University of Virginia Library

I. Signatures

Normal Patterns

The most common format for printed music produced during the mid-sixteenth
century is well known. Works were printed in partbooks, in quarto
(either portrait or landscape). Each partbook was distinguished from the
others by two indications. The first was, of course, the part name—Tenor,
Cantus Chorus Secundus, etc.—which normally appeared on the title-page,
and also on at least one headline of each opening. The other comprised two
elements, the system of signatures, and an additional phrase, usually an abbreviated
title of the book, printed on first folios of most gatherings.[5] At
other times, as in the case of some books printed by Petrucci, Pierre Attaingnant
and Tylman Susato (among others),[6] this phrase was replaced by

a typographical emblem or sign, which would differ from those used in other
partbooks or other titles. Taken together, these acted for the binder as a
confirmation that he was collecting together only the sheets for that one title,
and arranging them in the correct order. Normally, therefore, each partbook
had a different sequence of signatures, often selected so that the whole series
formed a continuous alphabetical sequence. The following examples start
from the standard practice of the sixteenth century and diverge into a number
of different situations and solutions, all within the basic concept of a sequence
of signing letters uniting all the books of a set.

• 1. Massaino: Quaerimoniae . . . Op. 34. Venice: Alessandro Raverio, 1609.

  RISM M1288. Copy at Lodi, Duomo, Archivio Capitolare.

  Quarto: [C:] A-D4; [T:] E-H4; [A:] I-M4; [B:] N-Q4; [5:] R-V4.

This was the most widespread pattern for much of the sixteenth century:
the Cantus partbook was almost always signed first in sequence (whenever
it was actually set in type), and the Tenor normally second. The Bassus
usually appears fourth, after the Altus, and before any subsequent parts—
Quintus, etc. This sequence reflected a traditional hierarchy of voices in
composition and style, although that hierarchy was largely obsolete well
before the middle of the sixteenth century.

The pattern would necessarily be modified whenever the music did not
fit exactly into a sequence of standard quarto gatherings.

• 2. Stivori: II Sacrarum Cantionum. Venice: Ricciardo Amadino, 1593.

  RISM S6447. Copy at Kassel, Landesbibliothek und Murharsche Bibliothek.

  Quarto: [C:] A-B4 C6; [T:] D-E4 F6; [A:] G-H4 I6; [B:] K-L4 M6; [5:]
  N-O4 P6; [6:] Q4 R6; [7:] S4.

• 3. Chamatero: II Madrigali à 5. Venice: Girolamo Scotto, 1569.

  RISM C275=156926. Copy at Kassel, Landesbibliothek und Murharsche
  Bibliothek.

  Quarto: [C:] A-C4 D2; [T:] E-G4 H2; [A:] I-L4 M2; [B:] N-P4 Q2; [5:]
  R-T4 V2.

The principal parts for each of these books all contain 14 folios, though
imposed differently. The Amadino edition supposes that Amadino had decided
to have a six-folio last gathering before reaching the middle of gathering
C and its equivalents. This was not necessary for Scotto. While Scotto

often followed the pattern of Example 3, other printers tended to adopt the
other. But all are still following the normal sequence of letters, and signing
the parts in the conventional order.

This conventional sequence of signatures seems to have been taken seriously
during much of the sixteenth century: care is taken to ensure that all
the letters are used, and in the correct order within books. In one case, the
Gardano firm prepared a book in which the last partbook, the Sextus, apparently
started two signature letters too late: a correction was made in the
preceding part, by signing gathering T with "T.V.X." and "T.V.X.ij":

• 4. Agostini: Canones, et Echo à 5. Venice: Figliuoli di Antonio Gardano,
  1572.

  RISM A405=157213. Copy at Augsburg, Staats- und Stadtbibliothek.

  Quarto: [C:] A-D4; [T:] E-H4; [A:] I-M4; [B:] N-Q4; [5:] R-T4; [6:]
  Y-Z4 AA4.

For the next example, the only surviving partbook has a similar signing:
the last of five gatherings was signed with the double letters "EF". Presumably,
the next partbook (probably the Tenor), was signed from the
letter G.

• 5. II delle Muse à 3. Canzon villanesche alla Napolitana. Rome: Antonio
  Barrè, 1557.

  RISM 155713. Copy at Leipzig, Städtische Bibiotheken, Musikbibliothek.

  Quarto: [C:] A-D4 EF4.

This order of parts was not always maintained. Girolamo Scotto was one
printer who varied the order of partbooks, even from early in his career.
Particularly interesting for an analysis of his craftsmen's activities is the way
in which different orders of signing seem to occur only for short periods. The
pattern shown here, for example, can be found in a number of books published
in 1549, with the Bassus signed first, followed by Cantus, Altus, Tenor
and fifth or further books:[7]

• 6. Gero: II Madrigali à 4 a notte negre. Venice: Girolamo Scotto, 1549.

  RISM G1648. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

  Quarto: [B:] A-C4; [C:] D-F4; [T:] K-M4.

  Note. The Altus partbook is not extant but must have been signed with
  the letters G-I.

Scotto was certainly not the only printer to adopt different orders of
books, though his examples are perhaps the most consistent within themselves.[8]

Other printers adopted various patterns at odd times, with no apparent
reason:

• 7. Naich: Exercitum Seraficum. I Madrigali à 4-5. Rome: Antonio Blado
  [in or before 1544].

  RISM N7. Unique copy at Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek.

  Quarto: [A:] A-F4; [T:] G-M4; [B:] N-R4; [C:] S-Y4; [5:] a4 b6.

• 8. Has quatuor missas à 4,5,8. Rome: Giovanni Pietro Collini, 1651.

  RISM 16511. Copies at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale and
  Lucca, Seminario Vescovile.

  Quarto: Choir I: [C:] A18; [A:] B18; [T:] C16; [B:] D16; [Bassus ad Organum:]
  E16; Choir II: [B:] F8; [T:] G8; [C:] H10; [A:] I10.

Such patterns must say something about the order in which the partbooks
were set for the press, but, in the absence of any other evidence, we can not
speculate as to possible reasons for the unusual sequence—in Example 8 because
the two choirs are not set and signed in the same order.

A different pattern was increasingly adopted during the seventeenth
century, in which the Altus was signed before the Tenor:

• 9. Cazzati: Antifone, letanie e Te Deum à 8, Op. 19. Bologna: Gioseffo
  Micheletti, 1686.

  RISM C1608. Copy at Lucca, Seminario Vescovile.

  Quarto: Choir I: [C] A16; [A:] B16; [T:] C16; [B:] D16; Choir II: [C:]
  E16; [A:] F16; [T:] G16; [B:] H16; [Organo:] I14.

• 10. Scelta di motetti de diversi. Rome: Lodovico Grignani, 1647.

  RISM 16471. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

  Quarto: [C1:] A-B12; [C2:] C12 D10; [A:] E16; [T:] F10; [B:] G8; [Organo:]
  H18.

It seems reasonable to suggest that this followed, with the delay traditional
to craft skills, a recognition of the declining pre-eminence of the
Tenor in the construction of sacred music.

It would be interesting to trace the stages at which different publishers
adopted this arrangement as normal practice. The rather random evidence
that I have collected so far suggests that Filippo Lomazzo in Milan was
among the first, for the pattern appears in editions he put out with the Tini
heirs in 1607 (B. Regio: I Missarum ac sacrarum cantionum à 5, 8, RISM
R725) and 1608 (Baglioni: I Sacrarum Cantionum, Op. 2, RISM
B644) and

it continues throughout his career: he was followed by Rolla (although with
a few exceptions, such as Levi's I Salmi di Terza of 1647). Roman printers
soon followed suit, for the Altus is signed second in books by Bartolomeo
Zannetti in 1614 (Selectae Cantiones, RISM 16143), by Luc' Antonio Soldi
from 1620 (Tarditi, II Psalmi [etc.], RISM T225), by Giovanni Battista
Robletti from 1622 (Nenna: Sacrae hebdomodae responsoria à 5, RISM
N381), though not consistently, and by Paolo Masotti from his earliest editions
in 1626 (Talone, Armonicus parnasus à 3-4, Op. 1, RISM T62). Lodovico
Grignani was using this arrangement by 1647. On the other hand, the
two principal publishing families in Venice, the Magni and Vincenti, both
preserved the traditional arrangement for much longer: for Vincenti, the
change occurred during the years 1649 and 1650. In 1649 his edition of
Capuana's Motets, Op. 3 (RISM R952) uses the new sequence of parts:
although this rapidly became the norm, at least one edition of 1650 retained
the old order. For Magni, the change seems to have come even later,
perhaps as late as 1660. Bolognese publishers had certainly adopted the new
sequence by then: indeed Cazzati takes the practice somewhat further, in
that solo instrumental parts are signed first, even before the principal vocal
parts: for his Messa e salmi à 5, Op. 36 (Bologna: M. Silvani, 1665), the violin
parts are signed with A and B, and the Alto Viola with C; solo vocal parts
use D-H and the Ripieno I-L, with the two continuo parts signed M and N.
The same pattern can be found in his later books, though not consistently:
Le quattro Antifone annuale, Op. 42 (Bologna: s.n., 1667) has the single
vocal part signed with C, with the two violin parts using A and B and the
Organ part D. However, his Salmi brevi à 4, Op. 58 signs both choirs of
singers before any instruments.

If the set of books used more than 23 gatherings, the series could be
extended with a few conventional signs—an asterisk, an obelus, even an
ampersand:

• 11. Motetti del frutto, I à 6. Venice: Antonio Gardano, 1539.

  RISM 15393. Copy at Verona, Academia Filarmonica.

  Landscape quarto: [C:] A-D4; [T:] E-H4; [B:] I-M4; [A:] N-Q4; [5:] R-V4;
  [6:] X-Z4 *4.

  Note. This is another case where the traditional order of signing books
  has been changed, in this instance with the Bassus signed earlier in
  the sequence than the Altus. In his first book of five-voiced Motetti
  del frutto, of 1538, Gardano signed the Bassus before the Tenor
  book.

If several gatherings were involved, a second alphabet of signatures
would become essential. Ideally (and normally during the sixteenth century),
this second alphabet would be distinguished from the first by some simple
typographical device (perhaps an asterisk following the letter), or, for example,
with the use of doubled letters:

• 12. Villani: V Psalmi à 8. Venice: Angelo Gardano, 1611.

  RISM V1554. Copy at Piacenza, Archivio e Biblioteca Capitolare.

  Quarto: Choir I: [C] A-D4; [T:] E-H4; [A:] I-M4; [B] N-Q4;

  Choir II: [C:] R-V4; [T:] X-Z4 Aa4; [A:] Bb-Ee4; [B:] Ef-Ii4.

This pattern of four gatherings per partbook, each with four folios in
portrait quarto, is surprisingly common, given the wide variety of styles that
were included in printed books. It is as if the printers and publishers felt
that 16 folios contained as much music (with title, table of contents, and
perhaps dedication) as the average purchaser was willing to pay for, or
perform. It is even to be found fairly frequently in music for two choirs:
apart from Examples 9 and 12, see also Lambardi's Psalmodia Vespertina II
of 1605 (printed by the Cenobio Santo Spirito in Venice) or Sorte's Vespertina
(Venice: Angelo Gardano, 1593), among many others.

The use of small gatherings, usually in quarto, would continue for
many years. But already before 1600, Vincenti was printing in longer gatherings,
and signing them as in the next examples:

• 13. F. Anerio: I Sacri Hymni à 8. Venice: Giacomo Vincenti, 1596.

  RISM A1080. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

  Quarto: Choir I: [C:] A12; [T:] B12; [A:] C12; [B:] D12;

  Choir II: [C:] E12; [T:] F12; [A:] G12; [B:] H12.

• 14. Sacra Corona. Motetti à 2-3. Venice: Francesco Magni, 1656.

  RISM 16561. Copy at Washington, Library of Congress.

  Quarto: [C1:] A40; [C2:] B42; [B:] C32; [Basso Continuo:] D32.

Such large gatherings could raise a problem for the print-shop: the house
foreman had to be able to cast off copy fairly accurately, so that a compositor
would be sure of the size of a gathering and sheets could be set and printed
without any fear of miscalculation. Sometimes, things did not quite work
out: the compositor might decide too soon that he had reached the midpoint
of the gathering, and start to complete the central formes. The result
could then be a need for a short additional gathering at the end of a part-book:

• 15. Bonetto: Mottecta à 1-12. Venice: Francesco Magni, 1662.

  RISM B3466. Copy at Wroclaw, Biblioteka Uniwersytecka.

  Quarto: [C1:] A64 2A4; [5:] E20 2E4; [Organo:] I48 K56; [etc.]

The first gathering of the Cantus is signed normally, from A2, with
arabic numerals. The second gathering is signed on the first sheet with the
phrase "A in fine" and on the second with "A2". After 32 folios, the compositor
was apparently confident that he was about at the middle of his
material, but on reaching the end, he found that there was a little more,

necessitating a supplementary gathering. A similar miscalculation marks all
the partbooks, and is reflected in the organ book, where the second gathering
has to be slightly larger than the first.[9]

• 16. Cazzati: Compieta e letanie à 4, Op. 7. Venice: Alessandro Vincenti, 1647.

  RISM C1585. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

  Quarto: [C:] A14 Aa2; [T:] B16; [A:] C14 Cc2; [B:] D16; [Basso Continuo:]
  H-I12.

In this book, it seems that the compositor for the Tenor book had learned
from the experience with the Cantus or Altus book.

Some editions appear to show a compromise solution, in which two
signature letters were allocated to each partbook: the second could act to
collect together whatever was left after the first had been set up and printed.
This probably explains the irregular structure of gatherings in the following
example:

• 17. Has alteras sacras cantiones. Rome: Lodovico Grignani, 1645.

  RISM 16452. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

  Quarto: [C:] A12 B16; [T:] C16 D14; [A:] E16; [B:] F12 G10; [Organum:]
  H-I12.

For some repertories, given the manner in which they were presented,
this may have been almost the only possible solution. The many "scores"
for solo madrigals and motets, and so on, printed in score layout in a single
book, provide an excellent example. The very diverse rhythmic structure of
these works, not to mention the presence of recitative sections, produced
different amounts of music to the page: as a result, it would be much more
difficult to cast off the music in advance. Only a very experienced musicprinting
shop could have divided such a book between equal gatherings, or
between two compositors. A second result, for long gatherings, is that we
can normally assume the presence of many more sorts in the case for a
music fount, whenever the musical text could not be cast off in advance.

Added Material

The following sequence is clearly different, for the conventional signs
do not follow on from the end of a complete sequence of 23 letters, but are
found in gatherings added at the end of each partbook:

• 18. Il primo libro de madrigali, a quatro voci. De diversi autori. A notte
  negre. Venice: Girolamo Scotto, 1558.

  RISM 155811. Copy at London, British Library.

  ---

  205

  
  
  

  Landscape quarto: [C:] A-E4 +2; [T:] F-K4 ++2; [B:] Q-V4 X2.

  Note. The Alto does not survive, but was surely signed L-P4 +++2.

The placing of the conventional Maltese crosses to sign an additional
bifolium at the end of each part is significant. The book was apparently
planned to have five gatherings in each part, and signatures were assigned
accordingly. Either Scotto miscalculated, and had to add pages at the end of
each part, or else the editor produced some additional music after printing
was well under way. But the book was set by "vertical setting", so that the
Tenor gathering F, the Alto L and the Bassus Q were prepared with the
Cantus A, and before any other gatherings. Thus is would not have been
possible, if adding another gathering at the end of each partbook, to sign it
with the next available letter; for example, the sixth Cantus gathering could
not have been signed with the letter F without causing potential confusion.
Even so, it is significant that the additional pages were not merely added to
the last lettered gathering of each book, to make six folios.[10] This suggests
that the change came late in the printing process, after much of the work on
the last lettered gatherings (E, K and P) had been completed, after the midpoint
of those gatherings. Given that the last pieces were additional to the
contents found in earlier editions, the late decision to include this new music
is the likely explanation.[11]

The same effect can be seen in Rinaldo da Montagnana's first book of
five-voiced motets (Gardano 1563), with a Maltese cross for the last gathering
of each part, although in other ways that is a normal gathering, with
four folios. Once again, it looks as though further pieces were added at a
late point in preparing the edition. The last four works, occupying six pages,
are for six voices, and the first three of them are by a different composer. It
seems reasonable to argue that someone other than the publisher was financially
responsible for the book, either paying for it directly, or undertaking
to take a large number of copies. This is the easiest explanation of the

willingness of the publisher to add a whole gathering to each partbook, with
the extra costs of labour and (especially) paper, late in the process.

A similar phenomenon occurs in Scotto's edition of the combined first
and second books of madrigals by Verdelot, published in 1540:

• 19. Di Verdelotto Tutti li madrigali del primo, et secondo libro a quatro
  Voci. Venice: Girolamo Scotto, 1540.

• RISM 1228=154020. Copy at Wolfenbüttel, Herzog-August-Bibliothek.

• Quarto: [C:] A-G4 H2; [T:] a-g4 h2; [A:] AA-GG4 HH2; [B:] aa-gg4 hh2.

Here again, we might assume that the short final gathering merely included
the few madrigals that were left over and to be included after the
completion of gathering G—especially since the edition represents a reprinting
of earlier books. But the evidence suggests otherwise: at the foot of G4v
in all partbooks is the word FINIS. Gathering H contains three additional
madrigals, attributed to Willaert, Verdelot and Barre, none of which had
appeared in earlier editions of either book.[12] Given that Scotto had printed a
five-voiced anthology in the same year, in which Willaert and his "discipulo"
Leonardo Barre were highly featured on the title-page and were first in the
contents,[13] it seems likely that one of these two composers (probably the
younger and less well-known Barre) requested the addition to the present
volume.

A more complex example of the same situation is the following edition,
which started out with partbooks planned to be three gatherings long.
Apparently a whole gathering of music was added at some stage. The printer
could well have chosen to sign the new gathering according to Example 18,
above. The solution actually adopted must have raised questions in the
minds of booksellers, binders or others faced with unbound sheets.

• 20. Metallo: Magnificat a quattro, & a cinque. Venice: Erede di Girolamo
  Scotto, 1603.

• RISM M2435. Copy at London, British Library.

• Quarto: [C:] A-D4; [T:] D-F4 Ff4; [A:] G-K4; [B:] K-M4 Mm4.

In this example, two different methods of coping with the problem of
pre-assigned signatures were used. Cantus and Altus merely employ the next
letter (even though that means a duplication of signatures D and K): Tenor
and Bassus use a duplication of the final letter (even though that was not
necessary for the Bassus). The implication is probably that two different
compositors were involved: there is evidence that, even as late as this volume,
compositors had some freedom in presentation, not merely of the verbal text
(as commonly elsewhere), but also of the musical notation. Therefore,
volumes with this sort of pattern should be examined for evidence of the

compositors reaching slightly different editorial decisions both in layout and
in details of musical notation.

An example such as the following might also suggest that two craftsmen
were involved; but further examination indicates clearly that there was a
change of plan before the book went on sale:

• 21. Massaino: Sacri modulorum Concentus à 8, 9-12 . . . Op. 31. Venice:
  Angelo Gardano, 1606.

• RISM M1285. Copy at Rome, Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia.

• Quarto:

         

  [C:] A-B4 C6 AA4 BB6	[C2:] N-O4 P6 NN4 OO6	[9:] Bd-Dd4
  [T:] D-E4 F6 DD4 EE6	[T2:] Q-R4 S6 QQ4 RR6	[10:] Ee-Ff4
  [A:] G-H6 I6 GG4 HH6	[A2:] T-V4 X6 TT4 VV6	[11:] Gg6
  [B:] K-L4 M6 KK4 LL6	[B2:] Y-Z4 Aa6 YY4 ZZ6	[12:] Hh6

I have arranged the parts in this tabular fashion, in order to highlight
several significant features. The most obvious is the use of the two sets of
signatures for each of the first eight partbooks, representing two four-voiced
choirs. The ordinary run of signatures for the opening gatherings of these
books reached into a second alphabet by the end of the second Bassus, with
the entirely conventional use of Aa. These gatherings carry a standard presentation
and signing for a book of eight-voiced motets, apparently intended
to be complete and self-contained. Folio Aalr has the word "finis" after the
signature: this reflects a common practice in Gardano's shop, indicating the
last gathering of a set of partbooks. In addition, an index of the preceding
pieces is found on folio 6r of each third gathering of these eight partbooks.
After the book was completed in this form, it was expanded to include
additional pieces scored for more than eight voices. The additional signatures
for these works in the first eight partbooks could not use the pattern
"Aa", which had been started in the second Bassus: that was more logically
used for the additional partbooks for voices 9-12. For the added gatherings
of the original partbooks, a new style had to be adopted, and one with
double capital letters, "AA", etc., was employed.[14]

Miscalculations

In many volumes (principally those not containing madrigals or other
secular vocal music), the various partbooks had to be of different sizes, to
contain music of differing complexity in the various parts. This would not
normally cause a problem in planning the signatures:

• 22. Portinaro: III Madregali à 5-6. Venice: Antonio Gardano, 1557.

• RISM P5226. Copy at Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek.

• Quarto: [C:] A-C4 D2; [T:] E-H4; [A:] I-M4; [B:] N-Q4; [5:] R-V4.

In this case, a compositor or his foreman realised that all partbooks
would need at least part of a fourth gathering, and planned accordingly. It
does not matter which voice-part he used to make the calculation, for all
would have yielded the same conclusion. Occasionally, however, the lengths
of the various parts might differ significantly. A competent compositor (or
house editor) could plan ahead, and assign signatures accordingly, before
work started:

• 23. Brumel: Misse. Venice: Ottaviano Petrucci, 1503.

• RISM B4643. Copy at Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek.

• Quarto: [S:] A-B8 C4; [T:] D10; [A:] E-F8 G4; [B:] H-I8.

• 24. Sabino: V Madrigali à 5-6. Venice: Giacomo Vincenti & Ricciardo Amadino,
  1586.

• RISM S50. Copy at Krakow, Biblioteta Jagielloʼnska.

• Quarto: [C:] A-C4; [T:] D-G4; [A:] H-K4; [B:] L-N4; [5:] O-Q4.

• Note. In the second example, Vincenti and Amadino placed the music
  for the Sexta Pars in the few pieces with six voices at the end of the
  Tenor book: they provided for this in the pattern of signatures, in
  which the Tenor was allocated an extra gathering and signature
  letter.

In some cases, the printer seems not to have been able to foresee this
need, and was faced, late in the process, with inserting an extra gathering at
the end of one or more of the partbooks:

• 25. Annibale Padovano: I Ricercari à 4. Venice: Antonio Gardano, 1556.

• RISM A1250. Copies at London, Royal College of Music, and Szombathely,
  Püpöski Könyvtár.

• Quarto: [C:] A-C4 *2; [T:] D-F4 +2; [A:] G-I4; [B:] K-N4.

Here, the original plan had evidently been to have three gatherings for
each partbook, though in fact three of the parts required more space, only
the Alto conforming to pattern. For the Basso, which was last in sequence,
there was no problem in assigning a signature: the additional fourth gathering
could be signed with the next letter in the alphabet. For the Canto and
Tenore, however, this would have resulted in duplicated letters, and conventional
signs were used instead.[15]

When an additional gathering had to be inserted in this manner, an
alternative method (and one perhaps of more use to the binder) was to use a
different form, or a double statement, of the immediately preceding signing
letter, as for the Altus of the following example:

• 26. Animuccia: I Madrigali à 4-6. Venice: Antonio Gardano, 1547.

• RISM A1421. Copy at Verona, Accademia Filarmonica.

• Quarto: [C:] A-E4; [T:] F-K4; [A:] L-P4 PP2; [B:] Q-V4; [5:] X-Z4.

This example does indeed look as though it represents a miscalculation
in the printing shop: but in many cases, we can not tell whether the signatures
indicate a change of plan (for example, involving the addition of more
compositions) or a miscalculation:

• 27. Lassus and others: I Missae à 4-5. Milan: Francesco & eredi di Simone
  Tini, 1588.

• RISM 15884. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

• Quarto: [C:] A-D4 e4; [T:] E-H4 i4; [A:] I-M4 n4; [B:] N-R4; [5:] S4.

• 28. Corfini: Il secondo libro de motetti. Venice: Alessandro Gardano, 1581.

• RISM C3932. Copy at Lucca, Seminario Arcivescovile.

• [C:] A-D4, 2D2; [T:] E-H4; [A:] I-M4, 2M2; [B:] N-Q4, 2Q2; [5:] R-V4, 2V4;
  [6:] X-Z4 AA-BB4.

• Signatures:] Aij [$2-1,1.[16] No signatures on title-pages. The first of each
  two-folio gathering signed in the pattern] D3

In both these cases, I suspect, there was a slip on the part of the printer,
who had apparently allocated four gatherings (and signature letters) to each
voice part. In the first case, he had discovered the problem before the Quinta
Pars was set, so that the Bassus could have a normal fifth signature. In the
second, it looks as though Gardano planned the book on the basis of the
Tenor part. All the other parts have an extra gathering, and all except the
Sesto employ a repeat signature.[17]

On occasion a section of music is omitted. This could occur because the
compositor made a simple mistake, perhaps a haplograph, or because the
imposition of the pages in the forme omitted one or two complete pages.
The latter seems to be the likely cause of the following:

• 29. Massaino: Concentus quinque vocum. Venice: Angelo Gardano, 1576.

• RISM M1266. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

• Quarto: [C:] A-D4 (C4 + 1).

The folio after C4 is a single leaf containing omitted material. The leaf
has a line reading:] Questa Carta Va posta drieto il numero 22 in Cantus.[18]

Unsigned Gatherings

Many music books, even as early as from the press of Ottaviano Petrucci,
used the same title-page for each part, with the minimal adjustment of
changing the part-name. This was eminently practical, saving not simply
the labour of setting up the type each time, but also the more time-consuming
work of centering each line, and arranging the whole into a standardised,
possibly pleasing ensemble. By early in the seventeenth century, this practice
was sometimes extended from a simple title-page to a complete bifolio, with
title on the first recto, and perhaps a dedication, a Letter to the Reader, or
a table of contents on the other three pages. Very frequently, these two
folios, which needed no change except for the part-name, could be printed
as a separate gathering. Then, this initial gathering need not be signed, so
that even the signature would not need to be changed.

• 30. Graziani: Hinni Vespertini, Op. 21. Rome: successori ai Mascardi, 1674.

• RISM G3690. Copy at Lucca, Seminario Arcivescovile.

• Quarto: [C1:] π2 A-E8; [C2:] π2 F-I8; [A:] π2 K-M8 N6; [T:] π2 O-R8; [B:]
  π2 S-V8; [Organo:] π2 X-Z8 &12.

In the next example, Muti's compositor allowed for the unsigned gatherings
of lower partbooks in his signing pattern:

• 31. Graziani: I Messe à 4-5, Op. 18. Rome: Giovanni Angelo Mutii, 1671.

• RISM G3685. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

• Quarto: [C1:] π2 A-D4 E6; [C2:] [F]2 G-H4 I6; [A:] [K]2 L-P4; [T:] [Q]2
  R-T4 V6; [B:] [X]2 Y-Z4 Aa-Bb4; [BC:] [Cc]2 Dd-Ff4 Gg6.

• Signatures: No signatures in any first gatherings, then $1-2, +E3, I3,
  V3, Gg3.

• 32. Istas Alias Sacras cantiones, ed. Sylvestris. Bologna: Ignatio de Lazzari,
  1664.

• RISM 16641. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

• [C:] π2 A-E4 F6; [T:] π2 a-e4; [A:] π2 1-3C4; [B:] π2 D4, 2D6; [Organo:] π2
  A-K4.

• Signatures: C,T,Org:] A2 [$1-2, + C:F3, B:D3. C:C2 signed E2; T:d2
  signed d.

---

211





• A:] C, C2; Ci, Cii; Cj, Cij.

• B:] D, D2; Di, Dij, Diij.

• Note. This book illustrates one situation where music in parts benefits
  from a slight modification to standard practice. The conventional
  pattern, for example $1-2, is fine for single books (such as choirbooks),
  and works well when all gatherings are of the same size, as
  in many examples above. If only one or two gatherings are anomalous,
  the pattern can still be followed with an entry such as "$1-2,
  +C3, F3", or as for this example. But there are many books, as in
  Example 2 above, where each partbook has the same pattern, of
  four-folio gatherings signed to folio 2, and a final six-folio gathering
  signed to 3: and there are others, such as Example 21, which
  include gatherings of two sizes. In these cases, the compositor normally
  signed the longer gatherings to folio 3. Then, it is simpler to
  use the formulation "$1-2, 1-3", with the implication that the different
  signing patterns correspond to the different gathering sizes.
  This is a valuable modification of Bowers' practice, not so much
  because his pattern causes problems in understanding what happened,
  but because this formulation makes clear that the signing
  patterns are completely straightforward and normal.

In this case, it is certain that two craftsmen were involved, and that
there was little contact between them. One man set the Cantus, Tenor and
Organ books, using the common pattern in which each partbook was signed
sequentially starting with A: it is interesting, too, that he seems to have
intended to use a different form of the letter for each book, in the manner
shown in Examples 34-36. As was customary, the Organ was signed as if
independent of the rest of the parts. The second man set the Altus and
Bassus according to the pattern I have just been describing, and assumed
(without checking) that Cantus and Tenor would be signed A and B respectively,
therefore beginning the Altus with the letter C.

The following book shows a common extension of this seventeenth-century
practice of an introductory gathering, one that implies a certain lavishness
in presentation and the use of white space, a lavishness often at odds
with the poor quality of type, paper, and workmanship.[19]

• 33. Cazzati: Salmi di Terza, Op. 53. Bologna: s.n., 1669.

• RISM C1654. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

• Quarto: nine partbooks, signed sequentially A-I.

• Note. In each partbook, a preliminary gathering of four folios is taken
  up with preliminary material, in the following manner: A1r, blank;
  A1v, blank; A2r, Half-title; A2v, blank; A3r Title; A3v, blank; A4r,
  Dedication; A4v blank.

This was obviously laid out so that it could be used in every partbook,
with only the part-name changed. Despite the extravagant use of paper, a
large number of seventeenth-century musical books seem to have had half-titles,
and quite a few also had a blank folio, preceding that or the title. In
many cases, of course, these blank folios have subsequently become lost, or
(more probably) used for some other purpose. Yet it is an aspect of describing
these books that we determine whether what looks like a fly-leaf was not
in fact a blank first folio of the book itself.

Diverse Styles in the Same Edition

Most of the above examples have started from what was by far the most
common pattern, that of a sequential alphabet, followed through all the
gatherings of each partbook. Among the possible alternatives, two were
frequently used: one involved using some form of conventional sign for
each book (as is to be found in the work of Susato, or of Sengenwald in
Jena);[20] the other involved different forms of the alphabetical sequence,
with each book starting with some form of "A":

• 34. Arcadelt: III Madrigali à 4. Venice: Girolamo Scotto, 1539.

  RISM A1374=153923. Copy at Venice, Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana.

  Quarto: [C:] A-F4; [T:] a-f 4; [A:] AA-FF4; [B:] aa-ff 4.

A number of other editions printed by Scotto in his early years follow
a similar practice. An interesting example can be found in his 1540 edition
of masses by Morales, Gombert and Jachet:[21]

• 35. Morales, Gombert and Jachet, Missae cum quatuor vocibus. Venice:
  Girolamo Scotto, 1540.

  RISM G2973=M3576=15404.

  Quarto: [C:] A1 B-F4; [T:] a1 b-f 4; [A:] AA1 BB-FF4; [B:] aa1 bb-ff 4.

  Note. Here, the first folio is separate from the rest of the book, and the
  foliation of each part runs [1] VII-XXVI. Evidently, as Bernstein
  argues, there was originally music for a six-folio first gathering,
  which was abandoned. It is reasonable to assume that the deleted
  music was by Morales and Gombert, who are poorly represented
  beside the three works of Jachet.[22]

This pattern of roman and italic letters was employed in Scotto's house
with fair consistency—and a number of exceptions—for two years, after
which a different pattern, in which the Cantus used lower-case letters in
italic or gothic characters (as in RISM G269=15434), was adopted alongside
it.

Other possibilities involved using a mix of roman and italic initials,
capitals and lower case letters, or capitals of different sizes in the same
signature:

• 36. Quattro Libri delle Villotte alla Napolitana à 3. Venice: Girolamo Scotto,
  1565.

  RISM 156511. Copy at Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek.

  Octavo: [C:] A-E 8; [T:] AA-EE8; [B:] AAa-EEe8.

• 37. Musica Spirituale I di canzon à 5. Venice: Girolamo Scotto, 1563.

  RISM 1563.7 Copies at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale;
  Valladolid, Cathedral; and Verona, Accademia Filarmonica.

  Quarto: [C:] A-C4 [using large capitals]; [T:] A-C4 [using small capitals];
  [A:] a-d 4; [B:] aa-cc 4; [5:] Aa-Cc4 Dd2.

Scotto was by no means the only printer to do this on a regular basis:
others did similar things, often simply increasing the number of initials from
one part to the next.

• 38. Cifra: V Motecta à 2-4, Op. 11. Rome: Giovanni Battista Robletti, 1612.

  RISM C2190. Copy at Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek.

  Quarto: [C1:] A-C4 D2; [C2:] Aa-Cc4 Dd2; [Bassus ad Organum:] Aaa-Bbb4.

  Note. Almost identical instances can be found in many other books from
  the same press, such as Bernardi's Motecta à 2-4—RISM B2043—of
  1610.)

• 39. Floridus Modulorum Hortus. Rome: Andrea Fei, 1647.

  RISM 16472. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

  Quarto: [C:] A-F4; [T:] aa-dd4; [A:] Aa-Ff4; [B:] aaa-ddd4 eee8; [Organum:]
  a-f4 g2.

• 40. Garulli: Modulationum à 5, Liber Primus. Venice: Girolamo Scotto, 1562.

  RISM G447. Copy at London, British Library.

  Quarto: [C:] A-B4 C2; [T:] Aa-Bb 4 Cc 2; [A:] Aaa-Bbb 4 Ccc 2; [B:] Aaaa-
  

  ---

  214

  
  
  
  Bbbb 4 Cccc 2; [5:] Aaaaa-Bbbbb 4 Ccccc 2. (Bassus A2 is signed aaaa 2;
  Quintus B1-2 are signed with Bbbb.)

Here is one place where the musical bibliographer needs to modify the
practices proposed by Bowers: his general recommendation is that, whenever
letters are doubled or tripled (AA or AAA), the bibliographer should
use the formulation 2A or 3A to indicate the pattern. Yet clearly such a
habit cannot distinguish between the signatures of the Tenor and Altus of
Example 39, or indicate the style of letters used in the volume of Villotte
(Example 36). To write "2a" in Example 37 may not raise the question of
whether one is referring to the Bassus or the Quintus, but to write "2A"
certainly does. It seems to me that there is no choice but to spell out all the
sequences as they appear in the book, and as I have done above. At the same
time, and for the same reason, the collation should normally distinguish
between signature letters in roman or italic or boldface, just as it does
between capitals and lower-case letters.

Similar patterns of change can occur in a single partbook, particularly
when each book was assigned only one letter:

• 41. Bandiera: Psalmi Vespertini. Rome: Giacomo Fei, 1663.

  RISM B851. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

  Quarto: [C:] A8 a4; [A:] B8 b4; [T:] C8 c4; [B:] D8 d4; [Organum:] E6 e2.

  Note. We can assume that the pattern of one signature per part was
  already settled before typesetting began. The subsequent need for
  more than one gathering to a part led to the use of a different
  form of the same letter for the final sheet. We cannot tell whether
  this need was the result of a miscalculation on the part of the printer,
  or of the addition of more material received from the composer.

Sometimes, the mix of letters and letter styles seems to be no more than
a product of caprice on the part of the typesetter:

• 42. Mazzocchi: Sacrae Concertationes. Rome: Giacomo Fei, 1664.

  RISM M1678. Copy at Lucca, Seminario Arcivescovile.

  Quarto:

           

  [C:] [A]4 B-F4	[II C/B:] π4 A-E4
  [T:] [A]4 B4 D4 E2 Ff4	[II A/T:] π4 A 4 B-D4
  [A:] [AA]4 BB4 Cc4 Dd 4 Ee4 Ff2	[B:] π4 A-B 4 C4
  [5:] A4 Aa4 Bb*4 C4 Cc*4 Dd2	[Organo 2:] π4 A 4 B-F4 G2
  [Organo 1:] [Aa]4 Bb4 CC-GG4 HH2

There is little else that can be done here, but list the signatures as they
actually appear. Not surprisingly, there are also errors in the signing of this
edition: for example, the second folio of gathering B of the Tenor has the
signature "Cc*2", presumably left in the forme after the Quintus was completed.

Deliberate Repetition

The need to distinguish the different forms of repeated letters is not the
only place where following Bowers' (now traditional) procedures produces
problems when handling partbooks. One of the simpler is where each
partbook has exactly the same form of signatures:

• 43. Jachet: I Motetti à 5 con la gionta. Venice: Antonio Gardano, iv.1540.

  RISM J7. Copy at Wolfenbüttel, Herzog-August-Bibliothek.

  Quarto: [C:] A-F4; [T:] A-F4; [A:] A-F4; [B:] A-F4; [5:] A-F4.

• 44. Velasco: Messa e Vesperi, Op. 3. Naples: Ottavio Beltrano, 1632.

  RISM V1105. Copy at Naples, Biblioteca Oratoriana dei Geroslamini.

  Quarto: [C:] A-C4; [T:] A-C4; [A:] A-C4; [B:] A-C4; [Partimento:] A-C4.

This pattern was also used when some of the parts were of different
lengths, sometimes (as in Example 46) reflecting the arrangement of increasing
scoring in volumes:

• 45. Motetti C. Venice: Ottaviano Petrucci, 15.ix.1504.

  RISM 15041. All copies.

  Quarto: [C:] A-D8; [T:] A-D8; [A:] A-C8 D10; [B:] A-D8.

• 46. Willaert: Musica Nova. Venice: Antonio Gardano, 1559.

  RISM W1126. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

  Quarto: [C:] A-P4; [T:] A-P4; [A:] A-P4; [B:] A-P4; [5:] A-M4; [6:] A-H4;
  [7:] A-C4.

• 47. Sacri Concerti overo motetti à 2-3. Bologna: Giacomo Monti, 1668.

  RISM 16682. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

  Quarto: [C1:] A-E4; [C2:] A-C4 D6; [B:] A-B4 C6; [Organo:] A-D4.

Clearly, in such cases, no reference can be adequately made to the content
or bibliography of an individual partbook without prefacing the citation
with the name or initial of the partbook involved. It is perhaps a nuisance,
though nothing more, to have to do this: but a form such as "C1:C2v" is not
particularly long-winded, is essentially clear and is still easy to read.[23]

I have already mentioned the (largely seventeenth-century) practice of
printing with large gatherings, one per partbook, and with one signature
assigned to each book. As with the earlier examples given here, this is often
very straightforward. But there are many instances where the principle of

using one letter per partbook clashed with a desire to print in separate quarto
gatherings. An amusing example of this clash between two operating principles
is the following:

• 48. Cazzati: Messa e salmi pre li defonti . . . Opera 31. Bologna: erede di
  Evangelista Dozza, 1663.

  RISM C1626. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

  Quarto: [C:] A-C4 D2; [A:] B-E4 F2; [T1:] C-F4 G2; [T2:] D-F4; [B:]
  E-H4; [Organo:] F-I4; [Violino 1:] G10; [Violino 2:] H10; Ripieno:
  [C:] I8; [A:] K8; [T1:] L8; [T2:] M8; [B:] N8; [Violine, o Tiorba:]
  O-R4.

Here, the original intention was apparently to assign one letter to each
partbook, in sequence from "A" to "O". However, any part that is over ten
folios in length was printed in separate quarto gatherings: these, the principal
vocal parts and the two continuo parts (Organo and Violone), were
then each signed in a traditional sequential pattern. As a result, there are,
for example, five gatherings signed with the letter "F". It may be that two
compositors were involved, one assigned to these parts, and the other to the
remainder. However, I suspect that further research on editions signed by
Dozza will reveal a reluctance to have long single gatherings.

More difficult to describe in a modern bibliography is the practice of
retaining the same initial for all the gaterings in a partbook, but numbering
the signed folios consecutively.[24] Given the practice of signing to the
mid-point of each gathering (in which the second half of a gathering was
not included in the count) the following signature pattern would be found
in a quarto book of 16 folios:

         

folio	1	2	3	4
gathering 1	—	A2	—	—
gathering 2	A3	A4	—	—
gathering 3	A5	A6	—	—
gathering 4	A7	A8	—	—

When the gatherings are not all of the same size, as often happens, the
patterns can seem even more complicated—although, in practice, they do
reveal the gathering structure very quickly:

• 49. Cazzati: Salmi di Terza, Op. 53. Bologna: s.n., 1669.

  RISM C1654. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

  Quarto: Canto primo choro: three gatherings, of 4, 4 and 8 folios:

  ---

  217

  
  
  
         

  folio	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
  gathering 1	—	A2	—	—
  gathering 2	A3	A4	—	—
  gathering 3	A5	A6	A7	A8	—	—	—	—

  Note. Other parts are signed sequentially, B-I in the same manner.

It is evident that the leaf signed "A3" in this example is not the third
folio of the first gathering, following A2, as one would normally expect:
similarly, "A4" would normally refer to the last folio of the same gathering,
whereas the printer has used it to designate the sixth folio of the book. In
effect, though, the printer's method is entirely logical, for "A4" represents
the fourth signed leaf, but it makes a mess of all modern practice of description.[25]

We have to distinguish these gatherings in the collation, and also to
indicate the manner of signing: one can not merely write A4 A4 A8, for there
is no way of distinguishing between the first two gatherings, and the presumption
would be that each carried a signature of "A2" on the second folio:
nor can one write A14 A34 A58, for this implies that the third gathering is
signed "A5" throughout,[26] and the other gatherings similarly.

I have already used the convention proposed by Bowers, following on
from McKerrow, in which preceding superscripts in the collational formula
indicate the repetition of a signing letter or sequence of letters.[27] For him,
a book could be described as A-Z4, 2A-Q4 (note the essential use of the comma),
indicating a series of 23 gatherings signed from A to Z, followed by 16 more
signed in an identical manner. For such a book, he proposed the shorthand
version A-2Q4. This notation presents certain drawbacks, more apparent in
music printing than elsewhere, for the implication is that all the signature
letters between A and the second Q are present, a total of 39 gatherings.
However, this is rare in musical editions. Let us suppose a music partbook of
four gatherings in quarto, all signed with A. To write A-4A4 would imply
three complete alphabets of letters, followed by a fourth appearance of the
signature A, a total of 70 gatherings. Similarly, to write A4 2A4 3A4 4A4 or
1-4A4 implies gatherings signed A, AA, AAA and AAAA. The musical bibliographer
would therefore have to describe the book as A4, 2A4, 3A4, 4A4; this

could be abbreviated to 1-4A4, even thought this does not indicate the actual
signing as clearly as traditional formulae do.

In cases of this sort, where this may be the most convenient formulation,
the signature pattern could then be shown in a normal manner. Cazzati's
book (Example 49) would be described as follows:

• 50. Cazzati: Salmi di Terza, Op. 53. Bolona: s.n., 1669.

  RISM C1654. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

  Quarto: Canto primo choro: 1-2A4, 3A8.

  Signatures:] A2 [$1-2, -1A1, + 3A3—4. Numbered sequentially through
  the gatherings, A2 signed A2; 2A1-2 signed A3 and A4; 3A1-4 signed
  A5-A8.[28]

This may seem clumsy, but it has an advantage over all other possibilities,
in being precise, and in allowing the bibliographer to understand how
the book was constructed (as well as signed).

In practice, musical bibliographers could perhaps adopt a short-hand,
using the phrase "numbered sequentially through the part" to indicate this
practice of numbering each gathering from where the previous one ended.
This would save us having to indicate in detail the numbering pattern in
many music books of the seventeenth century, an area of research which is
fortunately not yet cluttered with other solutions.

• 51. Monferrato: Messe . . . Op. 19. Venice: Giuseppe Sala, 1681.

  RISM M3051. Copy at Paris, Bibliothèque nationale.

  Quarto: [C:] π2 1-3A4, 4A6; [T:] π2 1-4A4, 5A6; [A:] π2 1-5A4; [B:] π2 1-5A4.

  Signatures:] A2 [$1-2, 1-3, including A1. Numbered sequentially through
  each partbook, from the second gathering.

This phrase "numbered sequentially through each partbook" would then
imply the pattern of signatures shown here:[29]

                         

Cantus:	folio	1	2	3	4	5	6
gathering 1		—	—
gathering 2		A1	A2	—	—
gathering 3		A3	A4	—	—
gathering 4		A5	A6	—	—
gathering 5		A7	A8	A9	—	—	—
Tenor:
gathering 1		—	—
gathering 2		A1	A2	—	—
gathering 3		A3	A4	—	—
gathering 4		A5	A6	—	—
gathering 5		A7	A8	—	—
gathering 6		A9	A10	A11	—	—	—

[and similarly for the other books].

The practice of repeating a signature letter throughout a book becomes
a widespread manner of printing partbooks during the seventeenth century,
and I have found examples in the work of Camagno, Rolla, Sala and Tradate,
among others. It seems to have been particularly employed by printers who
specialised in music for many parts. However, there were obviously likely to
be other occasions on which it was of use.

An interesting example concerns the Armonici Entusiasmi, Op. 9 of
G. B. Bassani, printed by Sala in 1690 (RISM B1186). Each part is signed in
this manner, but the choice of signatures suggests a lack of communication
between two craftsmen. The four parts of the solo choir are signed with A-D,
as are the four of the Ripieno choir: the two violin parts are signed with I
and K, and the Organ with M, evidently following a presumption that the
Ripieno would be signed with E-H. The Violone (which presumably should
have been signed with L) has G as its signature, perhaps assuming that the
two violin parts would be signed with E and F. Perhaps one craftsman set
solo A-D and I, K and M, while the other was responsible for the Ripieno
A-D and G.

There are rare instances in the sixteenth century, where a signature
letter is repeated as a result of a change of plan or a miscalculation,[30] and
the second gathering is signed according to the pattern of Examples 49-51.
The next two examples seem to me to be cases where material was added to
the volume during the process of printing. In the first, I do not believe that
Gardano, with over twenty years of experience, would have failed to recognise
a four-gathering collection, as opposed to a three-gathering one:

• 52. Nasco: Lamentationi a voce pari. Venice: Antonio Gardano, 1561.

  RISM N74. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

  [C:] A-C4, 2C4; [T:] D-F4, 2F4, *2; [A:] G-I4, 2I4, **2; [B:] K-M4, 2M4.

  Signatures:] Aij [$1-2 including *2 and **2 -all title-pages: gatherings
  with a repeated letter are signed with arabic numerals 3 and 4.

The signature patterns described by this are illustrated here with the
Tenor partbook:

           

gathering	folios:	1	2	3	4
D		—	Dij	—	—
E		E	Eij	—	—
F		F	Fij	—	—
2F		F3	F4	—	—
*		*	*2

• 53. I Musica de diversi auttori illustri à 7-12. Venice: Giacomo Vincenti and
  Ricciardo Amadino, 1584.

  RISM 15844. Copy at Verona, Accademia Filarmonica.

  Quarto:

  • Choir I: [C1:] A-B4, 1-3C4; [T1:] D-E4, 1-3F4; [A1:] G-H4, 1-3I4; [B1:]
    K-L4, 1-3M4;

  • Choir II: [T2:] Q-R4, 1-3S4; [B2:] T-V4, 1-3X4; [A2:] Y-Z4 Aa-Cc4.

  • Gatherings with repeated letters are signed sequentially.

  Note. Canto 2 is not extant, but was presumably signed N-O4 1-3P4.
  Signature pattern in Cantus I:

             

  gathering	folios:	1	2	3	4
  1		—	A2	—	—
  2		B	B2	—	—
  3		C	C2	—	—
  4		C3	C4	—	—
  5		C5	C6	—	—

I find it impossible to argue that the need to add two full gatherings of
music at the end of each partbook, after only three signed normally, was
the result of miscalculation. Instead, I assume that the music that begins at
the end of the third gathering was a later addition. This comprises works
for nine or more voices, while all the earlier pieces were composed for seven
or eight voices. The volume is entitled Libro Primo, although no volume 2
seems to have appeared. I suspect that volume 1 was originally intended to
contain only the pieces for seven or eight voices, and volume 2 would have
contained the larger scorings. At a late stage in the production of the
volume (after the signatures had been planned, the title-page printed, and
perhaps also several other gatherings finished), these were added to the
present book, possibly because there were not enough works to justify a
separate title. After all, the pieces for 9-12 voices take up only a little over
two gatherings.

One other feature of the book's production is interesting. For Choir 2,
the Alto is signed after the Basso. This allows the additional gatherings in
the Alto to be signed with continuing letters, rather than with repetitions
of the third letter of the book. (Much the same pattern can be found elsewhere,
in, for example, Falcidio's first book of masses—RISM F68, or Asola's
Missae tres—RISM A2505, both printed by Gardano's sons in 1570.)

This signing pattern can also be extended to longer gatherings, each
comprising more than one sheet of paper. The following example exactly
follows the pattern, although the results look even more bizarre:

• 54. Cozzi: Messa e Salmi, Corr. Op. 1. Milan: Carlo Camagno & Giorgio
  Rolla, 1649.

  RISM C4358. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

  [Parts:]

  • Quarto in eights: Choir I: [C:] 1-4A8; [A:] 1-4B8; [T:] 1-4C8; [B:] 1-4D8;

  • Choir II: [C:] 1-3A8, 4A6; [A:] 1-3B8, 4B6; [T:] 1-3C8, 4C6; [B:]
    1-3D8, 4D6.

  • Signatures:] A4 [$1-4, 1-3, —first two folios of each book. T1: 2C1r
    signed B5 [recte C5]; T1:4C1r signed B13 [recte C13].

  Signatures numbered sequentially through each part.

  Abbreviated titles on direction lines on 1r and 3r of every gathering
  except for title-pages.

  Pagination: [i-iii], 1-.

  [Partitura de Bassi per l'Organo:]

  • Folio: A-F8 G10.

  • Signatures:] A2 [$4 + G5, -A1 and A2.

  • Signature line on 1r and 3r: : -A1. + G5.

  The signatures in the Canto of Choir I read as follows:

           

  gathering	folios:	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
  1		—	—	A3	A4	—	—	—	—
  2		A5	A6	A7	A8	—	—	—	—
  3		A9	A10	A11	A12	—	—	—	—
  4		A13	A14	A15	A16	—	—	—	—

This manner of describing the signing patterns does make it more
clumsy to indicate errors: here, for the vocal parts it is necessary to show
not only the error and its position, but also the "correct" version, since that
will not always be immediately obvious to the reader.

Unfortunately, the emergence of two new features mentioned here—a
more lavish display of the title and dedication (involving a separate gathering
and sometimes blank pages), and the retention of the same signature
letter for a whole book—did not happen simply and cleanly. Thus there are
many books where the patterns are not consistent, or where we can see intermediate
stages in the process:

• 55. dal Pane: II Sagri Concerti à 2-5, Opera Terza. Rome: il Mascardi, 1675.

  RISM D825. Copy at Lucca, Seminario Arcivescovile.

  [C1:] A20; [C2:] B2, 2B16; [A:] C2, 2C12; [B:] D2, 2D12; [Organo:] E2,
  2E8 F8 G12.

The first two folios in all partbooks carry the same material: title-page, a
blank page, a dedication, and a letter A chi vorrà servirsi deli presenti concerti,
all of which could be left standing for each book, with the simple
change of the part-name on the first recto. All voices except Canto Primo
have a short first gathering, merely a bifolio, to carry this material: all also
follow the modified signing pattern that I have been describing above, with
the exception of a single error in Canto Secondo. The Canto Primo presents
all the material in one gathering, but signs the folios as if in two gatherings,
and following a more traditional pattern of beginning each from 1:

                   

[C1:]	A, -, A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, [10 unsigned]
[C2:]	B, -;
	B3, B3 [recte B4], B5, B6, B7, B8, B9, B10, [8 unsigned]
[A:]	C, -;
	C3, C4, C5, C6, C7, C8, [6 unsigned]
[B:]	D, -;
	D3, D4, D5, D6, D7, D8, [6 unsigned]
[Organo:]	E, -;
	E3, E4, E5, E6 [4 unsigned]
	[F and G signed normally]

The following is a more complex illustration of the same point, one in
which we can safely assert that two craftsmen were involved, one preparing
only five partbooks, and the second preparing the other eight. I have arranged
the parts to highlight the pattern:

• 56. Bassano: Messe Concertati, Op. 18. Bologna: Marino Silvani, 1698.

  RISM B1209. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bobliografico Musicale.

                         

  Quarto:	[C1:] A2, 2A4 B-E4	[C2:] A-F4;
  	[T:] A2, 2A4 B-D4 E6	[B:] A-E4 F6;
  	[A:] A2, 2A4 B-E4 F6
  Ripieno:	[C1:] A2, 2A4 B6	[T:] A-D4;
  	[C2:] A2, 2A4 B6	[A:] A-D4;
  		[B:] A-D4;
  		[Violino 1:] A-F4;
  		[Violino 2:] A-E4 F2;
  		[Organo:] A-G4 H6.
  Signatures:	[A 2 [$1-2, 1-3. -all title-pages, and F2 of Violino Secondo.
  Pagination:	all in the first column: [i-iv], 1-
  	all in the second column: [1-2], 3-

There is no easy way to describe the signature patterns of the first of
these two examples or to lay out the collational patterns of the second. Yet
the details are important, and not only for the bibliographer and printing
historian. The musical scholar is given clear evidence of exactly those details

of presentation which (in manuscript study) are frequently indicative of
differences in presentation or indeed content.

Continuo Parts

With the emergence of basso continuo, the continuo part was often
signed last in sequence, as in Examples 9 and 10. (In this context, the
placing of the organ in the sequence of signatures in Example 8 is of interest.)
However, increasingly, it would be signed from A, independently of
the signing of the partbooks, as in Example 54, or the following:

• 57. Zuchino: I Motectorum et Missarum à 4-5. Venice: Giacomo Vincenti,
  1609.

  RISM Z361. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

  Quarto: [C:] A20; [T:] B20; [A:] C20; [B:] D20; [5:] E10; [Organo:] A18.

• 58. Cifra: Motetti et Psalmi à 8. Venice: Bartolomeo Magni, 1629.

  RISM C2209. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

  Quarto: Choir I: [C:] A22; [T:] B18; [A:] C20; [B:] D18;

  Choir II: [C:] E14; [T:] F16; [A:] G18; [B:] H14;

  [Partimento:] A-D4 E6.

Sometimes this is simple to handle, for the book can be included in a
general description, using the processes employed above: entries such as
"A:C2v" or "Part:C2v" are enough to indicate which page is intended. But
there are many cases where the Continuo book not only is signed with letters
used elsewhere, but is also different in other ways. Perhaps it is in folio
while the other parts are in quarto; perhaps it has a different treatment of
the direction line; probably it has a different style of pagination; certainly
it is likely to use a different manner of treating the textual incipits, the
dedication, the attributions, details of scoring, and so on. Here is an example:

• 59. G. Belli: Salmi à 5, Op. 20. Venice: Ricciardo Amadino, 1610.

  RISM B1735. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

  [Parts:]

  • Quarto: [C:] A14; [T:] B14; [A:] C14; [B:] D14; [5:] E14.

  • Signatures:] E2 [$1-7, -A1. D7 signed C7.

  • Abbreviated titles on direction lines: 3r, 5r, 7r of each gathering.

  • Pagination:] [i-ii], 1-25, [26].

  • Music begins on 2r of each part.

  [Parte per l'Organo:]

  • Folio: A-H2

  • Signatures:] C [$1, -A1. B1 signed A2.

  • No text on direction lines.

  • Pagination:] [i], 1-30, [31].

  • Music begins on A1v.

There are enough differences in treatment that the organ part needs to
be listed and discussed separately. The next example is slightly more complicated,
though in fact more typical of many volumes from the seventeenth
century:

• 60. Giacobbi: Litanei e motetti. Venice: Bartolomeo Magni, 1618.

  RISM 16187. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

  [Parts:]

  • Quarto: Choir I: [C:] A10 Aa2; [T:] B10 Bb2; [A:] C10 Cc2; [B:] D10
    Dd2;

    Choir II: [C:] E10 Ee2; [T:] F8; [A:] G10 Gg2; [B:] H10.

  • Signatures:] $1-5, 1, -F5.

  • Abbreviated titles on direction lines on all folios 3r, and 5r of the
    gatherings in 10.

  • Pagination:] [i-ii], 1-.

  [Per l'Organo:]

  • Folio: I8.

  • Signatures:] $1-4. -A1.

  • Abbreviated title on direction lines on all signed folios.

  • Pagination:] [1], 3, 3, 4-.

  Note. This example is also interesting for suggesting that there was
  some miscalculation in the setting of the vocal parts. A gathering
  of 10 folios, such as the main gathering A of the Cantus,
  implies that 2½ sheets of paper were used. The remaining half
  sheet was used in the small gatherings, such as Aa of the Cantus.
  This may not waste paper, but it is clearly wasteful of effort.

A similar pattern of change can occur between vocal and instrumental
parts. I have already cited Cazzati's Messa e Salmi per li defonti . . . Op. 31
(Example 48) for its unusual pattern of signatures. But is also relevant
here. While the principal voices and the continuo parts were all printed
with normal quarto gatherings, the ripieno voice and instrumental parts
were each printed in one large gathering—still in quarto format, but with
more sheets to the gathering. This may be another example of work being
divided between craftsmen: it is likely though that the simpler nature of the
ripieno and instrumental part-writing allowed a house foreman to cast off
copy more accurately.

Many of Cazzati's editions from Bolognese presses (not least those where
no printer is named) contain bibliographical anomalies of one sort or another.
While some may reflect differing patterns of behaviour within the
printing shops, others suggest that Cazzati's music was not always provided
in a straightforward or timely manner, resulting in changes and problems in
planning the printing of the edition. This lends some credence to the idea
that Cazzati was himself sponsoring many of these editions, and arranging for
their printing.

Anomalous Signings

While several gatherings can have the same signature, the reverse can
also happen, or at least appear to happen, with two sets of signatures in one
gathering. One example, not very confusing, has already been mentioned,
with the signing of the Cantus Primus in Example 55. A very similar pattern
appears in another Roman edition:

• 61. Alias Cantiones sacras à 3, ed. Sylvestris. Rome: Michele Cortellini, 1655.

  RISM 16551. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

  [A:] a20; [T:] b20; [B:] c20; [Organum:] d20.

  Signatures: the same pattern in all books:] —, a2, A, A2, A3-A8, [10
  unsigned folios].

Given the signatures, one would expect the book to be constructed as a2
A18. However, it is clearly one continuous gathering of ten bifolios. There
are few plausible reasons why a single gathering should follow this pattern.
One, and the best, may be simply that the first bifolium, containing only
preliminary matter, was originally to have been a free-standing bifolium.
In this case, it may have been incorporated into the gathering so that it
could be conjugate with added folios at the back. This is to some extent
supported by the contents as listed at the end of the volume. After fourteen
compositions ascribed to various Roman composers, which end on the verso
of folio 18, there is added a setting of Quem vidistis pastores, which is ascribed
as a Melos Rusticum. If Sylvestris had wanted to end with the previous
piece, the printer would have been left with no room for a table of contents.
It seems possible therefore that the original preliminary bifolium was
converted at this stage into four folios, wrapped around the rest, initially
to contain the table. As a result, Sylvestris added one more piece, this one
anomalous in that it is not collected Ab Excellentissimis Musices Auctoribus,
as the title-page says (with headlines naming the composers), but is anonymous.

There are other problems with signatures and signing patterns, not all
of them related to the collation. It is notable how many of the following
instances, and also how many of the earlier problem cases, come from
printers working in Rome.

Some printers signed each sheet, rather than each folio, in the first half
of each gathering. In these cases, the gathering structure, and hence the
collation is likely to be straightforward:

• 62. Cifra: VI Madrigali à 5. Rome: Luc' Antonio Soldi, 1623.

  RISM C2225. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

  Quarto: [C1:] A12; [C2:] B12; [A:] C14; [T:] D12; [B:] E10; [Basso per
  L'Istromenti:] F8.

     

  ---

  226

  
  
  
           

  Gatherings	Signatures
  [C1:]	—	A1	A2	—	A3	—	[6 unsigned folios]
  [C2:]	—	B2	B3	B3	B4	B5		[6 unsigned folios]
  [A:]	—	C2	C2	—	C3	—	C4	[7 unsigned folios]
  [T:]	—	—	D2	—	D3	—		[6 unsigned folios]
  [B:]	—	E2	E2	—	E2			[5 unsigned folios]
  [Basso (Continuo):]	—	F1	F2	F2				[4 unsigned folios]

Here, the plan was apparently to sign each partbook with the same
letter, and number each sheet consecutively. This pattern was not followed
very successfully although the intention is clear. The only completely systematic
part is the Canto Primo: the Tenore and the Continuo books are
correct, although the actual signing is anomalous, while the other three
books contain errors. The evidence is as if the compositor was more used to
signing folios and kept forgetting that he had been instructed to sign each
sheet only once.

If this example showed signing by sheets with the same signature letter
in each gathering, another Roman, Paolo Masotti, could occasionally sign
by the sheet, and give each sheet a different letter, even when two or more
were in the same gathering:

• 63. Arcadelt: Madrigali a quattro . . . corretto . . . Da Claudio Monteverde.
  Rome: Paolo Masotti, 1627.

  RISM A1362 = 16277. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

  Quarto: Canto: [I]16; Alto: [II]16; Tenore: [III]16; Basso: [IV]16.

  Signatures:

           

  folios:	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
  Canto	—	A2	B	B2	C	C2	D	D2	[8 unsigned folios]
  Alto	—	E2	F	F[2]	G	G2	H	H2	[8 unsigned folios]
  Tenore	—	J2	K	K2	L	L2	M	M2	[8 unsigned folios]
  Basso	—	N2	O	O2	P	P2	Q	Q2	[8 unsigned folios]

There are problems here with creating a collational formula, and also
with referring to individual folios. The collation probably has to be written
with editorial symbols for each gathering (as I have done). It would not be
possible to describe the Canto as A-D16, for that would imply four large
gatherings. The only viable alternative is to call the Canto A16 (signed A-D),
the Tenor E16 (signed E-H), etc., which is itself clumsy. It seems clearer to
give a separate list of signings and as simple as possible a collation line,
using editorial collational signs (here roman numerals).

In the same way, there is no easy way to use the signature letters to refer
to individual folios: the fourth folio is part of the sheet B (B2), and so are
the thirteenth and fourteenth (which are actually B3 and B4), while the
fifteenth is part of A (A3)! Again, the editorial signing (the roman numerals)
allows one to cite folios correctly, with or without adding the signatures found
on the page. In effect the book is best treated as though it were unsigned.

Books like this provide an exception to my suggestion (presented below)
that signatures, rather than pagination, should normally be used for citation.
Fortunately, it is also one where the pagination is correct throughout.

Faulty Signings

Frequently a printer did not sign a folio or two which would normally
have been signed. In most cases, especially when the title-page is involved,
he allowed for it in his numbering system, for this was important for his
own methodology as much as for the binder. Then, the modern scholar can
assign the number editorially, in the customary manner. Sometimes, however,
the folio is not allowed for in the sequence of numbers, and here one
has to examine the source more carefully.

• 64. Cazzati: Il terzo libro de motetti a voce sola . . . Opera Decima terza.
  Venice: Alessandro Vincenti, 1651.

  RISM C1594. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.[31]

  One volume in portrait quarto: A-C16.

  Signatures:] A 2 [$1-8, -A1, A2. A3-8 are signed A2-A7.

A1r contains a title, A1v is blank, A2r contains the dedication, and the
music begins on A2v. There are several possible explanations for this signing
pattern. One is that the printer originally intended the first bifolio to be
separate, but found that he had more music than would fit into the resulting
smaller volume. The first bifolio was then converted into two bifolios
wrapped around the rest of the book.[32] An alternative, and more probable,
suggestion is that the music was always intended to start on A1v, so that the
present folio signed A2 would indeed be the second of the book. The decision
to insert the Dedicatory folio would then have been made after typesetting
began, but presumably before reaching the 8th folio of music.

Fairly often, however, the "extra" folio is not matched by a conjugate
in the other half of the gathering, and is truly surplus. This folio may then
have been tipped in:

• 65. Donati: Il secondo libro delle messe da capella . . . Op. 12. Venice: Alessandro
  Vincenti, 1633.

  RISM D3400. Copy at Milan, Capitolo Metropolitano.

  Quarto: [C:] A26 (A1 +1); [T:] B26 (B1 +1); [A:] C26 Cc2; [B:] D24; [5:]
  E12; [BC:] F20.

  Note. The inserted folios after the first in the Cantus and Tenor carry
  the list of names of all the dedicatees. It is not clear whether the
  other partbooks also originally contained this tipped-in leaf.

There is another possible solution, especially during the seventeenth
century. When the unsigned, extra sheet is a title-page or a half-title, one
should suspect the loss of a blank first leaf: the original may have followed
the pattern of Example 33, above.

More extreme is the practice of publishing a title without any signatures
at all. For books like this, Bowers[33] argues for the use of a greek pi or chi
for all unsigned gatherings: and I have used pi regularly in earlier examples.
Normally, of course, he is assuming that the unsigned gatherings are part of
a book which also contains signatures. There are cases, however, such as
the following, where each partbook is completely unsigned. It seems more
sensible to assign editorial collational signatures, using either letters or
roman numerals within brackets:

• 66. Capello: Lamentationi, Benedictus . . . Op. 3. Verona: Angelo Tamo,
  1612.

  RISM C903. Copy at Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale.

  Quarto: Choir I: C, [I]6; T, [II]6; A, [III]6; B, [IV]6. Choir II: Violetta,
  [V]4; Viola, [VI]4; Viola [2], [VII]4; Violone, [VIII]4. Choir III:
  Chitaroni, [IX]4.

  Folio: Partitura: [X]6 [XI]8.

This also avoids a further complication in formulation if Bowers' formulae
were followed: the Continuo part would have been described as π6 π8.
While Bowers suggests the use of arabic numerals for sequential unsigned
gatherings, this seems unsatisfactory for music editions, where arabic numerals
are on occasion used for the signatures themselves.

Finally, all printers may at times make errors or produce structures and
signing patterns which are certainly erroneous. In some cases, the signatures
are clearly correctable, and probably indicate something of the procedures
in the printing shop.

The book of Messa e Salmi, Corr. Op. 1 by Cozzi published in 1649
(Example 54) has a clear indication that the Tenor book was prepared after
the Altus: two folios in the Tenor book, C5 and C13 (that is, at the beginning
of the 2nd and 4th gatherings) are actually signed B5 and B13. In the

case of Has quatuor missas (Example 8), there are three wrong signings in
gathering B, the Altus book: the three folios B3-5 are all signed with the
letter A, and corrected in manuscript (in the same hand) in both the Bologna
and Lucca copies. This must surely imply that these two sheets were prepared
after those of the Cantus part, and presumably placed in the same
formes. In the same way, the first three folios of the Bassus of the Quatto
Libri delle Villotte (Example 26) are signed with the signature from the
Tenor book. There is a surprisingly large number of such errors, many of
which are most easily explained as representing the retention of a signature
in a forme during the insertion of material from a different gathering.

However, we can not make this assumption as a matter of course. There
are occasions when it raises impossible solutions:

• 67. Bianchi: Motetti e Messe à 8. Venice: Ricciardo Amadino, 1611.

  RISM B2497. Copy at Lucca, Seminario Arcivescovile.

  Quarto: Choir I: [C:] A12; [T:] B12; [A:] C12; [B:] D12;
  Choir II: [C:] E12; [T:] F12; [A:] G12; [B:] H12; [Basso Continuo:]
  I12.

  Signing errors: C5 signed E5 (corrected in ms.), C6 signed E5; D6 signed
  G6; E5 and 6 signed B5 and B6; F5 and 6 signed D5 and D6; G5 and
  6 signed F5 and F6.

It is wishful thinking to propose a sequence of preparing the partbooks
on the assumption that so many signatures were erroneously retained in the
forme. Such an interpretation suggests that gathering B was prepared before
E, and that before C; also that gathering D was earlier than F, itself earlier
than G. But then G appears to be earlier than D, and both propositions are
clearly not tenable.

• 68. Bernardi: II Madrigaletti à 2-3, Op. 12. Venice: Alessandro Vincenti,
  1621.

  RISM B2069. Copy at Vienna: Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek.

  Quarto: [C1:] A18; [C2:] B18; [B:] C4; [Basso Continuo:] D16.

  Note. The signatures on A9 and B9 are exchanged, though the music
  continues correctly.

This seems a relatively simple error: the most likely explanation is that
the two half-sheets (A9-10 and B9-10) were set up in the same forme. Indeed
most signing errors seem to be explicable through an understanding of
printing-house procedures. But there are some printers, among them Soldi,
who seem more prone to nonsensical patterns:

• 69. Tarditi: Psalmi Magnificat à 8, Lib. II. Rome: Luc' Antonio Soldi, 1620.

  RISM T225. Copy at Piacenza, Biblioteca e Archivio Capitolare.

  ---

  230

  
  
  
                 

  Choir I:	Choir II:
  [C:] A-E4	[C:] H-I4 L-M4 N2
  [A not extant]	[A:] O4R4
  [T:] H-L4 M2 O2	[T:] S-V4 R4
  [B:] O-R4 S2	[B:] Aa-Cc4 D4
  [Violino:] Ff6	[Cornetto:] Ee6
  [Liuto:] Gg6	[Tiorba 1:] Ll6
  	[Bassus ad Organum:] MM-Qq4.

  Note. There are numerous signing problems:

  • I, Violino: signed] Ee, Ff, Ff2, [3 unsigned]

  • II, C: I2 is signed K2

  • II, T: S2 is signed O2

  • II, B: D1 is unsigned

  • II, Cornetto:] Ll, [2 unsigned], Ee, Ee2, [1 unsigned].