GB-Lbl Add. MS 29987

British Library, London, England

manuscript of polyphony: 14th century

Archive British Library, London, England (GB-Lbl)
Shelfmark Add. MS 29987
Image Availability
Surface Parchment
Numbering System Foliation
Measurements 260 x 195 mm
Other Identifiers
  • RISM: GB-Lbm29987
  • RISM: Lo, L, B
Notations
  • black full mensural
  • coloration in black void
  • coloration in red
Relationships
External Links
Provenance
  • Italy
Contents Contains 117 compositions, 67 from 17 composers, 50 are anonymous.
General Description

11 fascicles, each with 4 bifolios. owned by the Medici in the 15th century (see coat of arms on f. 1r). In the 17th century it belonged to Carlo Tommaso Strozzi. Purchased by the British Museum in 1876. von Fischer placed it in Perugia (Umbria) or southern Tuscany; Reaney was unwilling to rule out Florence as a possible origin. The presence of the two estampies No. 79 (Isabella) and No. 86 (Principio di Virtu) among other things suggests a relationship with the Visconti family, who ruled in Perugia from 1400-1402 . The London MS is one of the most important sources of Italian Trecento music, despite its careless notation and many faulty readings.

DIAMM, 2018
Binding

brown leather covering (1957), older wooden boards.

DIAMM, 2017
Notation

black full mensural (isolated hollow black void notes; red marks only on f. 82v / 83)

DIAMM, 2017
Date

Pirrotta dated the MS to 1425, von Fischer and Reaney moved it into the early 15th century (No. 115-117 is probably a little later, No. 118 added substantially later.)

DIAMM, 2017
Ruling

8 red five-line systems per page

DIAMM, 2017
Foliation

Ink foliation (17th or 18th Century) of f. 1-84; errors from f. 84 on. Modern pencil foliation (1876) of f. 1-87, starts on the 1st front flyleaf, so for older foliation always added plus 1)

DIAMM, 2017
Foliation

88 ff

DIAMM, 2017
Decoration

f. 1r: Medici coat of arms; f. 85v/86r: scales and other additions in a much later hand (cf. No. 118).

DIAMM, 2017
Index

List of the composer names to be found in the manuscript on one of the old front flyleaves, by Carlo Tommaso Strozzi

DIAMM, 2017
Surface

parchment

DIAMM, 2017
RISM Description

RISM B/IV 4: 14./15. Jh.; 88 Blätter Pergament + 6 Vorsatz- und 2 Nachstoßblätter, 260 x 195mm. Tintenfoliierung des 17. od. 18. Jh. von f. 1-84 (ab f. 84 fehlerhaft); moderne Bleistiftfoliierung (1876) von f. 1-87 (beginnt auf dem 1. Vorsatzblatt, daher ist zur älteren Foliierung stets plus 1 hinzuzuzählen. Je Seite 8 rote Fünfliniensysteme mit schwarzer Mensuralnotation (vereinzelt hohle weiße Noten; rote Noten nur auf f. 82v/ 83). - Einband: mit modernem, braunem Leder (1957) überzogene, ältere Holzdeckel.

Diese aus 11 Faszikeln zu je 4 Bogen bestehende Handschrift befand sich im 15. Jh. in Mediceer-Besitz (vergleiche Wappen auf f. 1r). Im 17. Jh. gehörte sie Carlo Tommaso Strozzi, der auf einem der älteren Vorsatzblätter eine Liste der in der Handschrift vorkommenden Komponistennamen anlegte. 1876 wurde der Codex vom Brit. Museum angekauft. Datierung und Herkunft der Handschrift sind umstritten. Während Pirrotta um 1425 datiert, verlegen v. Fischer und Reaney die Handschrift ins früheste 15. Jh. (Nr. 115-117 sind wohl etwas später, Nr. 118 wesentlich später beigefügt.) Als Herkunftsort nimmt v. Fischer Perugia (Umbrien) oder Süd-Toscana an; Reaney möchte auch Florenz als möglichen Herkunftsort nicht ausschließen. Das Vorhandensein der beiden Istampiten Nr. 79 (Isabella) und Nr. 86 (Principio di Virtù) unter anderem Erwägungen lassen vermutlich eine Beziehung der Handschrift zur Familie der Visconti, die von 1400-1402 in Perugia herrschte, annehmen. - Die Londoner Handschrift gehört trotz ihrer unsorgfältigen Notation und der vielen fehlerhaften Lesarten zu den wichtigsten Quellen italienischer Trecentomusik. - Leer sind f. 52r, 83r und 86v-88r; f. 1r Mediceer-Wappen; f. 85v/86r Tonleitern und weitere Nachträge von wesentlich jüngerer Hand (vergleiche Nr. 118).

[Translation] 14th/15th century. 88 sheets of parchment + 6 front and 2 back flyleaves, 260 x 195mm. Ink foliation of the 17th or 18th Century of f. 1-84 (from f. 84 errors); modern pencil foliation (1876) of f. 1-87 (starts on the 1st front flyleaf, so for older foliaition always added plus 1). 8 red five-line systems per page with black mensural notation (isolated void white notes; red coloration only on f. 82v / 83). - Binding: a modern, brown leather (1957) covering, older wooden boards.

This manuscript of 11 fascicles, each with 4 bifolios, was owned by the Medici in the 15th century (see coat of arms on f. 1r). In the 17th century it belonged to Carlo Tommaso Strozzi, who on one of the old front flyleaves attached a list of the composer names to be found in the manuscript. The manuscript was purchased by the British Museum in 1876. Dating and origin of the manuscript are controversial. While Pirrotta dated it to 1425, von Fischer and Reaney moved it into the early 15th century (No. 115-117 is probably a little later, No. 118 added substantially later.) As to origin, von Fischer placed it in Perugia (Umbria) or southern Tuscany; Reaney was unwilling to rule out Florence as a possible origin. The presence of the two estampies No. 79 (Isabella) and No. 86 (Principio di Virtu) among other things suggests a relationship with the Visconti family, who ruled in Perugia from 1400-1402 . The manuscript comes from London, despite its sloppy notation and the many erroneous interpretations of its origins due to it being one of the main sources of Italian Trecento music. ff. 52r, 83r and 86v-88r are empty; f. 1r Medici coat of arms; f. 85v/86r scales and other additions in a much later hand (cf. No. 118).

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Répertoire International des Sources Musicales
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denotes primary source study

Campagnolo, Stefano. 2017. Il Frammento Brescia 5 e le relazioni di copista tra i codici fiorentini dell’Ars nova. Studi musicali, 2017/2: .

Long, Michael P. 2008. Singing through the Looking Glass: Child's Play and Learning in Medieval Italy. Journal of the American Musicological Society, 61: 253-306.

Gozzi, Marco. 2004. La notazione del codice Add.29987 di Londra. «Et facciam dolçi canti». Studi in onore di Agostino Ziino in occasione del suo 65° compleanno, Pages: 207-261.

Di Bacco, Giuliano, and John Nadas. 1998. The Papal Chapels and Italian Sources of Polyphony during the Great Schism. Papal Music and Musicians in Late Medieval and Renaissance Rome, edited by Giuliano Di Bacco and John Nadas, 44-92. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Carsaniga, Giovanni. 1994. An Additional Look at London Additional 29987. Musica Disciplina, 48: 283-297.

Gozzi, Marco. 1993. Alcune postille sul codice Add. 29987 della British Library. Studi Musicali, 22: 249-278.

Di Bacco, Giuliano. 1991. Alcune nuove osservazioni sul codice di Londra (London, British Library, Additional 29987). Studi Musicali, 20: 181–234.

Nadas, John. 1985. The Transmission of Trecento Secular Polyphony: Manuscript Production and Scribal Practices in Italy at the End of the Middle Ages. Ph.D. Diss., New York University.

Gozzi, Marco. 1984-1985. Il Manoscritto Londra, British Library, Additional 29987. Scuola di Paleografia Musicale e Filologia , University of Pavia, Cremona, Tesi di Laurea, 2 vols.

Long, Michael P. 1981. Musical Tastes in Fourteenth-Century Italy: Notational Styles, Scholarly Traditions and Historical Circumstances. Princeton University, Ph.D. dissertation. Pages: 161-177.

Crane, Frederick. 1979. On performing the "Lo estampies". Early Music, 7: 24-33.

Fischer, Kurt von, and Max Lütolf (editors). 1972. Répertoire international des sources musicales. Series B IV, vol. 3-4. Handschriften mit mehrstimmiger Musik des 14., 15. und 16. Jahrhunderts. 2 vols. Munich-Duisburg: G. Henle Verlag. Pages: 631-653.

Harris, Brian Lorne. 1969. A Study and Transcription of Music from the Trecento Manuscript British Museum, Add. 29987. University of Alberta, Ph.D. dissertation.

Bokum, Jan ten (editor). 1967. De dansen van het Trecento. Critische uitgave van de instrumentale dansen uit hs. London BM add. 29987. Scripta Musicologica Ultrajectina, ed. by the Institut voor Muziekwetenschap der Rijksuniversiteit te Utrecht, vol. I.  Utrecht: Stichting voor Muziekhistorische Uitvoeringspraktijk.

Reaney, Gilbert (editor). 1965. The Manuscript London, British Museum Add. 29987. Musicological Studies and Documents, vol. 13.  [n.p.]: American Institute of Musicology.

Reaney, Gilbert. 1958. The manuscript London, British Museum, Additional 29987 (Lo). Musica Disciplina, 12: 67-91.

Moser, Hans Joachim. 1919-1920. Stantipes und Ductia. Zeitschrift für Musikwissenschaft, 2: 194-206.

Wolf, Johannes. 1918. Die Tänze des Mittelalters. Archiv für Musikwissenschaft, 1: 10ff.

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Sam Bradley

Thursday, 1 January, 2026

Corrected attribution for 'Per un verde boschetto'

cornelis boeke

Tuesday, 29 July, 2025

Corrected attribution of "In forma quasi" (f. 68v) - not by Vincenet (too late) but by Vincenzo da Rimini

Julia Craig-McFeely

Thursday, 15 March, 2018

bibliography updated.

Répertoire Internationale des Sources Musicales

Monday, 23 January, 2017

NB: Migrated from old site. Credit for notes may not be completely accurate. RISM Description