Guilaume De Machaut

@& Country Birth Death Period Composition Types

France ca. 1300 in Machaut, Champagne (?), France Apr 13, 1377 in Rheims (?), France Medieval All Works (94) Vocal Music (67) Choral Music (13)

Generally acclaimed the greatest composer of the fourteenth century is Guillaume de Machaut, born in Champagne around 1300. In the early 1320s he entered the service of John, Duke of Luxembourg and King of Bohemia, who secured for Machaut various ecclesiastical posts, documented in a series of papal bulls. One of the most important was a canonry at Rheims Cathedral, although there is no evidence that Machaut was ever a practicing clergyman or even particularly pious; indeed, most of his music is secular. He remained in John's service until the latter's death at the Battle of Crécy in 1346, after which his continuing association with high nobility enabled him to travel freely. Around 1350 Machaut found a new patron in Charles, King of Navarre and pretender to the French throne. Like so many other medieval composers, Machaut was both musician and poet. His works are preserved to a degree astonishing for the fourteenth century: there are manuscripts for hundreds of poems and some 145 musical works. The poems are particularly fascinating for the light they shed on Machaut's own life and times; they record such events as the Black Death, which ravaged Europe in 1348 and 1349, and the Siege of Rheims in the early part of the Hundred Years' War. On a happier level his poetry reveals a love of falconry, riding, and the beauties of the French countryside. In some respects a conservative who built on existing traditions, such as the isorhythmic motet and even the monophonic trouvère song, he was, however, a composer of rare versatility whose music covers a range much wider than that suggested by his most famous work, the Messe de Nostre Dame (Notre Dame Mass). The fame of that work has tended to obscure Machaut's secular works; his songs are his most characteristic pieces. Lyrical in spirit, with a new emphasis on melody in the top or cantus line, they nevertheless contain considerable subtleties in their manipulation of musical and verbal refrains. One of the most popular of the so-called formes fixes of the day was the virelai, a principal feature of which is that words and music have refrains that do not coincide with each other. Most of Machaut's virelais are monophonic, showing the continuing influence of the trouvères. These represent the most approachable side of his art, particularly in as happy an example as the delightful "Foy Porter." Two other song forms Machaut cultivated were the rondeau and the ballade. A particularly striking example of the latter is "Dame, de qui toute ma joie vieni," a song of infectious rhythmic vitality in praise of the poet's lady. Set polyphonically for four voices, this ballade, like the virelai mentioned above, has three strophic stanzas. The musical form of this and other ballades is A-A-B-C, the last section being a verse refrain. The celebrity of the Messe de Nostre Dame probably owes much to its place in musical history as the first extant complete mass setting by a single composer. It is however possible that (as with Bach's Mass in B minor) its individual sections were not composed with a view to complete performance, a supposition supported by the work's diversity of styles and absence of thematic unity. Complex isorhythms are applied to all four parts in the shorter-texted sections (Kyrie, Sanctus and Agnus Dei), while the Gloria and the Credo are monosyllabic. The title, incidentally, refers not to Notre Dame in Paris, but the great cathedral of Rheims, the coronation place of the kings of France and, as already mentioned, the location of Machaut's canonry. -- Brian Robins

Vocal music

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Amours me fait desirer, ballade for 3 voices Ballade Ballades Ballade Biaute qui toutes autres pere, ballade for 3 voices Ballade C'est force, faire le weil, virelai for voice Virelai Comment qu'a moy lonteinne, virelai for voice Virelai Dame de qui toute ma joie vient, ballade for 4 voices Ballade Dame, a qui m'ottri, virelai for voice Virelai Dame, a vous sans retollir, virelai for voice Virelai Dame, je weil endurer, virelai for voice Virelai Two Solo Voices (with or without 13?? Dame, mon cuer emportés, virelai for 2 voices Keyboard/Continuo) 13?? Dame, mon cuer en vous, rondeau for 3 voices Rondeau Two Solo Voices (with or without 13?? Dame, ne regardés pas, ballade for 2 voices Keyboard/Continuo) 13?? Dame, se vous m'estés lointeinne, ballade for voice Ballade 13?? Dame, vostre doulz viaire, virelai for voice Virelai De Fortune me doy pleindre, ballade for 3 (or 4) 13?? Ballade voices 13?? De bonté, de valour, virelai for voice Virelai De desconfort, de martyre amoureus, ballade for 2 13?? Vocal Music voices 13?? De petit po, de nient volente, ballade for 3 voices Miscellaneous Vocal Music Two Solo Voices (with or without 13?? De tout sui si confortee, virelai for 2 voices Keyboard/Continuo) 13?? De toutes flours, ballade for 3 voices Ballade De triste cuer/Quant vrais amans/Certes, je di, 13?? Ballade ballade for 3 voices 13?? Donnez, signeurs, ballade for 3 voices Ballade 13?? Douce dame jolie, virelai for voice Virelai 13?? Doulz amis, oy mon compleint, ballade for 2 voices Vocal Music 13?? Doulz viaire gracieus, rondeau for 3 voices Rondeau 13?? En amer a douce vie, ballade for 4 voices Ballade 13?? Esperance qui masseüre, ballade for 2 voices Vocal Music 13?? Foy porter, honneur garder, virelai for voice Virelai 13?? Gais et jolis, ballade for 3 voices Ballade 13?? Honte, paour, doubtance, ballade for 3 voices Ballade ca. 1360 Hoquetus David, double hocket for 3 voices Hocket/Hoquetus Il m'est avis qu'il n'est dons de Nature, ballade for 4 13?? Ballade voices 13?? J'aim sans penser laidure, virelai for voice Vocal Music Je puis trop bien ma dame comparer, ballade for 3 13?? Ballade voices 13?? Je sui aussi com cilz, ballade for 2 or 3 voices Ballade 13?? Je vivroie liement, virelai for voice Virelai Joie, plaisence et douce nourriture, chanson royal 13?? Vocal Music for 1 voice 13?? Liement me deport par samblant, virelai for voice Virelai Ma fin est mon commencement, rondeau for 3 13?? Rondeau voices 13?? Mes esperis se combat, ballade for 3 voices Ballade Two Solo Voices (with or without 13?? Mors sui se je ne vous voy, virelai for 2 voices Keyboard/Continuo)

Two Solo Voices (with or without Keyboard/Continuo) Ballade Ballade Ballade Ballade Ballade Two Solo Voices (with or without Keyboard/Continuo) Vocal Music Ballade Two Solo Voices (with or without Keyboard/Continuo) Rondeau Virelai Rondeau Rondeau

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Moult sui de bonne heure nee, virelai for 2 voices

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Nes que on porroit, ballade for 3 voices On ne porroit penser, ballade for 3 voices Pas de tor en thies païs, ballade for 3 voices Phyton le mervilleus serpent, ballade for 3 voices Plourez dames, ballade for 3 voices

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Plus dure qu'un dyamant, virelai for 2 voices

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Puis que ma dolour agree, virelai for voice Quant Theseus/Ne quier veoir, ballade for 4 voices

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Quant j'ay l'espart, rondeau for 2 voices

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Quant je ne voy ma dame, rondeau for 3 voices Quant je sui mis su retour, virelai for voice Rondeaux Rose, liz, rondeau for 4 voices Sanz cuer/Amis, dolens/Dame, par vous, ballade for Ballade 3 voices Se d'amer me repentoie, virelai for voice Virelai Two Solo Voices (with or without Se je souspir parfondement, virelai for 2 voices Keyboard/Continuo) Se ma dame m'a guerpy, virelai for voice Virelai Se mesdisans en acort, virelai for voice Virelai Tant doucement me sens emprisonnés, rondeau for Rondeau 4 voices Tels rit au main qui au soir, complainte for voice Vocal Music Tres bonne et belle, mi oueil, virelai for 3 voices Virelai Tres douce dame que j'aour, ballade for 2 voices Vocal Music

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Tuit me penser sont, virelai for voice

Virelai

Une vipere en cuer, ballade for 2 voices Virelais

Vocal Music Virelai

Coral Music 13?? 13?? 13?? ca. 1360 13?? 13?? ca. 1364 13?? 13??

Bone pastor Guillerme/Bone pastor qui pastores/(tenor), motet Motet for 3 voices Dame, je sui cilz/Fins cuers doulz/(tenor), motet for 3 voices Motet De bon espoir/Puis que la douce/Speravi, motet for 3 voices Motet Felix virgo/Inviolata genitrix/Ad te suspiramus, motet for 4 Motet voices Hareu, hareu, le feu/Helas, ou sera/Obediens usque ad mortem, Motet motet for 3 voice parts Lasse! comment oublieray/Se j'aim mon loyal/Pour quoy me bat Motet mes maris?, motet for 3 voices Messe de Nostre Dame, mass for 4 voices

Mass

Motets Motet Quant en moy/Amour et biaute/Amara Valde, motet for 3 voices Motet Qui es promesses de Fortune/Ha, Fortune! trop suis mis Motet loing/Et non est qui adjuvet, motet for 3 voices

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S'il estoit nulz/S'amours tous/Et gaudebit cor vestrum, motet for 3 voices

Motet

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S'onques douleureusement ("Lay de confort"), lai for 3 voices

Part Song/Glee/Music for Unaccompanied Voices

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Trop plus est bele/Biaute paree/Je ne sui mie, motet for 3 voices

Motet