The two Cordier pieces are probably holographs; the rest of the manuscript was probably copied by an Italian scribe working from a French original (ReaneyC). Repertory from southwestern France; probably copied in Florence from a French original from c. 1390 (ReaneyC, but cf. WrightTC, who suggests that ChantMC 564 may have originated at the papal court at Avignon). The manuscript was in Italy from 1461 (inscription on f. 9: 'A di xviii di luglio 1461 Franciescho d'alto biancho degli alberti dono questo libro alle mie fanciulle e a Rechollo Lançalao suo figliolo. Amen Thomasso Spinelly. Propria manu') until 1861, when it was purchased for the Duke of Aumale by the sculptor Bigazzi in Florence.

the first gathering of 12 folios was lost, and four new folios were placed at the beginning in the early 15th century (ReaneyC, but cf. WrightTC, who argues that the folios at the beginning are not later additions)

Purple velvet binding added in 1861

Complex late Ars Nova type, red notes are as frequent as black and sometimes predominate, with varied mensuration signs and unusual note-forms

Early 15th century (ReaneyC); completed ca. 1395, not later than 1398 (WrightTC, based upon the identification of Baude Cordier with Baude Fresnel, who was at Avignon in 1395 and died in 1397 or 1398).

typical Italian six-line stave, except for the two additions of Cordier which are on five-line staves

19th-century pencil foliation, 9-12, for the four newer folios; original foliation, 13-72, for the older, main portion

2-72v

originally 72 folios

Index on ff. 9'-10, dating from the early 15th century

Parchment

RISM B/IV 2: A late 14th century parchment manuscript meas. 387 x 286 mm. and containing a corpus of 64 folios. Originally the ms comprised 6 fascicles of senios, but the first fascicle was lost shortly after the ms was written, so that the present original corpus consists of 5 fascicles foliated at t.r.r. from 13-72. The Roman numerals date from the 15th century, like the added folios 9-12, which however were only foliated in the 19th century. These contain an index of the pieces on f. 13-72v (f. 9v-10) and two Rondeaux by Baude Cordier in an ingenious notation (f. 11v-12). Recent research suggests that the repertory of the codex originated in South-Westem France, insofar as this is not part of the general French repertory of the time. The theory that the ms is an Italian copy of a French original is partly due to the fact that it was in Italy in 1461 at the latest, remaining there till 1861. A note on f. 9 reads: A di xviii di luglio 1461 Franciescho d'alto biancho degli alberti dono questo libro alls mie fanciutle e a Rechollo Langalao suo figliolo. Amen Thomasso Spinetty. Propria manu. Strangely enough, the codex employs the typical Italian six-line stave, except for the two additions of Cordier which are on five-line staves. However, it is clear that both music and texts were intended mainly for the Francophile courts of the Aragon princes, in particular Gaston Phebus, count of Foix and Beam (1343-1391), and John I, king of Aragon (1350-1395). The notation is of the most complex late Ars Nova type, in which red notes are as frequent as black and sometimes predominate, while varied mensuration signs and unusual note-forms complete the picture. There are usually ten red six-line staves per page. Texts are neatly copied in a semi-Gothic hand, though there are many mistakes in them. When the codex was bought by the duke of Aumale in 1861 from Bigazzi in Florence, the sumptuous purple velvet binding was added and an essay on the codex replaced the missing leaves at the beginning. The 112 polyphonic compositions comprise 99 songs and 13 motets, among which the 70 ballades predominate, though there are also 17 Rondeaux and 12 Virelais. A remarkable feature of the present codex is that it is perhaps the earliest manuscript catalogued here to contain the names of a large number of composers. However, this is partly due to the fact that secular music before Guillaume de Machaut was mainly monodic, since the names of many Troubadours and Trouveres are preserved in much earlier sources than CH 564. The presence of 74 unica is however important.

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2 French secular pieces

(The main body of the manuscript contains 13 motets and 97 French secular pieces from the 14th century).

Cordier-2

64 parchment folios, 387 x 286. The manuscript originally had 72 folios; the first gathering of 12 folios was lost, and four new folios were placed at the beginning in the early 15th century (ReaneyC, but cf. WrightTC, who argues that the folios at the beginning are not later additions), 19th-century pencil foliation, 9-12, for the four newer folios; original foliation, 13-72, for the older, main portion. Purple velvet binding added in 1861. Index on ff. 9'-10, dating from the early 15th century. Black mensural notation with red coloration. The two Cordier pieces are probably holographs; the rest of the manuscript was probably copied by an Italian scribe working from a French original (ReaneyC).

Early 15th century (ReaneyC); completed ca. 1395, not later than 1398 (WrightTC, based upon the identification of Baude Cordier with Baude Fresnel, who was at Avignon in 1395 and died in 1397 or 1398). Repertory from southwestern France; probably copied in Florence from a French original from ca. 1390 (ReaneyC, but cf. WrightTC, who suggests that ChantMC 564 may have originated at the papal court at Avignon). The manuscript was in Italy from 1461 (inscription on f. 9: "A di xviii di luglio 1461 Franciescho d'alto biancho degli alberti dono questo libro alle mie fanciulle e a Rechollo Lançalao suo figliolo. Amen Thomasso Spinelly. Propria manu") until 1861, when it was purchased for the Duke of Aumale by the sculptor Bigazzi in Florence.