University of Virginia Library

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.