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): Organ partbook (App. 48), 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Produced c. 1525 according to Baillie 1960; superseded by dating to c. 1530 in Milsom 1985.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.

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

Physical description

Material: paper

Number of leaves: ii + 27 + iii

Format: oblong

Page dimensions: 140 x 190

Quire structure: Text version

Other devices: 1. Modern foliation in right upper 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	occasionally	13r, 24v, 27v
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	tenor secundus	always

Music

Colour(s) of notation	black
Type(s) of notation	chant (square), void mensural
Type of notation folios	1r-2r; 3v-2r; 4r-5r; 6r-7v; 9r-11r; 12v-14r; 15v-16v; 18r-19v; 21r-22v; 23v-24v
Type of notation note	Alternatim setting of polyphonic music in void mensural notation and plainsong in square notation
Monophonic notation	present 2v-3r; 2v-4r; 5v-6r; 8r-8v; 11r-12v; 14r-15r; 16v-18r; 19v-21r; 22v-23v; 25r-27v
Level of calligraphy	fair

Text

Types of script	cursive
Level of calligraphy	fair
Colour(s) of text	black
Multiple texts	no
Text repetitions	none
Abbreviations	fairly many
Non underlaid vocal text	none
Liminary text	Headers relating to masses for each day of the week: 'dominica' (ff. 1r-6r); 'feria ii' (ff. 6v-9v); 'feria iii' (ff. 10r-13r); 'feria iv' (ff. 14r-15r); 'feria v' (ff. 15v-19r); 'feria vi' (ff. 19r-21r); 'Sabato' (ff. 21r-24v). Performance instructions: 'ofertorium' (ff. 5v, 25r); 'comunio' (ff. 6r, 25v, 26v, 27r); 'versus' (vritten on the staves) (ff. 8r, 11r, 6v, 19v); 'offertorium ut supra in dominica et comunio' (ff. 9v, 13v, 19r, 21r); 'in tempore paschalis comunio' (f. 25v); 'In tempore nativitatis domini offertorium' (f. 27r).

Decoration

Level of Decoration	poor

Decoration initial type	Frequency	Folios	Initial type(s)	Size position	Description	Discrepancies
penned initials	sometimes	6v, 14r	plain initials	Two staves high, start of Kyrie.	Initials in black ink
penned initials	normally	1r, 10r, 15v, 19r, 21r	decorated	Two staves high, start of Mass.	Outlined initials in black ink imitating decoration of printed books.

PRoMs - The Production and Reading of Music Sources