While working in Leipzig University Library in 2017, I identified two sets of Ars nova fragments among their collection of uncatalogued fragments. One of them consists of a single leaf written on paper and contains the end of the well-known motet Apollinis eclipsatur /Zodiacum signis/ IN OMNEM. The former host volume, which was used in Rostock University during the 1420s, has survived. The other discovery, a bifolium written on parchment, contains Ars nova motets in French style and decoration, plus later additions of polyphonic pieces in a local style. Unfortunately, there are no hints as to the provenance of the bifolium, and the former host volume in which it was re-used as a binding fragment is unknown. A dissolved Saxonian monastery seems to be a likely place of origin. Alongside Vitry’s motet Cum statua/Hugo, the ending of a hitherto unidentified motet in Ars nova style is found on the first available page of the bifolium. Written by a later hand in different ink, the polyphonic settings on the second available page of the bifolium reveal an active reception of 14th-century French polyphonic practice.
