Brussels, Belgium, Bibliothèque Royal Albert 1er/Koninklijke Bibliotheek Albert I, MS 215-216, All folios
Physical description
Material: parchment
Number of leaves: i + 49 + i
Format: upright
Page dimensions: 430 x 320
Quire structure: Text version
Other devices: 1. Modern pencil foliation top right, 1-49.
Page details (zoom):
Preparation and Copying
1-43Preparation
Disposition of Voice Parts Key
Signe de renvoi
| Pricking |
often,
Prickings in upper and lower margins for vertical bounding lines.No prickings visible for stave ruling |
| Ruled grid |
often,
Single line to left and right, text on single or more rarely double line, added where required. |
| Ruling pattern |
fairly regular
Staves matching on recto and verso pages, but not consistently ruled within quires. Basically on a 9-stave grid, but often fewer or more as required by the music. |
| Staves omitted from grid | often |
| Incomplete staves |
rarely,
6v, 33v |
| Medium and colour of grid | Frequency | Folios | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| hard point or lead point | always | ||
| Colour of staves | Frequency | Folios | Note |
| black | always | ||
| Ruling medium | Frequency | Folios | Note |
| single rastrum | always | ||
| Indentation for initials | Frequency | Folios | Note |
| triple | rarely | 1v, 20v, 22v | Triple indentations for discantus at beginning of Masses and the Kyrie of the second Mass. |
| double | often | Often at beginning of major divisions but not consistently. | |
| single | normally | ||
| Extra space between voice parts | Frequency | Folios | Note |
| staves not ruled | sometimes | ||
| 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 |
| partial additional staves | rarely | 6v, 31v |
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 | often |
Music
| Colour(s) of notation | black |
| Type(s) of notation | void mensural |
| Type of notation note | rhomboid shape |
| Monophonic notation | absent |
| Level of calligraphy | very high |
| Non verbal performance instructions | Folios | Note |
|---|---|---|
| signes-de-renvoi | 2v-3r, 7v-10r, 11v-12r, 15v-16r, 17v-18r, 23v-27r, 32v-33r, 35v-36r, 37v-38r, 41v-43r | Cross with four dots in red ink. |
| Line fillers | Folios | Note |
| few | 4v-5r, 6v-7r, 8v-9r, 10v-12r, 18v-19r, 36v-37r, 39v-40r, 41v-42r | Custodes doubled when 'verte' instructions appear. |
| few | 19v-20r, 32v-33r, 36r, 37v-38r, 42v-43r | Double vertical which ends the voice part has been extended in form of a series of tapering vertical lines. |
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 at the end of voice-parts on empty stave or in empty space. |
| Level of calligraphy | very high |
Text 2
| Types of script | cursive (bastarda) |
| Types of script note | Larger font for first opening. |
| Level of calligraphy | very high |
| Colour(s) of text | black red Red used for cantus firmus text. |
| Multiple texts | yes |
| Text repetitions | few |
| Abbreviations | few |
| Non underlaid vocal text | none |
| Liminary text |
titles at beginning of Masses,
1v, 20v, 33v |
Text 3
| Types of script | textura |
| Types of script size position | For titles on first openings of Masses and first motet cantus firmus text in red ink . |
| Types of script folios | 1v, 20v, 33v (titles) |
| Level of calligraphy | very high |
| Colour(s) of text | red |
Decoration
| Level of Decoration | high |
| Decoration miniature frequency | Folios | Size position | Description | Discrepancies | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| rarely | 2r | 1 miniature on opening page, 2 staves high, introducing the contratenor of a five voice-part (ff. 1v-2r). | Heraldic arms of Charles de Clerc, Seigneur de Bouvekercke. | |||
| rarely | 33v | 1 miniature at the beginning of the first motet, 2 staves high, introducing the discantus of a seven voice-part (ff. 33v-34r). | Virgin of the Seven Sorrows. | The beginning of Pipelare's motet 'Memorare mater' is lacking the first letter 'M' (f. 33v). Either the scribe forgot to add the letter in red ink or the motet should have opened with a large initial instead of a miniature, similar to the following motet (f. 39v). | ||
| Decoration border frequency | Border type | Folios | Size | Position | Description | Discrepancies |
| never | None | None | ||||
| Decoration initial type | Frequency | Folios | Initial type(s) | Size position | Description | Discrepancies |
| painted initials | rarely | 1v | 1 decorated initial on opening page, 3 staves high, introducing the discantus of a five voice-part (ff. 1v-2r). | |||
| initials planned | never | |||||
| penned initials | normally | 1v-2r, 20v-21r | decorated with grotesque heads | at the beginning of Masses (ff. 1v-2r, 20v-21r) | coloured initials with grotesque heads | |
| penned initials | rarely | 39v | calligraphic | beginning of the second motet (f. 39v) | calligraphic initial in red ink | |
| penned initials | normally | calligraphic | throughout at the beginning of voice-parts | calligraphic initials in black ink | ||
| Other decoration frequency | Folios | Other decoration type(s) | Size position | Description | Discrepancies | |
| never | ||||||
Preparation
Disposition of Voice Parts Key
| Pricking |
always,
Prickings in upper and lower margins for vertical bounding lines. Prickings for text ruling in outer margins. |
| Ruled grid |
always,
Double vertical lines to the left and right, lines for text, horizontal frame lines across the page, one on top 4 mm abot top staveline, one at the bottom corresponding to bottom text line. |
| Ruling pattern | highly regular |
| Staves omitted from grid | never |
| Incomplete staves | never |
| Medium and colour of grid | Frequency | Folios | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| lead point | always | ||
| Colour of staves | Frequency | Folios | Note |
| red | always | ||
| Ruling medium | Frequency | Folios | Note |
| single rastrum | always | tetragrams | |
| Indentation for initials | Frequency | Folios | Note |
| single | always | At the beginning or in the middle of staves | |
| Extra space between voice parts | Frequency | Folios | Note |
| none | always | ||
| Space provided for separate text | Frequency | Folios | Note |
| provided, in dedicated space | always | Staves left partially unruled where necessary |
Copying of text and music
| Language(s) | Latin |
|---|---|
| Order of Copying |
text first
always |
| Presence/absence of text | Voice part | Frequency | Folios | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| fully texted with one text | all voice parts | always |
Music
| Colour(s) of notation | black |
| Type(s) of notation | chant (square) |
| Monophonic notation |
present
throughout |
| Level of calligraphy | very high |
Text
| Types of script | textura |
| Level of calligraphy | high |
| Colour(s) of text | black red red for rubrics |
| Multiple texts | no |
| Text repetitions | none |
| Abbreviations | very few |
| Non underlaid vocal text | additional |
| Liminary text | rubrics and cross-references |
Decoration
| Level of Decoration | fair |
| Decoration initial type | Frequency | Folios | Initial type(s) | Size position | Description | Discrepancies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| painted initials | often | plain initials | At the beginning of very chant, at the beginning or in the middle of lines | Large initials alternating in blue and red | ||
| penned initials | often | calligraphic , flourished | at the beginning of subsections within a chant | Cadel-type initials, with some penflourishing and highlighting in yellow wash | ||
| Other decoration frequency | Folios | Other decoration type(s) | Size position | Description | Discrepancies | |
| often | 47r-49r | littera notabilior | at the beginning of every verse in the prosa (sequence), below stave with text | large plain capitals alternating in blue and red | ||