PRoMs - The Production and Reading of Music Sources

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

Manuscript: Florence, Italy, Conservatorio di Musica Luigi Cherubini, MS Basevi 2440

Manuscript type: choirbook

RISM siglum: I-Fc 2440

DIAMM Source Key: 244

Image repositories: Internet Culturale

Folio(s): All folios

Date: 1515-1525

Copied in Florence, probably by or for someone associated with the poet Lorenzo Strozzi (1482-1551), author of a large portion of the texts in the manuscript.

Location of origin: Florence, Italy

Provenance

Abramo Basevi (b. 1818, d. 1885): bequeathed in his last will with his entire collection of books and manuscripts to the library of the Regio Istituto Musicale di Firenze, now Conservatorio di Musica 'Luigi Cherubini'.

Artists/Scribes

Person: Anonymous, Anonymous
Person type: scribe
Location of origin: Florence, Italy
Note: One main scribe with several additional hands, one of which also appears in Florence, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, MS Magliabechi 164-167 (<a href="/bibliography/#entry815" data-tooltip="" class="has-tip tip-top reference" data-placement="top" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="" title="Rifkin, Joshua, 'Scribal Concordances for Some Renaissance Manuscripts in Florentine Libraries', Journal of the American Musicological Society, 26 (1973), 305–26 "><i class="fa fa-book"></i>Rifkin 1973</a>).

Bibliography

Adler 1894–1970, XXVIII, 171; Gandolfi 1911; Becherini 1959, 243f; Becherini 1964, 261-4; Jeppesen 1966, 446; Jeppesen 1968–70, II, xviii, 46-9, 136-9, passim; Osthoff 1969, I, 40ff, 207-8, II, 14, 38; D’Accone 1972, 29ff; Rifkin 1973, 313, 317; Census-Catalogue 1979-88, I, 234, IV, 376.

Basis for description: original

Florence, Italy, Conservatorio di Musica Luigi Cherubini, MS Basevi 2440, All folios

Physical description

Material: parchment

Number of leaves: iv + 100 + ii

Format: oblong

Page dimensions: 120 x 170

Quire structure: Text version

Title page / Frontispiece: f. IVv: red frame with ornaments and shield in the centre, but not filled with the heraldic device obviously intended to go there

Index / Table of Contents: Modern list of composers in alphabetical order and a note regarding concordances (both in Italian) on added paper leaves at the beginning of the volume.

Other devices: 1. older but not original ink pagination, recto and verso bottom outside
2. modern pencil foliation, recto bottom left.

Page details (zoom):

Preparation and Copying

Preparation 1: ff. 1-60; preparation 2: ff. 61-100

Preparation 1

Disposition of Voice Parts Key

Pricking none visible
Ruled grid always,
single vertical bounding lines; no text lines
Ruling pattern highly regular
Staves omitted from grid never
Incomplete staves never
Medium and colour of grid Frequency Folios Note
brown ink always Justification lines only
Colour of staves Frequency Folios Note
brown always
Ruling medium Frequency Folios Note
triple rastrum always Triple rastrum, with staves of 9.5 mm and interspaces of 6 and 7 mm
Indentation for initials Frequency Folios Note
none always
Extra space between voice parts Frequency Folios Note
empty ruled staves on grid sometimes 63v-64r, 62v, 69v, 70v, 71v-72r, 74v, 98v-100r
Space provided for separate text Frequency Folios Note
no separate text always
Adhoc adaptation Frequency Folios Note
staveline added occasionally 64v, 77r, 90v, 91r, 98v
notation and staves extended into margin sometimes 68v-69r, 70v, 73v-74r, 75r, 83r, 88v-89r, 89v, 97v

Preparation 2

Disposition of Voice Parts Key

Pricking none visible
Ruled grid always,
single vertical bounding lines; no text lines
Ruling pattern highly regular
Staves omitted from grid never
Incomplete staves never
Medium and colour of grid Frequency Folios Note
brown ink always Justification lines only
Colour of staves Frequency Folios Note
brown always
Ruling medium Frequency Folios Note
double rastrum always double rastrum of 9.25 and 9.5 with interspace of 7.5 mm
Indentation for initials Frequency Folios Note
none always Initials inserted in the margin and partially over the staves.
Extra space between voice parts Frequency Folios Note
left between voice parts as part of grid always
Space provided for separate text Frequency Folios Note
provided, in dedicated space often 1r-3r, 4v-6r, 7v-8r, 9v-11r, 12v-13r, 14v-15r, 19v-20r, 21v-22r, 23v-24r, 25v-27v, 29r, 30v-31r, 32v, 33r, 34v-35r, 36v-37r, 38v-39r, 42v-43r, 44v-45r, 47v-48r, 49v-50r, 51v-52r Additional texts copied in the space left between the voice parts.
not in dedicated space sometimes 26v, 35r, 45r remainder of the additional text written over empty staves and (f. 45r) in the lower margin.
Adhoc adaptation Frequency Folios Note
partial additional staves rarely 43r
staveline added often 2v-3r, 5r, 13r, 13v, 14r, 23v, 24v, 26v, 28v, 30v, 33r, 35v, 43r, 45r, 49r, 50v, 51v, 64v
notation and staves extended into margin occasionally 15v, 19v, 53v-54r, 54v, 55v

Copying of text and music

Language(s) Italian
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 often
untexted all voice parts rarely 15v-16r, 39v-41r, 78v-79r, 80v-81r, 97v-98r
fully texted with one or two texts discantus often Often the discantus is fully texted and the other voices provided with incipits for the second opening ('residuum') of a song, when then first opening has all voices fully texted.
partially texted with one text tenor rarely 5v-6r, 32v-33r, 34v-35r, 42v-43r
provided with single incipit all except discantus and tenor rarely 5v-6r, 32v-33r, 34v-35r, 42v-43r
provided with single incipit all except discantus often Often the discantus is fully texted and the other voices provided with incipits for the second opening ('residuum') of a song, when then first opening has all voices fully texted.
untexted altus rarely 73v-74r
untexted tenor rarely 73v-74r
provided with single incipit all except discantus and tenor rarely 36v-37r
fully texted with one or two texts tenor rarely 36v-37r
untexted all except discantus rarely 45v-46r, 71v-73r, 96v-97r
partially texted with one text discantus rarely 72v-73r, 96v-97r
partially texted with one text bassus rarely 27v-28r, 53v-54r, 73v-74r
fully texted with one or two texts all except bassus rarely 53v-54r
fully texted with one or two texts all except altus rarely 54v-55r
untexted altus rarely 54v-55r
provided with single incipit tenor rarely 27v-28r, 79v-80r
untexted all except tenor rarely 79v-80r
untexted discantus rarely 99r-100v
fully texted with one or two texts all except discantus rarely 99r-100v
Music
Colour(s) of notation light brown dark brown
Colour of notation note <p>light brown: ff. 1r-65r, 91r-92r, 94v-98r, 100v; dark brown: ff. 65v-90v, 92v-94r, 98v-100r</p>
Type(s) of notation void mensural
Type of notation note teardrop shape, slightly angular
Monophonic notation absent
Level of calligraphy fair
Non verbal performance instructions Folios Note
pointers 19v-20r
repeat signs 4v, 5r, 7v, 8r, 9v, 14v, 15r, 15v, 17v, 21v, 22r, 23v, 25v, 26r, 30v, 31r, 32v, 33r, 34v, 35r, 40v, 47r, 47v, 48r, 49v, 50r, 80v, 81r, 100v
Line fillers Folios Note
occasionally 60v-61r, 84v-85r
Text
Types of script cursive (italic)
Level of calligraphy poor
Colour(s) of text light brown dark brown
light brown: ff. 1-65r, 91r-92r, 94v-98r, 100v dark brown: ff. 65v-90v, 92v-94r, 98v-100r
Multiple texts yes
4v, 7v, 9v, 14v, 17v, 21v, 23v, 25v, 28v, 30v, 32v, 34v, 47v, 49v, 51v, 53v, 54r
Abbreviations few
Non underlaid vocal text additional
1r-3r, 4v-6r, 7v-8r, 9v-11r, 12v-13r, 14v-15r, 19v-20r, 21v-22r, 23v-24r, 25v-27v, 29r, 30v-31r, 32v, 33r, 34v-35r, 36v-37r, 38v-39r, 42v-43r, 44v-45r, 47v-48r, 49v-50r, 51v-52r
Liminary text Names of composers: 'Barth Organista', 'Barth Organ.', 'Barth. Florentinus Organista', or 'Barth. Or.' (ff. 1v, 3v, 11v, 13v, 31v, 33v, 48v); 'Ber. Pisan' or 'B. Pisan' (ff. 6v, 8v, 20v, 24v, 50v); 'h. ysaic' (f. 35v); 'Alex. Agricola' (f. 37v); 'Alex. floren.' (f. 46v); 'P. Michael.' or 'Pr. Michael.' (ff. 62v, 64v) 'CF. mollis' ? (f. 16v) Performance instructions: 'verte' (f. 8v, 52v, 93r); 'Residuum' (f. 51r) Voice names: 'Tenor', 'Contra', 'Bassus' (ff. 52v-56r; 84v-90r) and 'Tenor', 'Atlus', 'Bassus' (ff. 92v-94r) ,
1v, 3v, 6v, 8v, 11v, 13v, 16v, 20v, 24v, 31v, 33v, 35v, 37v, 46v, 48v, 50v, 52v, 62v, 64v, 93r

Decoration

Level of Decoration fair
Decoration border frequency Border type Folios Size Position Description Discrepancies
rarely decorated 1r partial borders: one-sided inner margin Border in gold decorated with flowers and leaves in colours, at the beginning of the first song.
Decoration initial type Frequency Folios Initial type(s) Size position Description Discrepancies
painted initials often 1r-62v decorated Beginning of discantus Initials in colours on contrasting grounds often decorated with floral ornament en camaieu d'or, heavily damaged by fire and water.