The Montpellier Codex (F-Mof H196) is the largest and richest manuscript source of medieval motets in all the world. Currently preserved in the library of the University of Montpellier, the Montpellier Codex was compiled into its present form in Paris in around 1300. Nothing is known of its origin or use; the earliest independent account of its existence shows that, in the 1580s, the book belonged to Estienne Tabourot, co-author of the Rabelaisian book Les Bigarrures de Seigneur des Accords (1588). The Codex itself is made up of eight fascicles, of which the second through sixth are generally considered "oldest," copied by or shortly before the year 1280. Fascicles One and Seven are younger, as they were set down during or just before the year 1300, with the final, eighth fascicle being added sometime later. The number of scribes involved in producing the Montpellier Codex is unknown, but is estimated at about 11-14 hands, with a single scribe predominant in the oldest fascicles. The musical repertoire in the Montpellier Codex is thought to represent the whole of the thirteenth century; the book contains 336 compositions, all polyphonic and all but 12 being motets. The vast majority of the pieces in the Montpellier Codex are anonymous, with Pérotin and Petrus de Cruce being the only clear suspects in terms of identifiable composers therein, and that only on the basis of about two works apiece. The texts of the musical works are in French or Latin, with many motets in a combination of both languages. Eight of the pieces have no music attached, and some are incomplete. The works included in the Montpellier Codex are considered part and parcel to any period group interested in performing medieval motets. The Codex has been published in several editions, the first being a photographic facsimile edition printed in 1935; in 1998, A-R Editions of Wisconsin brought out an eight-volume transcription of the Montpellier Codex in modern notation. ~ Uncle Dave Lewis, All Music Guide
