Brussels, Belgium, Bibliothèque Royal Albert 1er/Koninklijke Bibliotheek Albert I, MS 6428, All folios
Physical description
Material: parchment
Number of leaves: i + 122 + i
Format: upright
Page dimensions: 735 x 500
Quire structure: Text version
Index / Table of Contents: 1. Modern index (1878) by J. R. Sterndale-Bennett pasted inside cover
Other devices: 1. Modern foliation in pencil top right, 1-122.
2. Old quire signatures partly visible at inner lower margin, e.g. 115-119 numbered as x1-x5
Page details (zoom):
Preparation and Copying
All foliosPreparation
Disposition of Voice Parts Key
Pricking |
always,
Top and bottom for vertical bounding lines. In outer margins, bottom line of each stave (in standard 10-stave ruling) |
Ruled grid |
always,
single line to left and right, normally double line added for text where needed (c. 5-7 mm apart) |
Ruling pattern |
fairly regular
basically 10-line grid, but many variations on pages ruled individually for each voice/piece (especially decorated openings). Staves then not always conforming to grid |
Staves omitted from grid | often |
Incomplete staves |
rarely,
8v |
Medium and colour of grid | Frequency | Folios | Note |
---|---|---|---|
lead point | often | ||
light brown ink | often | ||
Colour of staves | Frequency | Folios | Note |
black | always | ||
Ruling medium | Frequency | Folios | Note |
single rastrum | always | ||
Indentation for initials | Frequency | Folios | Note |
double | often | ||
single | often | ||
Extra space between voice parts | Frequency | Folios | Note |
staves not ruled on grid | often | ||
empty ruled staves on grid | occasionally | ||
variable space, not on grid | occasionally | ||
Space provided for separate text | Frequency | Folios | Note |
no separate text | never | ||
Adhoc adaptation | Frequency | Folios | Note |
notation and staves extended into margin | rarely | 10v, 51r, 84v, 85r, 112v | |
notation extended into margin | rarely | 16v | |
made for complete additional staves | rarely | 30v |
Copying of text and music
Language(s) | Latin |
---|---|
Higlighting | none |
Order of Copying |
music first
always |
Presence/absence of text | Voice part | Frequency | Folios | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|
fully texted with one text | all voice parts | normally | ||
fully texted with two or more texts | tenor | rarely | 11v, 13v, 15v, 18r, 21v, 23v, 29v, 66r, 79r, 82r, 83r | |
fully texted with two or more texts | discantus | rarely | 16v, 69v, 72v, 79v, 84v |
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 | Cross with four dots around its center (ff. 3v-4r, 10v-12r, 16v-17r, 35v-36r, 43v-44r), kite-shaped (ff. 5v-6r, 12v-13r), trio of balls with descending loop (ff. 13v-14r, 37v-38r, 89v-90r, 91v-92r, 96v-100r, 102v-104r), trefoil-shaped (ff. 19v-21r, 26v-28r, 29v-30r), four rhombuses arranged in diamond-shape (ff. 45v-46r, 47v-49r, 50v-51r, 52v-53r, 54v-55r, 56v-58r, 107v-109r, 110v-111r, 112v-117r, 118v-119r, 120v-122r), in red ink; four rhombuses arranged in diamond-shape (ff. 9v-10r) in black ink. | |
signa congruentiae | three pyramidal dots ending in a loop | |
Line fillers | Folios | Note |
few | 1v, 16v, 17r, 29v, 30v, 31r, 32v, 41v, 86v, 105r, 106v, 121v, 122r | series of tapering lines, extending the double bar at the end of voice-parts |
Text 1
Types of script | display script |
Types of script size position | rubrics introduced by large initials for voice-names after the discantus, 'residuum' rubrics and instructions |
Level of calligraphy | very high |
Colour(s) of text | black red |
Text 2
Types of script | cursive (bastarda) |
Level of calligraphy | very high |
Colour(s) of text | black red red for cantus fimus texts |
Multiple texts | yes |
Text repetitions | few |
Abbreviations | fairly few |
Non underlaid vocal text | none |
Liminary text | titles and composers' names (ff. 62v, 86v); tacet inscriptions (ff. 55v, 56r, 99v, 117v) |
Decoration
Level of Decoration | very high |
Decoration miniature frequency | Folios | Size position | Description | Discrepancies | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
rarely | at the beginning of Masses; all cut out (ff. 1v, 32v, 62v, 86v, 106v) or relevant pages removed (folios before ff. 2, 18, 43) | |||||
Decoration border frequency | Border type | Folios | Size | Position | Description | Discrepancies |
rarely | None | full borders | at the beginning of Masses; mainly cut out (ff. 1v, 32v, 62v, 86v, 106v) or relevant pages removed (folios before ff. 2, 18, 43) | |||
Decoration initial type | Frequency | Folios | Initial type(s) | Size position | Description | Discrepancies |
penned initials | normally | at the beginning of voice-parts | calligraphic initials with white borders for major openings calligraphic initials | |||
initials planned | never | |||||
painted initials | rarely | at the beginning of Masses; all except one (f. 18r) cut out (ff. 1v, 18r, 33r, 62v-63r, 86v-87r, 106v) or relevant pages removed (folios before ff. 2, 18, 43) | ||||
painted initials | rarely | 18r | at the beginning of a Mass | acanthus on orange ground (f. 18r) | ||
Other decoration frequency | Folios | Other decoration type(s) | Size position | Description | Discrepancies | |
never |