Cantum Pulcriorem Invenire
Monday, February 6, 2017
The RISM online catalog has only a few pieces that dip into the Medieval period, but some of our users might be interested in the Cantum Pulcriorem Invenire (CPI-I) database of 12th- and 13th-century conductus, from the University of Southampton.
CPI-I focuses on the poetry of this kind of song. Since text is front and center, there are a variety of ways to search it, including by form, number of stanzas, lines per stanza, language, poet, and the stanza rhyme structure. Musical aspects can be searched too, such as composer, notation, and format.
In total there are 37 fields to search, and the database offers an innovative way to customize your search: 5 fields are offered as a default, but any of the remaining 32 columns may be added by simply clicking on the one you want and dragging next to the others. All options are then listed, offering a convenient way to browse.
Links to RISM B/IV, Manuscripts of Polyphonic Music, are included insofar that they are available through DIAMM.
CPI-I lists 956 poems, all of which are available full text and can be searched. In total, 866 of the poems have musical settings, taken from 565 manuscript and printed sources.
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