Lamentations (1556) notes on the transcriptions

Source for the Premier livre

Our sole source for the Premier livre of 1556 is a tenor part-book preserved at the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, Fonds Rothschild, VI. 3bis 75.  The fourth page (4recto and 4 verso) has at some time been ripped out of this volume, and the existense of the two pieces on these pages is known only from the index on page 16verso.  The information contained in the index does not wholly conform with what is actually found in the volume: LMN 311 “Pour certain” listed page 6 is actually on 5verso;  LMN321 “Loué soit Dieu” listed page 11 is on 15verso; LMN 322 “Honneur, vertu” listed page 12 is on page 16; and LMN327 “Tout honneur” listed page 16 is on page 12.  In addition, the second page of LMN326 “Mon Dieu, mon roy” does not follow the first page which is printed on 15recto, but instead appears on page 11recto.

Order of the pieces in the Premier livre

The Premier livre contains (1) a piece (LMN306 “Christ est il mort”) which introduces the Lamentation settings; (2) five Lamentation settings (LMN 307-LMN311) each (presumably) with their own music; (3) two Lamentation settings (LMN312 and LMN313) which use the same music; (4) three more Lamentation settings (LMN314, LMN315 and LMN316) which share a musical setting, two of which (LMN315 and LMN316) are labelled “trio”; (5) and finally, eleven chansons spirituelles (LMN317-327) each with an independent musical setting.

Clefs in the Premier livre

LMN307, LMN310-317 are scored C1; LMN306, 318,321 and 323 are scored C3; LMN 319, 320, 322, 324, 325 and 327 are scored C4.

LMN 318 “Au moins mon Dieu”

LMN 318 “Au moins mon Dieu”  is taken from Le premier livre des chansons spirituelles…B. Rigaud, Lyon (RISM 1568-9) preserved in the Bibliotheque Municipale, Reims, Res P 1572.  It is scored:  superius G2, contrat C2, tenor C3, bassus F3.

LMN 327 “Tout honneur”

The contratenor for LMN 327 “Tout honneur”  is found in the Second livre de cantiques et chansons spirituelles…P. Haultin, La Rochelle (RISM 1578-4) preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, Mus. Sch. D261.  The contratenor is scored at C3.