PRoMs - The Production and Reading of Music Sources

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

Manuscript: London, Great Britain, British Library, MS Royal Appendix 45-48

Manuscript type: partbooks (complete set)

RISM siglum: GB-Lbl Royal App. 45-48

DIAMM Source Key: 2104

Folio(s): Triplex partbook (App. 47), all folios

Date: c. 1530

Produced c. 1525 according to Baillie 1960; superseded by dating to c. 1530 in Milsom 1985.

Location of origin: London, Great Britain

Provenance

1) Made perhaps as a gift from the composer Nicholas Ludford (b. c. 1485, d. 1557) for Henry VIII (b. 1491, d. 1547), King of England and Ireland, and his wife Catherine of Aragon (b. 1485, d. 1536) (married between 1509-1533), their coats of arms and badges stamped on the cover. 2) Included in the inventory of books in the Upper Library at Westminster in 1542 as 'Bookes of priksong masses foure' (i.e. Royal Appendix MSS 45-48) and inscribed with the Westminster library inventory number 'no. 99' (f. 1r). 3) presented to the British Museum by George II in 1757 as part of the Old Royal library.

Artists/Scribes

Person: Ludford, Nicholas
Person type: scribe
Location of origin: London, Great Britain
Note: Perhaps copied by the composer Nicholas Ludford, since c. 1517 member of the Free Royal Chapel of St. Stephen, Westminster, in 1527 appointed verger and organist.

Bibliography

Warner 1918–19, 68-9; Warner/Gilson 1921, II, 393-394; MGG8, 1177; Hughes 1953, I, 212, 260; Baillie 1958; Oldham 1958, HE. 3-4; Bergsagel 1960, 117-30; Hughes/Abraham 1960, 335-337; Baillie 1960, 178, 184; Bergsagel 1962, 35-55; Benham 1977, 24, 127-9, Plate 4; Milsom 1985, 367-368; Carley 2000, H2.55.

Basis for description: original

London, Great Britain, British Library, MS Royal Appendix 45-48, Triplex partbook (App. 47), all folios

Physical description

Material: paper

Number of leaves: ii + 68 + ii

Format: oblong

Page dimensions: 140 x 190

Quire structure: Text version

Other devices: 1. Quire signatures in the form of letters of the alphabet 'a-i'.
2. Modern foliation in ink in the upper right corners.

Page details (zoom):

Preparation and Copying

All folios

Preparation

Disposition of Voice Parts Key

Pricking never
Ruled grid normally
Ruling pattern highly regular
Staves omitted from grid never
Incomplete staves never
Medium and colour of grid Frequency Folios Note
hard point normally For text lines in addition to printed staves. Visible especially on verso.
Colour of staves Frequency Folios Note
black always
Ruling medium Frequency Folios Note
printed staves always
Indentation for initials Frequency Folios Note
double always No indentation provided for initials in the original layout, but double indentation created by pasting initials on slips of paper over printed staves.
Extra space between voice parts Frequency Folios Note
empty ruled staves on grid rarely 48r, 69r
Space provided for separate text Frequency Folios Note
no separate text always

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 triplex always
Music
Colour(s) of notation black
Type(s) of notation void mensural
Type of notation note rhomboid shaped notation
Monophonic notation absent
Level of calligraphy fair
Text
Types of script cursive
Level of calligraphy fair
Colour(s) of text black
Multiple texts yes
3r, 13r, 22r, 31r, 41v, 51r, 61v ,
Additional texts occur in 'Alleluia' sections.
Text repetitions none
Abbreviations fairly many
Non underlaid vocal text none
Liminary text Composer's name 'Nicholas Ludford' (f. 68r); headers relating to masses for each day of the week: 'dominica' (ff. 1r-11r); 'feria ii' (ff. 11v-20r); 'feria iii' (ff. 20r-28r); 'feria iv' (ff. 28v-39r); 'feria v' (ff. 39v-48r); 'feria vi' (ff. 48v-59v); 'Sabato' (ff. 59v-68r).

Decoration

Level of Decoration poor
Decoration initial type Frequency Folios Initial type(s) Size position Description Discrepancies
penned initials often 1r, 28v, 48v decorated c. 60 x 40 Outlined initials in black ink imitating decoration of printed books.
penned initials often 20r, 39v, 59v plain initials c. 60 x 40 Initials in black ink