PRoMs - The Production and Reading of Music Sources

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

Manuscript: Brussels, Belgium, Bibliothèque Royal Albert 1er/Koninklijke Bibliotheek Albert I, MS 6428

Manuscript type: choirbook

RISM siglum: B-Br 6428

DIAMM Source Key: 1630

Image repositories: IDEM

Folio(s): All folios

Date: c. 1520-1530

Based on Warmington's chronology of scribes (Warmington 1999, 43; Kellman 1999, no. 3).

Location of origin: Brussels, Belgium ; Mechelen, Belgium

Provenance

1) Hereditary library of the dukes of Burgundy, later called Bibliothèque de Bourgogne. 2) In 1838, Bibliothèque de Bourgogne united with the newly organised Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique / Koningklijke Bibliotheek founded in 1837.

Artists/Scribes

Person: Scribe H4, (member of Habsburg-Burgundian 'Alamire' workshop (Mechelen, Belgium))
Person type: scribe
Note: wrote part of the music (<a href="/bibliography/#entry640" data-tooltip="" class="has-tip tip-top reference" data-placement="top" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="" title="Kiel, Jacobijn and Flynn Warmington, ‘Overview of the Scribes’, in Kellman 1999, 47–52 "><i class="fa fa-book"></i>Kiel/Warmington 1999</a>, 52).

Person: Scribe I1, (member of Habsburg-Burgundian 'Alamire' workshop (Mechelen, Belgium))
Person type: scribe
Note: wrote part of the music (<a href="/bibliography/#entry640" data-tooltip="" class="has-tip tip-top reference" data-placement="top" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="" title="Kiel, Jacobijn and Flynn Warmington, ‘Overview of the Scribes’, in Kellman 1999, 47–52 "><i class="fa fa-book"></i>Kiel/Warmington 1999</a>, 52).

Person: Scribe I2, (member of Habsburg-Burgundian 'Alamire' workshop (Mechelen, Belgium))
Person type: scribe
Note: wrote part of the music (<a href="/bibliography/#entry640" data-tooltip="" class="has-tip tip-top reference" data-placement="top" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="" title="Kiel, Jacobijn and Flynn Warmington, ‘Overview of the Scribes’, in Kellman 1999, 47–52 "><i class="fa fa-book"></i>Kiel/Warmington 1999</a>, 52).

Person: Scribe Y, (member of Habsburg-Burgundian 'Alamire' workshop (Mechelen, Belgium))
Person type: scribe
Note: wrote part of the text (<a href="/bibliography/#entry640" data-tooltip="" class="has-tip tip-top reference" data-placement="top" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="" title="Kiel, Jacobijn and Flynn Warmington, ‘Overview of the Scribes’, in Kellman 1999, 47–52 "><i class="fa fa-book"></i>Kiel/Warmington 1999</a>, 52).

Person: Scribe Z, (member of Habsburg-Burgundian 'Alamire' workshop (Mechelen, Belgium))
Person type: scribe
Note: wrote part of the text (<a href="/bibliography/#entry640" data-tooltip="" class="has-tip tip-top reference" data-placement="top" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="" title="Kiel, Jacobijn and Flynn Warmington, ‘Overview of the Scribes’, in Kellman 1999, 47–52 "><i class="fa fa-book"></i>Kiel/Warmington 1999</a>, 52).

Bibliography

Van den Borren 1933, 70; Kellman 1976, 209; Staehelin 1977, I, 27, 58, II, 59-60, III 34-37; Census-Catalogue I, 93, IV, 296; Brown 1983; Van der Heide 1998, 136-52; Kellman 1999, no. 3.

Basis for description: original

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 folios

Preparation

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