Parvus undercover: 16th-century musical fragments in the Fondo Cappella Sistina

Abstract In 1983, during the restoration of the manuscript Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Cappella Sistina 155, 26 leaves of notated music were uncovered within the binding’s boards. Additionally, the spine contained other non-musical paper fragments, valuable for dating the now-lost original binding. These findings, overlooked for decades, came to light during the authors’ recent efforts to complete a catalogue of the music manuscripts of the Fondo Cappella Sistina. This article examines the fragments through a dual lens, integrating codicological and palaeographical analysis with a study of their musical content. The codicological and palaeographical examination reveals that, while the majority of the leaves were copied by Johannes Parvus, the principal scribe of the Cappella Sistina during the mid-16th century, one work appears to be in the hand of Galeazzo Ercolano, previously associated primarily with chant manuscripts. This discovery challenges assumptions about Ercolano’s role and suggests more diverse scribal activity within the Cappella Sistina. The musical repertory preserved in these fragments includes portions of liturgical polyphony—Magnificats, hymns and antiphons—representing both complete works and compositions abandoned mid-copying. A detailed transcription and analysis of two pieces reveal their status as unique in the 16th-century repertory, offering new insights into the polyphonic practices of the period. The fragments provide a rare window into Parvus’s workshop, illuminating the processes of selection, copying and musical (re)production within the Cappella Sistina.