PRoMs - The Production and Reading of Music Sources

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

Manuscript: Siena, Italy, Biblioteca Comunale degli Intronati, MS K. 1.2

Manuscript type: choirbook

RISM siglum: I-Sc K.I.2

DIAMM Source Key: 1502

Folio(s): 208-224

Date: c. 1500

Date '150ii' (1502) appears above list of singers on rear pastedown. This section is the earlier of the two in the manuscript.

Location of origin: Siena, Italy

Provenance

1. Made for Siena cathedral. bound together with main body of manuscript at an unknown date. 2. The present volume was removed from the cathedral at an unknown date (perhaps the eighteenth century), and placed in the library of the Sienese degli Intronati.

Artists/Scribes

Person: Anonymous, Anonymous
Person type: None

Basis for description: original

Siena, Italy, Biblioteca Comunale degli Intronati, MS K. 1.2, 208-224

Physical description

Material: paper

Number of leaves: 17

Format: upright

Page dimensions: 418 x 277

Quire structure: Text version

Other devices: 1. Early red ink foliation recto top right, fragmentary [see quire structure].
2. Modern black ink foliation recto top right, 208-224

Page details (zoom):

Preparation and Copying

All folios

Preparation

Disposition of Voice Parts Key

Pricking always,
top and bottom of vertical bounding lines, none visible for staves
Ruled grid always,
single vertical bounding lines; no text lines
Ruling pattern highly regular
10 pentagrams, apparently ruled freehand, sometimes very slightly uneven, not parallel, slightly varying in distance
Staves omitted from grid never
Incomplete staves never
Medium and colour of grid Frequency Folios Note
hard point or lead point always
Colour of staves Frequency Folios Note
brown always
Ruling medium Frequency Folios Note
single rastrum always
Indentation for initials Frequency Folios Note
single always Stave 1, c. 2-3 cm. Music and text for lower voices indented over ruled staves, sometimes
Extra space between voice parts Frequency Folios Note
empty ruled staves on grid sometimes
Space provided for separate text Frequency Folios Note
no separate text always
Adhoc adaptation Frequency Folios Note
notation and staves extended into margin sometimes
notation extended into margin sometimes
partial additional staves rarely 209r

Copying of text and music

Language(s) Latin
Order of Copying music first
always
Presence/absence of text Voice part Frequency Folios Note
fully texted with one text all voice parts normally
Music
Colour(s) of notation black brown
Type(s) of notation void mensural
Type of notation note rhomboid or rounded rhomboid shape, various (different scribes)
Monophonic notation absent
Level of calligraphy fair
Level of calligraphy note variable
Text
Types of script cursive
Types of script size position semicursive (208r-209r); italian cursive (210v-211r); various French cursives (212v-223v)
Level of calligraphy fair,
very variable
Colour(s) of text brown
Multiple texts no
Later changes text added later in some sections? some remain untexted

Decoration

Level of Decoration very poor
Decoration initial type Frequency Folios Initial type(s) Size position Description Discrepancies
penned initials rarely
initials planned normally