Caius Choirbook

The Caius Choirbook is an illuminated choirbook dating from around 1520 by Edward Hygons, and containing music by Tudor-period composers. It is believed to have been copied by the same scribe who copied the Lambeth Choirbook. It is one of very few English choirbooks to survive the early Tudor period (see also the Eton Choirbook).

The Caius Choirbook is in large folio format, which allows a choir of quite some size to gather around the book and all read from it. The different voice parts are divided over two facing pages. It is now housed at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.

The Caius Choirbook contains works by Robert Fayrfax and Nicholas Ludford, who account for most of the works in this collection. The book also includes a work by William Cornysh. There is also a Magnificat by Edmund Turges believed to be different from the three lost Magnificats by Turges which were listed in the Eton Choirbook. Other composers include Henry Prentyce (also known as Prentes), and a Mass by William Pashe.

Publication date and place: 1520 by Edward Hygons. – Manuscript

Contents

N°	Fol.	Work	Movement	Composer	Comments
1	2–5	Missa O bone Jesu	Gloria I	Robert Fayrfax
2	6–9	Missa O bone Jesu	Credo I	Robert Fayrfax
3	10–11	Missa O bone Jesu	Credo II	Robert Fayrfax
4	12–13	Missa O bone Jesu	Benedictus I	Robert Fayrfax
5	14–17	Missa O bone Jesu	Agnus dei I	Robert Fayrfax
6	18–21	Missa Christi virgo dilectissima	Gloria II	Nicholas Ludford
7	22–25	Missa Christi virgo dilectissima	Credo II	Nicholas Ludford
8	26–27	Missa Christi virgo dilectissima	Sanctus II	Nicholas Ludford
9	28–29	Missa Christi virgo dilectissima	Benedictus II	Nicholas Ludford
10	30–31	Missa Christi virgo dilectissima	Agnus dei II	Nicholas Ludford
11	32–35	Missa Videte miraculum	Gloria III	Nicholas Ludford
12	36–39	Missa Videte miraculum	Credo III	Nicholas Ludford
13	40–41	Missa Videte miraculum	Sanctus III	Nicholas Ludford
14	42–43	Missa Videte miraculum	Benedictus III	Nicholas Ludford
15	44–47	Missa Videte miraculum	Agnus dei III	Nicholas Ludford
16	48–51	Missa Benedicta et venerabilis	Gloria IV	Nicholas Ludford
17	52–55	Missa Benedicta et venerabilis	Credo IV	Nicholas Ludford
18	56–57	Missa Benedicta et venerabilis	Sanctus IV	Nicholas Ludford
19	58–59	Missa Benedicta et venerabilis	Benedictus IV	Nicholas Ludford
20	60–63	Missa Benedicta et venerabilis	Agnus dei IV	Nicholas Ludford
21	64–67	Missa Regali ex progenie	Gloria II	Robert Fayrfax
22	68–71	Missa Regali ex progenie	Credo III	Robert Fayrfax
23	72–73	Missa Regali ex progenie	Sanctus I	Robert Fayrfax
24	74–75	Missa Regali ex progenie	Benedictus II	Robert Fayrfax
25	76–79	Missa Regali ex progenie	Agnus dei II	Robert Fayrfax
26	80–83	Missa Lapidaverunt Stephanum	Gloria I	Nicholas Ludford
27	84–87	Missa Lapidaverunt Stephanum	Credo I	Nicholas Ludford
28	88–89	Missa Lapidaverunt Stephanum	Sanctus I	Nicholas Ludford
29	90–91	Missa Lapidaverunt Stephanum	Benedictus I	Nicholas Ludford
30	92–95	Missa Lapidaverunt Stephanum	Agnus dei I	Nicholas Ludford
31	96–99	Missa O quam glorifica	Gloria III	Robert Fayrfax
32	100–103	Missa O quam glorifica	Credo IV	Robert Fayrfax
33	104–105	Missa O quam glorifica	Sanctus II	Robert Fayrfax
34	106–107	Missa O quam glorifica	Benedictus III	Robert Fayrfax
35	108–111	Missa O quam glorifica	Agnus dei III	Robert Fayrfax
36	112–117	Magnificat octavi toni	Et exultavit	William Cornysh	K.710
37	118–121	Magnificat regale		Robert Fayrfax
38	122–129	Magnificat septimi toni	Et exultavit	Edmund Turges	K.1114
39	130–135	Magnificat octavi toni	Et exultavit	Henry Prentyce
40	136–141	Magnificat benedicta et venerabilis		Nicholas Ludford
41	142–145	Missa Tecum principium	Gloria IV	Robert Fayrfax
42	146–149	Missa Tecum principium	Credo V	Robert Fayrfax
43	150–151	Missa Tecum principium	Sanctus III	Robert Fayrfax
44	152–153	Missa Tecum principium	Benedictus IV	Robert Fayrfax
45	154–157	Missa Tecum principium	Agnus dei IV	Robert Fayrfax
46	158–161	Missa Christus resurgens	Gloria	William Pashe
47	162–165	Missa Christus resurgens	Credo	William Pashe
48	166–167	Missa Christus resurgens	Sanctus	William Pashe
49	168–169	Missa Christus resurgens	Benedictus	William Pashe
50	170–173	Missa Christus resurgens	Agnus	William Pashe
51	174–177	Missa Albanus	Gloria V	Robert Fayrfax
52	178–181	Missa Albanus	Credo VI	Robert Fayrfax
53	182–183	Missa Albanus	Sanctus IV	Robert Fayrfax
54	184–185	Missa Albanus	Benedictus V	Robert Fayrfax
55	186–189	Missa Albanus	Agnus dei V	Robert Fayrfax

Works at CPDL

Title	Composer	Genre	Subgenre	Year	Vo.	Voices
Magnificat	William Cornysh	Sacred	Evening Canticles	1520	5	SATBB
Magnificat benedicta et venerabilis	Nicholas Ludford	Sacred	Evening Canticles	1520	6	SATBBB
Magnificat regale	Robert Fayrfax	Sacred	Evening Canticles	1520	5	SATTB
Missa Albanus	Robert Fayrfax	Sacred	Masses	1520	5	SATTB
Missa Benedicta et venerabilis es	Nicholas Ludford	Sacred	Masses	1520	5	SATTBB
Missa Christi virgo dilectissima	Nicholas Ludford	Sacred	Masses	1520	5	SATTB
Missa Christus resurgens	William Pashe	Sacred	Masses	1520	5	SAATB
Missa Lapidaverunt Stephanum	Nicholas Ludford	Sacred	Masses	1520	5	SATTB
Missa O bone Jesu	Robert Fayrfax	Sacred	Masses	1520	5	SATTB
Missa O quam glorifica	Robert Fayrfax	Sacred	Masses	1520	5	SATTB
Missa Regali ex progenie	Robert Fayrfax	Sacred	Masses	1520	5	SATTB
Missa Tecum principium	Robert Fayrfax	Sacred	Masses	1520	5	SATBB
Missa Videte miraculum	Nicholas Ludford	Sacred	Masses	1520	6	SSATTB

External websites:

• View images of the Caius Choirbook at The Digital Image Archive of Medieval Music

• View the Wikipedia article on Caius Choirbook.