PRoMs - The Production and Reading of Music Sources

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

Manuscript: Florence, Italy, Biblioteca Medicea-Laurenziana, MS Acquisti e doni 666

Manuscript type: choirbook

RISM siglum: I-Fl 666

DIAMM Source Key: 1399

Folio(s): All folios

Date: 1518

Location of origin: Rome, Italy

Provenance

Wedding gift by pope Leo X for Lorenzo de' Medici with Madeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne on 2 Mai 1518, although pssibly begun earlier and repurposed for that event (Rifkin 2009). Probably later owned by Carlo Strozzi (17th century), as indicated by the Strozzi coat of arms on f. 1r. In 1913, it was in the possession of Leo S. Olschki in Florence and subsequently owned by Alida Varzi in Milan who donated the book to the Biblioteca Medicea-Laurenziana.

Artists/Scribes

Person: degli Attavanti, Attavante
Person type: artist
Note: <p><span>Illuminated initials and other decorations by Attavante degli Attavanti, including the heraldic emblems of the families Medici and de la Tour d'Auvergne, on ff. 2'-3; the remainder of the manuscript has inked initials by two calligraphers (<a href="/bibliography/#entry683" data-tooltip="" class="has-tip tip-top reference" data-placement="top" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="" title="Lowinsky, Edward E. (ed.), The Medici Codex of 1518: A Choirbook of Motets Dedicated to Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino, 3 vols., Monuments of Renaissance Music, 3&ndash;5 (Chicago and London, 1968)"><i class="fa fa-book"></i>Lowinsky 1968</a>).</span></p>

Person: Gellandi, Claudius
Person type: scribe
Note: <p><span>Ff. 36'-77 and ff. 143'-146 copied mostly by Claudius Gellandi, who also wrote VatS 16, VatS 26, most of VatS 45, and portions of VatG XII.2, VatS 46, and VatS 55 (<a href="/bibliography/#entry462" data-tooltip="" class="has-tip tip-top reference" data-placement="top" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="" title="Dean, Jeffrey J., 'The Scribes of the Sistine Chapel, 1501–1527' (Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Chicago, 1984) "><i class="fa fa-book"></i>Dean 1984</a>); some text added by Gellandi's assistant.</span></p>

Basis for description: original

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 folios

Preparation

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)