Brussels, Belgium, Bibliothèque Royal Albert 1er/Koninklijke Bibliotheek Albert I, MS 11239, All folios
Physical description
Material: parchment
Number of leaves: 62
Format: upright
Page dimensions: 200 x 140
Quire structure: Text version
Other devices: 1. Original quire signatures, a1-a4 (= 2-5), b1-b4 (= 10-13), c1-c3 (= 18-20), e1-e4 (= 24-27)
2. Modern pencil foliation top right, 1-61
Page details (zoom):
Preparation and Copying
All foliosPreparation
Disposition of Voice Parts Key
Signe de renvoi
| Pricking | none visible |
| Ruled grid |
always,
single line to left and right, no lines for text |
| Ruling pattern |
highly regular
absolutely consistent 8-stave grid, obviously pre-ruled (as witnessed by the many blank ruled pages at the end) |
| Staves omitted from grid | never |
| Incomplete staves | never |
| Medium and colour of grid | Frequency | Folios | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| lead point | always | single line to left and right, no lines for text | |
| Colour of staves | Frequency | Folios | Note |
| brown | always | ||
| Ruling medium | Frequency | Folios | Note |
| single rastrum | always | ||
| Indentation for initials | Frequency | Folios | Note |
| single | always | Single indentation for top stave of every page; music and text indented over ruled staves for lower voices to accommodate initials | |
| Extra space between voice parts | Frequency | Folios | Note |
| empty ruled staves on grid | often | ||
| Space provided for separate text | Frequency | Folios | Note |
| provided, in dedicated space | often | on verso pages in three-part composition below D |
Copying of text and music
| Language(s) | French, Latin |
|---|---|
| Order of Copying |
music first
always |
| Presence/absence of text | Voice part | Frequency | Folios | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| fully texted with one text | all voice parts | often | ||
| partially texted with one text | all voice parts | sometimes | ||
| provided with one or two incipits | all voice parts | rarely | ||
| fully texted with one text | discantus | sometimes | ||
| partially texted with one text | all except discantus | sometimes | ||
| fully texted with one text | discantus and altus | occasionally | ||
| provided with single incipit | all except discantus and altus | rarely | ||
| partially texted with one text | all except discantus and altus | rarely | ||
| fully texted with one text | all except altus | rarely | ||
| partially texted with one text | altus | rarely | ||
| fully texted with one text | bassus | rarely | ||
| untexted | all except bassus | rarely |
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 | very high |
| Non verbal performance instructions | Folios | Note |
|---|---|---|
| signes-de-renvoi | sometimes | |
| Line fillers | Folios | Note |
| occasionally | tapered vertical lines after final bar line, but not reaching the end of the stave |
Text 1
| Types of script | cursive (bastarda) |
| Level of calligraphy | high |
| Colour(s) of text | black |
| Multiple texts | no |
| Text repetitions | few |
| Abbreviations | fairly many |
| Non underlaid vocal text |
additional
additional forme fixe text below on verso pages below D |
| Liminary text | Composer ascriptions, often Residuum indications, often |
Text 2
| Types of script | display script |
| Types of script size position | for 'Verte', 'Residuum' and voice designations. Sometimes underneath the stave, sometimes upright in left-hand margin |
| Types of script note | Often highly elaborate and flourished |
| Level of calligraphy | very high |
| Colour(s) of text | red blue |
| Multiple texts | no |
| Text repetitions | n/a |
| Abbreviations | some |
| Non underlaid vocal text | n/a |
Decoration
| Level of Decoration | high |
| Decoration border frequency | Border type | Folios | Size | Position | Description | Discrepancies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| rarely | decorated | 2v | full borders | full border on first opening, multicoloured floral motifs and fruits on golden ground; at bottom Savoy coat of arms held by two lions. | ||
| often | decorated | 3r, 4v, 6v, 7v, 8v, 9v, 11v, 13v, 14v, 15v, 17v, 18v, 20v, 21v, 23v, 25v | partial borders: one-sided | inner margin, outer margin | decorated with multicoloured flowers, fruits, plants on gold ground. Halfway down the page next to D initial (f. 3r T initial). | |
| Decoration initial type | Frequency | Folios | Initial type(s) | Size position | Description | Discrepancies |
| painted initials | often | decorated, flourished | One stave high. First ketter of sung text for D, first letter of voice designation for C and T. Often also 'R' for 'Residuum'. | Large capitals, one stave high, made of branches and leaves, with additional plant motifs. Often additionally surrounded by elaborate penflourishing all the way down the left margin of the page, with floral and occasionally zoomorphic motifs and/or grotesque heads. | ||
| initials planned | sometimes | partly from 22v, entirely from 27r | no guide letters | |||
| penned initials | sometimes | calligraphic , calligraphic with decoration, calligraphic with grotesque heads, flourished | One stave high. First ketter of sung text for D, first letter of voice designation for C and T. Often also 'R' for 'Residuum'. | Large, mostly cadel-type initials. Often with elaborate penflourishing all the way down the left margin of the page, with floral and occasionally zoomorphic motifs and/or grotesque heads. | ||
| Other decoration frequency | Folios | Other decoration type(s) | Size position | Description | Discrepancies | |
| often | banner | 'Verte folium' indications and composer ascriptions often in coloured banners | ||||