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Country France
Birth ca. 1300 in Machaut, Champagne (?), France
Death Apr 13, 1377 in Rheims (?), France
Period Medieval
Composition All Works (94)
Types 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, docu-
mented 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 hun-
dreds 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 re-
frains. One of the most popular of the so-called formes fixes of the day was the virelai, a princip-
al 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
13?? Amours me fait desirer, ballade for 3 voices Ballade
13?? Ballades Ballade
13?? Biaute qui toutes autres pere, ballade for 3 voices Ballade
13?? C'est force, faire le weil, virelai for voice Virelai
13?? Comment qu'a moy lonteinne, virelai for voice Virelai
13?? Dame de qui toute ma joie vient, ballade for 4 voices Ballade
13?? Dame, a qui m'ottri, virelai for voice Virelai
13?? Dame, a vous sans retollir, virelai for voice Virelai
13?? 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
13?? Moult sui de bonne heure nee, virelai for 2 voices
Keyboard/Continuo)
Nes que on porroit, ballade for 3 voices Ballade
13?? On ne porroit penser, ballade for 3 voices Ballade
13?? Pas de tor en thies païs, ballade for 3 voices Ballade
13?? Phyton le mervilleus serpent, ballade for 3 voices Ballade
13?? Plourez dames, ballade for 3 voices Ballade
Two Solo Voices (with or without
13?? Plus dure qu'un dyamant, virelai for 2 voices
Keyboard/Continuo)
13?? Puis que ma dolour agree, virelai for voice Vocal Music
13?? Quant Theseus/Ne quier veoir, ballade for 4 voices Ballade
Two Solo Voices (with or without
13?? Quant j'ay l'espart, rondeau for 2 voices
Keyboard/Continuo)
13?? Quant je ne voy ma dame, rondeau for 3 voices Rondeau
13?? Quant je sui mis su retour, virelai for voice Virelai
13?? Rondeaux Rondeau
13?? Rose, liz, rondeau for 4 voices Rondeau
Sanz cuer/Amis, dolens/Dame, par vous, ballade for
13?? Ballade
3 voices
13?? Se d'amer me repentoie, virelai for voice Virelai
Two Solo Voices (with or without
13?? Se je souspir parfondement, virelai for 2 voices
Keyboard/Continuo)
13?? Se ma dame m'a guerpy, virelai for voice Virelai
13?? Se mesdisans en acort, virelai for voice Virelai
Tant doucement me sens emprisonnés, rondeau for
13?? Rondeau
4 voices
13?? Tels rit au main qui au soir, complainte for voice Vocal Music
13?? Tres bonne et belle, mi oueil, virelai for 3 voices Virelai
13?? Tres douce dame que j'aour, ballade for 2 voices Vocal Music
1349
Tuit me penser sont, virelai for voice Virelai
-1363
13?? Une vipere en cuer, ballade for 2 voices Vocal Music
Virelais Virelai

Coral Music
Bone pastor Guillerme/Bone pastor qui pastores/(tenor), motet
13?? Motet
for 3 voices
13?? Dame, je sui cilz/Fins cuers doulz/(tenor), motet for 3 voices Motet
13?? De bon espoir/Puis que la douce/Speravi, motet for 3 voices Motet
ca. Felix virgo/Inviolata genitrix/Ad te suspiramus, motet for 4
Motet
1360 voices
Hareu, hareu, le feu/Helas, ou sera/Obediens usque ad mortem,
13?? Motet
motet for 3 voice parts
Lasse! comment oublieray/Se j'aim mon loyal/Pour quoy me bat
13?? Motet
mes maris?, motet for 3 voices
ca.
Messe de Nostre Dame, mass for 4 voices Mass
1364
Motets Motet
13?? Quant en moy/Amour et biaute/Amara Valde, motet for 3 voices Motet
Qui es promesses de Fortune/Ha, Fortune! trop suis mis
13?? Motet
loing/Et non est qui adjuvet, motet for 3 voices
 S'il estoit nulz/S'amours tous/Et gaudebit cor vestrum, motet
13?? Motet
for 3 voices
Part Song/Glee/Music for Unac-
13?? S'onques douleureusement ("Lay de confort"), lai for 3 voices
companied Voices
Trop plus est bele/Biaute paree/Je ne sui mie, motet for 3
13?? Motet
voices