Although this MS is perhaps the latest of the four principal Notre Dame sources, it was almost certainly written in France. It contains not only two-, three- and four-part organa, but also conductus and a huge collection of motets. Only the clausulae are not in this codex, perhaps because the motet was well developed by this time.

Ludwig traces 3 different hands in the 10 fascicles (1 for the organa in fascicles I-V, 1 for the two-part conductus in fascicle VI, and 1 for the motets in fascicles VII-X). The parchment too is different in fascicle VI. The codex is made up as follows : fasc. 1 (f. 1-5v) : 2 (originally 3) four-part organa; fasc. 2 (f. 6-30v): 12 three-part organa; fasc. 3 (f. 31-46v): 10 three-part conductus; fase. 4-5 (f. 47-91v) : 50 two-part organa; fasc. 6 (f. 92-122v) : 12 two-part conductus; fasc. 7 (f. 123-144v): 17 three-part motets and 8 conductus; fasc. 8 (f. 145-192v) : 1st alphabet of 20 two-part motets, 2nd alphabet of 1 three-part and 26 two-part motets with 4 isolated motet voices from the four part organa, 3rd alphabet of 1 three-part and 28 two-part motets, appendix of 7 two-part motets; fasc. 9 (f. 193-215v): 1 four-part, 1 two-part and 21 three-part polytextual French motets; fasc. 10 (f. 216-253v): 91 two-part motets.

W2 came into the library at Wolfenbüttel from the library of Flacius Illyricus in 1597 (see W1).

Most of the gatherings are quaternios, some of which have been however rendered incomplete in the course of time. Fasc. 1 is now 3 single sheets (f. 1-3) plus a bifolio (f. 4-5). The second quaternio of fasc. 2 has a single sheet extra in the middle. Fasc. 5 ends with a mixed gathering consisting of a bifolio (f. 87 and 91), a single sheet (f. 90) and 2 smaller empty leaves (f. 88 and 89). The final page is missing for the last quaternio of fasc. 6, while gathering 2 of fasc. 7 now lacks the middle bifolio. In fasc. 9, what was originally the third quaternio is now arranged as (i) a single sheet (f. 209) with a corresponding stub on f. 216, (ii) a bifolio (f. 210-211), the second folio only retaining its upper part and being wrongly bound between f. 210 and 212 and foliated 211, while the unwritten lower half appears as a stub (f. 215), (iii) 2 bifolios (f. 212 to 215) in the middle.

modern brown leather

Notre Dame, without even long and breve differentiation

number of staves per page varies from 8 to 10 of the red five- or occasionally four-line variety.

modern pencil foliation at t.r.r

Several fascicles begin with an illuminated miniature, fascicle 3 with an illustration of 3 singers and fasc. 4 with one of 4. Initials are as usual red or blue with contrasting filigree.

parchment

RISM B/IV 1: A 13th century parchment manuscript meas. 175 x 130 mm. and containing 253 folios. The foliation at t.r.r. is of modern pencil, and the brown leather binding is also relatively recent. Although it is perhaps the latest of the four principal Notre Dame sources, it has the advantage of having been almost certainly written in France. Moreover, its repertory is vast, containing not only two-, three- and four-part organa, but also conductus and a huge collection of motets. Only the clausulae are not in this codex, perhaps because the motet was well developed by this time. W2 came into the library at Wolfenbüttel from the library of Flacius Illyricus in 1597 (see W1). The notation is still of Notre Dame type without even long and breve differentiation. The number of staves per page varies from 8 to 10 of the red five- or occasionally four-line variety. Ludwig traces 3 different hands in the 10 fascicles (1 for the organa in fascicles I-V, 1 for the two-part conductus in fascicle VI, and 1 for the motets in fascicles VII-X). The parchment too is different in fascicle VI. The codex is made up as follows : fasc. 1 (f. 1-5v) : 2 (originally 3) four-part organa; fasc. 2 (f. 6-30v): 12 three-part organa; fasc. 3 (f. 31-46v): 10 three-part conductus; fase. 4-5 (f. 47-91v) : 50 two-part organa; fasc. 6 (f. 92-122v) : 12 two-part conductus; fasc. 7 (f. 123-144v): 17 three-part motets and 8 conductus; fasc. 8 (f. 145-192v) : 1st alphabet of 20 two-part motets, 2nd alphabet of 1 three-part and 26 two-part motets with 4 isolated motet voices from the four part organa, 3rd alphabet of 1 three-part and 28 two-part motets, appendix of 7 two-part motets; fasc. 9 (f. 193-215v): 1 four-part, 1 two-part and 21 three-part polytextual French motets; fasc. 10 (f. 216-253v): 91 two-part motets. Most of the gatherings are quaternios, some of which have been however rendered incomplete in the course of time. Fasc. 1 is now 3 single sheets (f. 1-3) plus a bifolio (f. 4-5). The second quaternio of fasc. 2 has a single sheet extra in the middle. Fasc. 5 ends with a mixed gathering consisting of a bifolio (f. 87 and 91), a single sheet (f. 90) and 2 smaller empty leaves (f. 88 and 89). The final page is missing for the last quaternio of fasc. 6, while gathering 2 of fasc. 7 now lacks the middle bifolio. In fasc. 9, what was originally the third quaternio is now arranged as (i) a single sheet (f. 209) with a corresponding stub on f. 216, (ii) a bifolio (f. 210-211), the second folio only retaining its upper part and being wrongly bound between f. 210 and 212 and foliated 211, while the unwritten lower half appears as a stub (f. 215), (iii) 2 bifolios (f. 212 to 215) in the middle. Several fascicles begin with an illuminated miniature, fascicle 3 with an illustration of 3 singers and fasc. 4 with one of 4. Initials are as usual red or blue with contrasting filigree.

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