RISM B/IV 2: A 14th century manuscript meas. from 330 x 210 mm. to 319 x 242 mm. and containing 11 folios bound in a double bifolio of parchment secured by a length of brown tape. The body of the ms is a cartulary of the chapel of Saint Mary at Daventry, and dates from the late 14th century. Presumably the outer bifolio f. 1 and 11 was the original cover. The foliation is a modern ink one at t.r.r. Fol. 1v contains a rental of lands assigned to the chapel of St. Mary from 1250 to 1288, and f. 11 a rental of chapel lands in 1288. The music appears to date from c. 1300. The first piece is in score on four accolades of 2 red five-line staves per page. The notation is entirely in longs and breves, except on one occasion when a breve is divided into two semibreves. Interestingly enough, space appears to have been left on the page between the two outer parts for a third part, which may have been improvised. This could be done generally by singing a fourth below the top part, or occasionally a sixth below. The second piece is a motet notated in separate parts in longs, breves and c.o.p. ligatures, again on staves of five red lines. The lower part is doubtless the T, though the full text incipit reads Summe presul Augustine certus cantus triplex. The word triplex refers to the threefold statement of the T melody.
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Répertoire International des Sources Musicales
