I-BGrt MS. 62

Biblioteca Mons. G. M. Radini Tedeschi, Bergamo, Italy

Calendar-psalter-hymnal with added polyphony: first half 16th century

Archive Biblioteca Mons. G. M. Radini Tedeschi, Bergamo, Italy (I-BGrt)
Shelfmark MS. 62
Image Availability DIAMM does not have images of this source.
Surface Parchment
Numbering System Pagination
Format portrait
Measurements 195 x 141mm (writing block 140 x 98mm)
Other Identifiers
  • RISM: I-BGrt
Notations
  • black semi-mensural square
  • black square
Inventory This MS has not yet been inventoried by DIAMM. If you would like to submit an inventory, please send it to diamm@music.ox.ac.uk
Provenance
  • Brescia, Italy
Contents Contains 4 compositions, 3 are anonymous.
General Description

A 16th-century calendar-psalter-hymnal written and notated by the presbyter Giovanni da Quinzano in 1542. Rusconi notes that the manuscript was likely commissioned by the Dominican nuns of the convent of Santa Caterina in Brescia for the convent of Conche near Nave (Brescia). Towards the end of the manuscript is a collection of monophonic Benedicamus Domino melodies (pp. 325–326), two-voice settings of the Benedicamus Domino tropes Verbum patris hodie (pp. 326–328) and Qui nos fecit ex nihilo (pp. 328–329), and on pp. 329–330 appear polyphonic voice parts that are related to a Benedicamus Domino chant melody in AAB form (Barclay no. 69), albeit transmitted in a somewhat confused format. Three polyphonic voice parts, all unlabelled, are distributed across the two pages. Crucially, however, I-BGrt 62 does not include the Benedicamus Domino chant tenor itself, but one of the (non-chant-based) voice parts, copied on the second system of p. 330, corresponds to the typical polyphonic voice that pairs with the tenor (also found in I-BGc MA 418 and D-B Ham. 554). Only two of the voices can be combined to form a complete polyphonic setting of the Benedicamus Domino chant melody (Barclay no. 69): the voice copied on the top system of p. 329 (between the end of the first voice of Qui nos fecit and the second voice of the same trope) and the voice on the top system of p. 330. Taken together, these two parts contain the pitches of the complete Benedicamus chant melody (also found in I-BGc MA 418). This is split between them for the two A sections of the chant, while the voice on p. 329 concludes with the B section.

Thomas Phillips, as part of the European Research Council-funded project BENEDICAMUS, 2026
Notation

black non-mensural square; and black semi-mensural square (pp. 325-30)

Thomas Phillips, as part of the European Research Council-funded project BENEDICAMUS, 2026
Ruling

Seven four-line systems per page

Thomas Phillips, as part of the European Research Council-funded project BENEDICAMUS, 2026
Inventory

Only partial inventory provided here (focussing on polyphonic pieces/Benedicamus domino settings)

DIAMM, 2026

Click an entry to see more information about that item.

Folio / Pages Composition / Item title Number of voices Source attribution Composers (? Uncertain)
325–326 monophonic Benedicamus Domino melodies - - Anonymous
Appears on: 325–326
Genres: Benedicamus Domino
326–328 Benedicamus Domino (2vv, trope Verbum patris hodie) - - Anonymous
Appears on: 326–328
Genres: Benedicamus Domino
328–329 Benedicamus Domino (2vv, trope Qui nos fecit ex nihilo) - - Anonymous
Appears on: 328–329
Genres: Benedicamus Domino
329–330 Three polyphonic voice parts related to a Benedicamus Domino chant melody - - Anonymous
Appears on: 329–330
Genres: Benedicamus Domino

denotes primary source study

Rusconi, Angelo. 2002. Testimonianze di “polifonia semplice” nelle biblioteche di Bergamo. Un millennio di polifonia liturgica tra oralità e scrittura, edited by Angelo Rusconi, 133–60. Bologna: Il Mulino.

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