text repetitions none
Abbreviations few
Non underlaid vocal text additional
2v, 4v, 5v, 6v, 7v,
Additional stanzas are written on staves below discantus.

Decoration

Level of Decoration fair
Decoration initial type Frequency Folios Initial type(s) Size position Description Discrepancies
penned initials sometimes 2v, 4v calligraphic with grotesque heads
penned initials sometimes 5v, 6v, 7v calligraphic
penned initials rarely 3v decorated with grotesque heads Initial O in the form of a leafy stem surrounding a human (?) head, probably added by a user.