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 Nazionale Centrale, MS Magliabechi XIX.178

Manuscript type: choirbook

RISM siglum: I-Fn 178

DIAMM Source Key: 1409

Folio(s): All folios

Date: c. 1492-1494

According to Atlas 1971.

Location of origin: Florence, Italy

Provenance

1. Biblioteca Medicea Palatina Lotaringia, the library of Francis I (Francis Stefan of Lorraine), Grand Duke of Tuscany and Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1705, d. 1765) amalgamated with earlier Medici collection: its stamp (f. 1r); 2. integrated in 1771 with the Biblioteca Magliabechiana, the future Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale.

Artists/Scribes

Person: Anonymous, Anonymous
Person type: scribe
Location of origin: Florence, Italy
Note: Written by two scribes: scribe I (ff. IVv-25r, 30v-70r), scribe II (ff. 25v-30r, 70v-78v). According to Rifkin (<a href="/bibliography/#entry960" data-tooltip="" class="has-tip tip-top reference" data-placement="top" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="" title="Census-Catalogue of Manuscript Sources of Polyphonic Music 1400-1550, eds Charles Hamm and Herbert Kellman, 5 vols, Renaissance Manuscript Studies 1 (Neuhausen/Stuttgart 1979-1988)"><i class="fa fa-book"></i>Census-Catalogue</a>), scribe II also wrote I-Fn Magl. 164-167 and portions of I-Fc Basevi 2440. Index added by a later hand.

Bibliography

Adler 1894–1970, XXVIII, 122, passim; Jeppesen 1927, LXXII; Smijers 1935, 174, 180; Anglès 1941–71, I, 132; I, V, X, passim; Hewitt 1942, 107; MGG1, IV, Tafel 18; Becherini 1959, 75ff; Picker 1960, 356; Jeppesen 1968–70, II, 59; Atlas 1971, I, 482-3; Atlas 1975–6, 247; Baker 1978; Perkins 1979, II, 161-2, 321; Census-Catalogue 1979-1988, I, 230; Atlas 1981, 257-8, 260-1, 265-7, 277-84; Brown 1983, 113, 144, 147-8, 186, 207ff; Powers 1994.

Basis for description: original

Florence, Italy, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, MS Magliabechi XIX.178, All folios

Physical description

Material: paper

Number of leaves: ii + IV + 78 + I + i

Format: oblong

Page dimensions: 115 x 167

Quire structure: Text version

Index / Table of Contents: ff. Ir-IIv: Near-contemporary alphabetical index
f. Ir: tabula
Atroter amors 34
Ales regres 43
Aguil mie me 47
Adiu mens amors 49
Amie des 53
Amors failt moltant 58
Adiu per buon temps 64
A fortune contrent 70
Anima mea 73
Adiu adiu 77
Adiu florens 78
Belle pous lamous 10
[Belle pgus lapens 10 barred]
Comen poter auer joye 8
Corri fortuna 18
Cest malserche 25
Celasant plus 40
Che letam mon gre 46
Cede uous 69

f. iv: Dictes moy toutes 14
De tous bien plein 35
Dunaltra mer 63
Detuse in buse 76
En atendant 19
Et quiladira dira 37
Elongeno nous 42
Elas madame 44
Etro penser 67
En atendant 26
Fille uos aue 71
Gentil galans 48
Jenai de duel 2
Jampris amors 3
Jampris amors 4
Jminez zibec 9
Jeme 11
Jn est uiuant 12
Jdest trophis 21
Je uous uous 24
Jnose plus 36
Jenefai plus 41
Jn pace in idipsum 52
Jene puis amer 55
Jene suis point 65
Je uous primon tres 75

f. iir: Lore uenus 6
Lerenoye 31
Lare 45
Lamora 30
Monpere 23
Montot 50
Maspenses 57
Maldit soie 59
Meschin che fui 68
Mon souenir 28
Nayo byenori set ans 33
Numquam fuit pena maior 38
O uenus bant 29
Plus que pontofles 54
Sempre giro piangendo 22
Sidedero 32
Seie fais bien 60
Servitur suay 61
Sent mille scus 62
Semi elcielo efati 66
Tartara moncuer 51

f. iiv: Vne mosche dibuschaye 17
Vrai diu 39
Vostre alebruit 56
Vostre bregeronette 74

Other devices: Original brown ink foliation, recto top right, 1-78

Page details (zoom):

Preparation and Copying

All folios

Preparation

Disposition of Voice Parts Key

Pricking always,
One pricking hole on each page about 6 mm below and 10 mm inside the outside bounding line. Function unclear.
Ruled grid always
Ruling pattern highly regular
Staves omitted from grid never
Incomplete staves never
Medium and colour of grid Frequency Folios Note
brown ink always Vertical bounding lines only.
Colour of staves Frequency Folios Note
dark brown always
Ruling medium Frequency Folios Note
triple rastrum always Visible from very slight divergences in the distance of stave lines within the rastrum and in horizontal justification. Repetitive intervals between staves are 7, 7, 7.5, 7, 7.
Indentation for initials Frequency Folios Note
none always Music and text indented over ruled staves on pages written by scribe I (ff. IVv-25r, 30v-70r).
Extra space between voice parts Frequency Folios Note
empty ruled staves on grid occasionally
Space provided for separate text Frequency Folios Note
no separate text always
Adhoc adaptation Frequency Folios Note
notation extended into margin sometimes 3v, 7v, 8v, 10v, 18v, 22v, 31v-32r, 34r, 35r, 36v-37r, 38r, 39v, 40v-41r, 43r-v, 44v, 50r-v, 53r, 55v, 56v, 57v-58r, 59v, 60v-63r, 64r, 65v, 66v, 71r, 73r, 74v, 77v
notation and staves extended into margin rarely 31r, 46r, 47v-48r, 57r, 65v

Copying of text and music

Language(s) Dutch, French, Italian, Latin, Spanish
Order of Copying music first
always
Presence/absence of text Voice part Frequency Folios Note
provided with single incipit discantus normally IVv-14r, 16v-19r, 20v-26r, 27v-78r
untexted all except discantus normally IVv-14r, 16v-19r, 20v-26r, 27v-78r
untexted all voice parts rarely 14v-16r, 19v-20r, 26v-27r, 78v
Music
Colour(s) of notation brown
Type(s) of notation void mensural
Type of notation note teardrop-shaped
Monophonic notation absent
Level of calligraphy fair
Non verbal performance instructions Folios Note
end symbol 17v, 19v, 21v-22r, 25v-30r, 69v-70r, 71v-78v Primarily used by scribe II.
repeat signs 1v-2r, 21v-22r, 45v-46r, 53v, 67v
signes-de-renvoi 6r, 8r, 11r, 18r, 30r, 44r, 45r, 48r, 52r, 56r, 57r, 61r Always in the form of a pointing finger.
signa congruentiae 7v
Later changes Folios
note erased IVv, 1r, 63v
note erased and changed to correct pitch 37r
repeated passage of notes erased 45r
final portion of second stave erased, staves redrawn free-hand and left blank 68r
Text
Types of script cursive
Level of calligraphy fair
Colour(s) of text brown
Multiple texts no
Text repetitions none
Abbreviations few
Non underlaid vocal text none
Liminary text 16v: Canon Quiescit qui super me volat post venit que ante me factus est 78v: Canon Omnia probate quod bonum est tenere Verte: IVv-1r, 2v, 6r, 11v-12r, 14v-15r Secunda pars: 1v, 15v Residium [sic]: 3v, 6v, 12v, 71v Composers names: 1v, 2v, 4v, 5v, 7v, 8v, 9v, 10v, 11v, 13v, 14v, 16v, 17v, 19v, 20v, 21v, 22v, 23v, 24v, 25v, 26r-27v, 29v-30r, 31v, 32v-33v, 34v, 35v-36v, 39v, 41v, 42v, 43v, 44v-45r, 46v, 47v, 48v-49r, 51v-52v, 54v, 55v, 56v, 58v, 59v, 64v, 65v-66r, 67v, 69v, 70v-71r, 72v, 73v-74v, 75v, 76v-77v, 78v ,
1v, 2v, 3v, 4v, 5v, 7v, 8v, 9v, 10v, 11v, 12v, 13v, 14v, 15v, 16v, 17v, 19v, 20v, 21v, 22v, 23v, 24v, 25v, 26r-27v, 29v-30r, 31v, 32v-33v, 34v, 35v-36v, 39v, 41v, 42v, 43v, 44v-45r, 46v, 47v, 48v-49r, 51v-52v, 54v, 55v, 56v, 58v, 59v, 64v, 65v-66r, 67v, 69v, 70v-71v, 72v, 73v-74v, 75v, 76v-77v, 78v
Later changes comical faces and pentrials,
recto of second front flyleaf; I'v

Decoration

Level of Decoration very poor
Decoration initial type Frequency Folios Initial type(s) Size position Description Discrepancies
penned initials occasionally 25v-30r, 70v-78r calligraphic Start of each voice part, before stave, fairly small. Very basic initials, with little decoration. Initial for discantus perhaps by a different hand. Initials for voice designations in lower parts.
initials planned rarely 1v-2r, 3v-4r, 6v-7r, 15v-16r Notation indented on one stave, at start of the lower voice parts. Initials planned for voice designations in lower parts. This typically occurs on the second opening of a song, where no text incipit is supplied for the discantus part.
initials planned normally IVv-1r, 2v-3r, 4v-6r, 7v-15r, 16v-25r, 30v-70r Guide letters only Notation indented on one stave, at start of each voice part. Guide letters often visible for the text incipit's initial. Initials planned for voice designations in lower parts.