1 German Passion (turba parts only), 7 motets, 6 French secular pieces, 3 Italian secular pieces = 17
Baston-1, (Beber)-1, Berchem-2, Clemens non Papa-1, Crecquillon-3, Crespel-1, Gombert-2, Jaquet of Mantua [Jacqueth; incorrectly attributed by modern hand to "Jaquet Berchem"]-1, Jhan of Ferrara-2, La Rue-1, Richafort-1, Rore-1
Modern compilation of 13 originally separate and mostly unrelated items. Modern pencil numbering of items, I-XIII (referred to below as #1-13); individual folios within each item designated by lower-case letters. Some items have additional foliation systems; see below. Now bound in three volumes—I: Items #1-4; II: #5-7; III: #8-13; each volume has modern covers of paper over cardboard and three modern paper flyleaves front and back.
Items #5, #6, #8, and #9 each consist of two pieces; each of the remaining items consists of one piece. Each folio within an item contains a different voice part. Most folios show signs of having been at one time folded vertically or horizontally or both.
(1): 1 paper folio, 248 x ca. 225. No original foliation. Staff height 13. One plain inked initial.
(2): 10 paper folios, 310 x 195. Modern foliation, 1-10. Staff height 13.5. No initials; voice designations and first letters of text in red ink.
(3): i + 5 paper folios, 274 x 194. No original foliation. Staff height 13.5. No initials or decoration.
(4): i + 5 paper folios, ca. 298 x 195 (modern folio measures 275 x 183). No original foliation. Staff height 14.5 on first original folio, 13.5 on remaining folios. Plain inked initials.
(5): i + 4 paper folios, ca. 182 x 255. No original foliation. Staff height 12.5. No initials or decoration.
(6): ii + 5 + i paper folios, ca. 180 x 255. No original foliation. Staff height 13.5. No initials or decoration.
(7): 7 paper folios, ca. 150 x 215. First and last folios are of different paper than other folios (see watermarks below); both leaves originally had blank staves only, but recto of first folio converted by a modern hand into title page for following piece. No original foliation. Music on rectos of 2nd-6th folios; versos blank. Staff height 13.5. One inked calligraphic initial.
(8): i + 5 paper folios, ca. 170 x 226 (modern folio measures 188 x 226). No original foliation. Staff height 12.5. Inked calligraphic initials.
(9): i + 4 paper folios, ca. 150 x 214 (modern folio measures 184 x 225). Modern pencil foliation, 1-4. Staff height 15. Plain inked initials.
(10): i + 7 paper folios, ca. 246 x 200 (first and third original folios measure 160 x 220; second original folio measures 112 x 212; modern folio measures 282 x 215). First and third original folios formerly had blank staves only, but recto of first folio converted by a modern hand into title page for following piece. Modern folio is also a title page for same piece; presently misbound between #12/13. No original foliation. Staff height 14. Small inked calligraphic initials.
(11): i + 4 paper folios, 305 x 207 (modern folio measures 187 x 222). No original foliation. Music on rectos; versos blank. Staff height 12.5. Plain inked initials.
(12): 7 paper folios, 305 x 228 (first folio measures 157 x 222; last measures 160 x 215). First and last folios originally had blank staves only, but recto of first folio converted by a modern hand into title page for following piece. No original foliation. Staff height 12 (14 on first and last folios). Inked calligraphic initials.
(13): i + 4 paper folios, 305 x 210 (modern folio measures 184 x 220). No originali foliation. Music on rectos; versos blank. Staff height 12.5. Plain inked initials.
Copied by 11 scribes—I: #1 (also wrote #1 and #7-14 of MunBS 274a and #11-13 and #16 of MunBS 1503b); II [= Ambrosius Beber—WallonM] : #2; III: #3 (also wrote #2 and #17 of MunBS 274a); IV: #4 and #7 (also wrote ParisBNC 1408 and #8 of MunBS 1503b); V: #5; VI: #6; VII: #8; VIII: #9; IX: #10; X: #11 and #13 (also wrote #16 of MunBS 274a); XI: #12 (also wrote #15 of MunBS 274a) (Rifkin).
Watermarks—#2: fleur-de-lis on crown, with initials "HH"; #4: goat; #7 (title page and last folio): similar to Briquet #1008; #7 (folios with music): generally resembles Briquet #8526ff; #12: Briquet #5079 (also found in #15 of MunBS 274a); #13: resembles Briquet #7086 (also found on #16 of MunBS 274a); no identifiable watermarks visible on other items.
Mid 16th century (#1, #3-13); ca. 1620 (#2). Some items probably copied in Augsburg (Rifkin); others apparently of French, Netherlandish, or Italian origin. Item #2 copied in Naumburg an der Saale, for presentation to Johann Georg I, Elector of Saxony (CW). At least five items (#4, #7, #10, #12, #13) owned in 1822 by Jos. Mayer (inscriptions). All items probably later owned by the Dresden librarian and collector Carl Falkenstein (WallonM). Acquired by Robert Julien van Maldeghem (1810-93), probably at 1856 sale of Falkenstein's library; manuscript apparently served as source material for Trésor Musical. Purchased by J. B. Weckerlin for library of Paris Conservatory of Music at sale of van Maldeghem's books in 1894.
Census-Catalogue of Manuscript Sources of Polyphonic Music 1400-1550