Florence, Italy, Biblioteca Medicea-Laurenziana, MS Acquisti e doni 666, All folios
Physical description
Material: parchment
Number of leaves: ii + 154 + i
Format: upright
Page dimensions: 423 x 285
Quire structure: Text version
Title page / Frontispiece: f. [ii]v dedicatory poem ('Perge liber propera ventoque citatior omni …' and large decorative inscription in diamond-shaped frame: 'Canon: In primis litteris scriptum est de te' referring to the acrostic
Index / Table of Contents: Original, ff. 1r-1v, with acrostic 'Vivat semper invictus Laurentius Medices Dux Urbini' for part of the contents, remainder
Other devices: 1. Original ink foliation, recto top right, 1-154
Page details (zoom):
Preparation and Copying
All foliosPreparation
Disposition of Voice Parts Key
Pricking |
normally,
normally visible for vertical bounding lines (top and bottom prick), sometimes also for staves: ff. 24-33: single prick outside margin middle of sixth stave (i.e. middle of ruling of page generally); ff. 39r-58r, 99r-138v pricks in outer margin matching top stavelines and for bottom text/frame line (ruling text lines and staves thus part of one design process; ff. 92-95, 139-146: 92-95: pricks in outer margins in middle of staves (and one below, but not aligned with bottom text line. |
Ruled grid |
always,
single vertical bounding lines to left and right; often single text lines (ruled throughout on pages where present); sometimes bottom text line as frame line all across gutter (but not in outer margin) |
Ruling pattern | highly regular |
Staves omitted from grid | never |
Incomplete staves | never |
Medium and colour of grid | Frequency | Folios | Note |
---|---|---|---|
brown ink and hard point | always | ||
Colour of staves | Frequency | Folios | Note |
brown | normally | ||
Ruling medium | Frequency | Folios | Note |
single rastrum | always | ||
Indentation for initials | Frequency | Folios | Note |
single | normally | staves 1 and either 6 or 7 indented by c. 30-60 mm; lower staves often filled in when not needed or when voice has to begin above or below indented stave. | |
Extra space between voice parts | Frequency | Folios | Note |
empty ruled staves on grid | often | ||
Space provided for separate text | Frequency | Folios | Note |
no separate text | always |
Copying of text and music
Language(s) | Latin |
---|---|
Order of Copying |
music first
always |
Presence/absence of text | Voice part | Frequency | Folios | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|
fully texted with one or two texts | all voice parts | always |
Music
Colour(s) of notation | black |
Type(s) of notation | full mensural |
Type of notation note | rhomboid shaped notation, very regular |
Monophonic notation | absent |
Level of calligraphy | high |
Non verbal performance instructions | Folios | Note |
---|---|---|
signa congruentiae | occasionally | |
Line fillers | Folios | Note |
occasionally | Scribe I | custos often at very end of line regardless of where the music stops when breaking across two openings; sometimes, when the distance the the end of the line is great, there are two custodes, one at the end of musical notation and one at end of line |
Text 1
Types of script | antiqua |
Types of script folios | 2v-36r, 79v-143r |
Types of script note | Rifkin's 'Scribe I' |
Level of calligraphy | very high |
Colour(s) of text | black |
Multiple texts |
yes
in tenor motets, primarily from f. 103v onwards |
Text repetitions | few |
Abbreviations | some |
Non underlaid vocal text | none |
Liminary text | Composer ascriptions, normally. Verte instructions, sometimes, occasionally fanciful. Canon instructions, occasionally |
Text 2
Types of script | textura |
Types of script folios | 2v-36r, 79v-143r |
Types of script note | Rifkin's 'Scribe I' |
Level of calligraphy |
very high,
'lettera francese', ornate and often flourished |
Colour(s) of text | black |
Multiple texts |
yes
in tenor motets, primarily from f. 103v onwards |
Text repetitions | few |
Abbreviations | some |
Non underlaid vocal text | none |
Liminary text | Composer ascriptions, normally. Verte instructions, sometimes, occasionally fanciful. Canon instructions, occasionally |
Text 3
Types of script | cursive (bastarda) |
Types of script folios | 36v-77r, 143v-146r |
Types of script note | Rifkin's 'Scribe II' (Claudius Gellandi according to Dean 1984) |
Level of calligraphy | high |
Colour(s) of text | black |
Multiple texts | no |
Text repetitions | few |
Abbreviations | some |
Non underlaid vocal text | none |
Liminary text | Composer ascriptions, normally. Verte instructions, sometimes, occasionally fanciful. Canon instructions, occasionally |
Decoration
Level of Decoration | high |
Decoration border frequency | Border type | Folios | Size | Position | Description | Discrepancies |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
rarely | decorated | 2v-3r | partial borders: one-sided | lower margin | With Medici coat of arms; see [[Shephard 2010]] | |
Decoration initial type | Frequency | Folios | Initial type(s) | Size position | Description | Discrepancies |
painted initials | rarely | 2v-3r | decorated | Three-stave initials at the beginning of every voice | see [[Shephard 2010]] | |
penned initials | normally | calligraphic , calligraphic with grotesque heads, flourished | Single stave at the beginning of each voice part. Three-stave initials on ff. 4v-5r | Scribe 1 sections: large cadels, from very simple to very ornate, with (sometimes highly elaborate) floral and foliate designs, some with grotesque faces integrated into the initial, some highlighted with yellow wash. Either executed or carefully planned before the music was entered as it is indented specifically according to each initial Scribe 2 sections: 'normal' cadels with various degrees of floral and foliate penflourishing, some quite elaborate, no wash. Apparently entered after the music. | ||
Other decoration frequency | Folios | Other decoration type(s) | Size position | Description | Discrepancies | |
sometimes | 4r, 36r, 52v, 80r, 89v, 90v-91r, 91v-92r, 99v-100, 111v, 114v, 116r | decorative final long | ||||
rarely | 3v-4r, 5v-6r, 13v-14r | ornament | in indentations | branches with intricate foliate designs in brown ink with yellow wash as ornament in indent (in place of initials) |