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, nouvelles acquisitions françaises MS 1817

Manuscript type: partbook (single)

RISM siglum: F-Pn n.a.fr.1817

DIAMM Source Key: 2385

Image repositories: Gallica

Folio(s): All folios

Date: c. 1514-23

Made after Giulio de' Medici's appointment as cardinal in 1513 and after the death of Anne of Brittany (d. 1514) (includes a composition (ff. 69v-71v) for her death), but before Giulio's election as pope in 1523; possibly produced in two phases: phase 1, ff. 4r-52v (with all items listed in the table of contents), phase 2, ff. 53r-76r, but within a short interval of time.

Location of origin: Florence, Italy

Provenance

1. Made for Giulio de' Medici (b. 1478, d. 1534), illegitimate son of Guliano de' Medici, cardinal from 1513, pope from 1523 as Clemens VII: Medici arms surmounted by a cardinal hat with the motto 'GLOVIS' associated by Paolo Giovio with Guliano de' Medici, but also used by other members of the family (f. 41r, see Cummings 1991); includes three compositions by Heinrich Isaac associated with Medici patronage: two elegies for Lorenzo il Magnifico and the instrumental work 'Palle, palle' based on the Medici motto and heraldry; 2. Nicholas Yemeniz (d. 1871), silk manufacturer and diplomat from Lyons: his book-plate with the number 658 (front pastedown), listed in the Catalogue la Bibliothèque de M. N. Yemeniz (Paris, 1867); 3. Acquired by the Bibliothèque Nationale in 1866.

Artists/Scribes

Person: Boccardi (workshop), Giovanni
Person type: artist
Note: Decoration attributed to workshop of Giovanni Boccardi by Slim 1972. Initials painted by two hands follow the division of scribal hands (ff. 4r-52v 53r-76r). The second hand imitates faithfully the initial type of the hand 1, but its work is of higher quality.

Person: Anonymous, Anonymous
Person type: scribe
Note: Written by two scribes (ff. 4r-52v and 53r-76r) with additions by a different hand on ff. 76v-78r

Bibliography

Omont et al. 1868–1902, XV, 285; Gröber 1887, 371; Blume 1949–79, X, 800; Picker 1960, I, 351-352; Pannella 1968, 4, 39, 43-47; Jeppesen 1968–70, II, 17-18; Dunning 1969, 19-26, 339-340; Redmond 1970; Slim 1972, I, 36-7, Plate 27; Atlas 1975–6, I, 49, 240-242; Staehelin 1977, I, xxi-xxii, 26, 61-2; II, 37-38; Winn 1979, 50-54; Census-Catalogue 1979-1988, III, 28, IV, 463; Cummings 1981, 203-204, 213; Brown 1981, 104; Noblitt 1982; Bernstein 1982, 284-285, 296-297; Cummings 1983, 274, 280-292, 309; Cummings 1991.

Basis for description: original

Paris, France, Bibliothèque Nationale, nouvelles acquisitions françaises MS 1817, All folios

Physical description

Material: parchment

Number of leaves: 84

Format: oblong

Page dimensions: 123 x 175

Quire structure: Text version

Index / Table of Contents: Original index on ff. 1r-2v, contemporary but in a different hand than the body of the manuscript, lists first 42 pieces only, in alphabetical order by title:
Alonfere barbes ...ac 10
Ave regina celorum …..ac 27
Bases moy ….ac 2
Ciaschun merie ...ac 15
Che fa la ramansina 25
Damene um pocho
Et leves vous le ghuslem[et]te ac 4
entre ye suis ac 19
elonieronons ac 29
Gentil chalans ac 9
figle vos aves ac 16
Flores apparuerunt ac 47
Je nau duel ac 1
iuli marine ac 4
ie suis amie ac 8
in illo tempore ac 35
il estoyt ac 21
Lorbau Lorbau ac 5
Lamor de moy ac 22
La lire voir ac 24
Liber generationis ac 39
Mayre de dio tant ac 23
O bone et dulcissime yhesu ac 26
Palle palle ac 38
Quis vabit capiti meo ac 48
quis dabit pacem ac 44
Sic fet ung hop ac 13
si ie vous avoye ac 14
sustinuimus ac 25
si oblitus fuero ac 31
Tambien mi son pensar ac 11
tambur tambur ac 11
ta ravis suis ac 22
tulerunt ac 43
tota pulchra ac 46
Une plaisante fislet ac 3
vexilla dans ac 5
voire bargetonette ac 6
vole oyr ac 10
vim la forosetta (sic) ac 17
una mosca ac 30
vra a do (sic) ac 30

Other devices: 1. Original brown ink foliation recto top right, mostly trimmed, i-[lxxxi] (= 4-84).
2. Modern ink foliation recto top right, 1-84 (including flyleaves)

Page details (zoom):

Preparation and Copying

All folios

Preparation

Disposition of Voice Parts Key

Pricking none visible
Ruled grid always,
Justifcation lines to left and right, no text lines visible
Ruling pattern highly regular
Staves omitted from grid rarely
Incomplete staves never
Medium and colour of grid Frequency Folios Note
brown ink normally
Colour of staves Frequency Folios Note
brown always
Ruling medium Frequency Folios Note
double rastrum always
Indentation for initials Frequency Folios Note
single occasionally music and text indented over ruled staves to accommodate initials
Extra space between voice parts Frequency Folios Note
empty ruled staves on grid sometimes 16r, 19r, 20r, 22r, 23v, 29r, 31v, 34r, 37v, 41v, 49r, 51r, , 52r, 52v, 77r, 78r.
Space provided for separate text Frequency Folios Note
no separate text always
Adhoc adaptation Frequency Folios Note
staveline added rarely 6r
notation and staves extended into margin rarely 29r

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 text tenor normally
fully texted with one or two texts tenor occasionally 4r-4v
provided with two incipits tenor occasionally 22v-23r, 33r-33v, 41r-41v
partially texted with one text tenor rarely 32v-33r, 72r-73v
untexted tenor occasionally 25v-26r, 53r-54r
Music
Colour(s) of notation black brown
Colour of notation note <p>predominantly brown and dark brown notation with black or almost black notation on ff. 10-10v; 34v-45v, 53r-54r, 72r-78; and with coloration sometimes in black, e.g., ff. 14v-17r, 18r, 22v.</p>
Type(s) of notation void mensural
Type of notation note Teradrop-shaped notation, somewhat angular; ff. 76v-78r rhomboid-shaped notation
Monophonic notation absent
Level of calligraphy high
Non verbal performance instructions Folios Note
repeat signs 4v
Line fillers Folios Note
occasionally 58r, 62v
Later changes Folios
Two compositions added by a different hand: Josquin Despres, Missusst Gabriel angelus ad Mariam (ff. 76v-77r) and Manus Domini fecerunt me attributed to Martino Pesenti or A. Danglon (ff. 77v-78r). 76v-78r
Text 1
Types of script cursive (bastarda)
Types of script folios 4r-76r
Level of calligraphy high
Colour(s) of text black
Multiple texts yes
4r-4v
Text repetitions fairly many
5r, 7r-7v, 8v-9v, 10v-11r, 12v, 14v-15v, 21v, 24r-24v, 34v-35v, 37v, 55r, 55v, 56r, 57r
Abbreviations fairly few
Non underlaid vocal text none
Liminary text Performance instructions: 'Laurus impetu tacet' (f. 52r) and 'verte' (f. 70r).,
52r, 70r
Text 2
Types of script cursive (humanistic)
Types of script folios 76v-78r
Level of calligraphy high
Colour(s) of text black
Multiple texts no
Text repetitions fairly few
Abbreviations fairly few
Non underlaid vocal text none

Decoration

Level of Decoration high
Decoration miniature frequency Folios Size position Description Discrepancies
rarely 41r At the beginning of Isaac's 'Palle, palle,'; 57 x 131 mm. Medici arms surmounted by a cardinal hat.
Decoration initial type Frequency Folios Initial type(s) Size position Description Discrepancies
painted initials normally decorated Beginning of songs. Painted initials in blue, purple, green, and silver on blue, green, or red grounds, with gold filigree patterns and floral designs. Initial on f. 4r with marginal extensions of gold leaves.
painted initials rarely 64r historiated At the beginning of Heinrich Isaac, 'Prophetarum maxime vatumque princeps.' Initial 'P'[rophetarum maxime] of a dog chained to a tree, with a motto 'Costante' on a scroll behind.
initials planned rarely 76v, 77r