D-BAs Lit. 115 (Bamberg Codex)

Staatsbibliothek, Bamberg, Germany

theory treatises and polyphony: second half of 13th century

Archive Staatsbibliothek, Bamberg, Germany (D-BAs)
Shelfmark Lit. 115 (Bamberg Codex)
Image Availability DIAMM does not have images of this source. Please refer to the external links for image availability.
Surface Parchment
Numbering System None
Measurements 263 x 186 mm
Other Identifiers
  • RISM: Ba
  • olim (Former shelfmark): Ed.IV.6
Notations
  • Long-breve
Relationships
External Links
Provenance
  • Eastern France (likely), France
Contents 110 pieces from 2 composers
Notation

clearly differentiated longs, breves and semibreves

DIAMM, 2017
Foliation

80 ff

DIAMM, 2017
Surface

parchment

DIAMM, 2017
RISM Description

RISM B/IV 1: A parchment manuscript measuring 263 x 186 mm. and cosisting of 80 folios with modern pencil foliation t.r.r. plus two unnumbered paper flyleaves. The binding is of ivory pigskin with tooling on the front and back. The designs in the middle, apparently a golden fleece and imperial decorations, are inlaid with gold and dated 1611. Two metal clasps complete the picture. The manuscript consists of two parts : the first contains 100 motets and 8 pieces in score and runs from fol. 1-64v, while the second is made up of the treatise Practica artis musicae by Alfred or Amerus (fol. 65-80) together with two added motets on fol. 80v. Generally the pages with motets are divided into two columns with Tr on the left, Mot on the right and T at the bottom running right across. In the rare cases where the T has a complete text, the page is divided into three columns corresponding to Tr, Mot and T, reading from left to right. There are usually ten five-line staves to a page, though for the pieces in score notation there are only nine. The two additional pieces on fol. 80-80v have 11 staves to the page. The music may be dated in the second half of the 13th century, but the manuscript's origin is not altogether clear. Certainly the lack of the script "ki" for "qui" etc. (though "kristi" and "karitas" are found) does not suggest a North French origin, though an East French origin seems likely. There is nothing Gothic about text or music in the main part. The coloured initials are in the usual red and blue without much ornament. The notation is more developed than that of fascicles 2-6 of Mo, for longs, breves and semibreves are clearly differentiated, and particularly in the T, the use of ligatures without perfection clarifies the modal choice. The main body of music seems to have been written by a single hand (though the two added motets on fol. 80-80v are in a rougher hand than the rest). The notation is Franconian, but the copyist has one or two traits of his own, such as the avoidance of oblique ligatures. As against the older fascicles of Mo with [breve, semibreve, semibreve]. Ba indicates clearly the position of short and long notes in conjuncturae by [semibreve, semibreve, breve]. The motets are arranged approximately in alphabetical order according to the first words of the Mot parts. The collection consists of 44 Latin motets (excluding the 2 later Latin motets on fol. 80v), 47 French ones and 9 with a mixture of Latin and French texts. One motet, the only four-part work in the manuscript, actually employs two different T simultaneously. All the other pieces are in three parts, including the 8 pieces in score, which consist of a conductus and 7 clausulae. 5 of these are In seculum compositions.

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