Manuscript: Paris, France, Bibliothèque Nationale, nouvelles acquisitions françaises MS 4379

Manuscript type: choirbook

RISM siglum: F-Pn n.a.fr.4379

DIAMM Source Key: 719

Folio(s): 69-92

Date: late 15th century

Location of origin: Italy ; Spain

Provenance

1. Fernando Colón (Ferdinand Columbus) (b. 1488, d. 1539), bibliographer and cosmographer, son of Christopher Columbus, owned ff. 1-42 (see Provenance Part I) and possibly also Parts II-IV; bequeathed by Colón with his entire library, the so-called 'Fernandina' or 'Colombina', to his nephew Luis; Biblioteca Colombina passed to the chapter of Seville Cathedral in 1552; 2. Part I of present manuscript and probably also Parts II-IV removed from Colombina in 1884, and taken to Paris; all four items acquired by Bibliothèque Nationale in 1885, and rebound in present arrangement.

Bibliography

Omont et al. 1868–1902, XVI, 177; Delisle 1891, 127-30; Adler 1894–1970, XIV/XV, 30; XXVIII, 190-191,196-198; Wolf 1904, repr. 1965, I, 211-213; Wolf 1908–21, reprint 1968, XV/XVI, xix-xx, 92-94; Besseler 1925; Besseler 1926, 232-233; Jeppesen 1927, repr. 1965, lxxi, lxxviii-lxxi; Blume 1929–, XIX,4; XLV, 13-14; Anglès 1941–71, I, 107-10, 118; X, 19-20, 23; Plamenac 1947, II, xxxvii, 116; de Van/Besseler 1948–66, V, xli; VI, passim; Blume 1949–79, X, 800-1; XII, 984; Plamenac 1951; Plamenac 1952; Pirrotta/LiGotti 1952; Plamenac 1953; Reaney 1955, 88; Schmitz et al. 1955–, II, 13*, 55, 62; Bent 1984; Clerex 1960, I, 54-57, 79; II, 11-12, 15-18, 63-67, 73-77; Plamenac 1962; Plamenac 1965; Kirsch 1966, 155; Günther 1966, 73-92; Jeppesen 1968–70, II, 86-87, 182-183; Bernstein 1969, 129-130; Schoop 1971, 72-85, Taf. 1-2; Moerk 1971; Atlas 1975–6, I, 164, 178, 180, 183-185, 192-196, 212-213, 257; Thomson 1976, II, iv, 170, 194-195; Kemp 1976, 112, 118; Pope/Kanazawa 1978, 489, 547; Hoppin 1978, 495; Gore 1978, I, 27-8, 108-1011; Il, xvii; Fallows 1978, 76, 433-434, 458, 497; Census-Catalogue 1979-1988, III, 29; IV, 43; Perkins/Garey 1979, I, 15; II, 169, 176-177, 254, passim; Davis 1979, 92, 94, 133-134, 150-151; Sadie 1980, IX, 627-628; Bernstein 1980, 48-49; Boorman 1981, 326-339; Atlas 1981b, xxiii, xxvi-xxvii, xxxi, xxxvi, 3-4, 62-64, 77-85, 89-92. Staehelin 1983, 199-215, 202, 211; Atlas 1981a, 249, 260-262, 269-271, 278, 281, 283; Atlas 1981c, 132, 139-140; Hanen 1983, I, 30, 36-38, 163-170; III, 442-445; Brown 1983, 191, 210, 212, 224, passim; Newes 1984; Baumann 1984, 77-92; Cuthbert 2006.

Paris, France, Bibliothèque Nationale, nouvelles acquisitions françaises MS 4379, 69-92

Physical description

Material: paper

Number of leaves: iii + 92 + iii

Format: upright

Page dimensions: 220 x 150

Quire structure: Text version

Other devices: 1. Modern ink foliation recto top right, 69-92.

Page details (zoom):

Preparation and Copying

69-92

Preparation

Disposition of Voice Parts Key

Pricking	none visible
Ruled grid	always, Justification lines only; no text lines visible.
Ruling pattern	fairly regular
Staves omitted from grid	never
Incomplete staves	never

Medium and colour of grid	Frequency	Folios	Note
brown ink and hard point	normally
Colour of staves	Frequency	Folios	Note
light brown	normally
Ruling medium	Frequency	Folios	Note
single rastrum	always
Indentation for initials	Frequency	Folios	Note
single	always		Indentation in top staves only.
Extra space between voice parts	Frequency	Folios	Note
empty ruled staves on grid	often	75r, 76r-78r, 79r, 80v-81r, 82v-83r, 85r, 86r, 89v-90r, 92r
Space provided for separate text	Frequency	Folios	Note
not in dedicated space	rarely	77r
Adhoc adaptation	Frequency	Folios	Note
notation and staves extended into margin	occasionally	70r, 71r, 72v, 79r, 80r, 83r, 91r
staveline added	occasionally	75v, 90v
partial additional staves	rarely	79v, 91r	freehand
notation extended into margin	rarely	89r
made for complete additional staves	rarely	92r	freehand

Copying of text and music

Language(s)	French, Spanish
Order of Copying	music first normally

Presence/absence of text	Voice part	Frequency	Folios
provided with single incipit	all voice parts	sometimes	69v-76r
provided with single incipit	all except discantus	sometimes	76v-79r, 80v-81r, 86v-87r, 90v-91r
fully texted with one text	discantus	sometimes	76v, 77v, 78v, 79v, 80v, 82v, 84r, 85v, 87v, 89v, 90v
provided with single incipit	tenor	sometimes	79v, 90r
partially texted with one text	contratenor	rarely	80r
untexted	bassus	rarely	80r
provided with single incipit	discantus	sometimes	81v
partially texted with one text	tenor	rarely	81v, 85r, 86r
partially texted with one text	contratenor	rarely	82r, 85r, 86r
fully texted with one text	tenor	rarely	83r, 88r
partially texted with one text	discantus	rarely	86v
untexted	all voice parts	rarely	88v-89r, 91v-92r, 92v

Music

Colour(s) of notation	brown
Type(s) of notation	void mensural
Type of notation note	Teardrop-shaped notation, somewhat angular
Monophonic notation	absent
Level of calligraphy	poor

Non verbal performance instructions	Folios	Note
pointers	71r, 71v, 72v, 73v, 74v, 75v, ff. 78v-79r, 81v-82r, 87v-88r	Pointing hands (ff. 71r, 71v, 72v, 73v, 74v, 75v) or lines (ff. 78v-79r, 81v-82r, 87v-88r) indicating residua on adjacent pages
signes-de-renvoi	85r, 86r	Run-over symbol of a cross.
Later changes	Folios
Added 'benedicamus' in 3-voice setting (f. 83v). Added 3rd voice (ff. 87v, 91v).	83v, 87v, 91v

Text

Types of script	cursive
Level of calligraphy	poor
Colour(s) of text	brown
Multiple texts	no
Text repetitions	very few 70v-71r
Abbreviations	few
Non underlaid vocal text	additional 77r
Liminary text	Rubric: 'duo' (f. 82v). Composer's name: 'J. vraede' (f. 84v)., 82v, 84v
Later changes	Added underlaid text (f. 83v)., 83v

Decoration

Level of Decoration	poor

Decoration initial type	Frequency	Folios	Initial type(s)	Size position	Description	Discrepancies
penned initials	often	70v-72r, 73v-74r, 80v-81r, 86v-92r	calligraphic		Calligraphic initials in brown ink.
initials planned	sometimes	69v-70r, 72v-73r, 74v-80r, 81v-83v, 84v-86r, 92v

PRoMs - The Production and Reading of Music Sources