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Machaut

Guillaume de Machaut
Dates
1300–1377
Era
Medieval (–1400)
Recognition
essential
Wikipedia

Where to start with Machaut

Essential works to know this composer by — spread across their styles
  1. Vocal
    Messe de Nostre Dame
  2. Chamber
    Amour et Biaute Parfaite
  3. Vocal
    Amours me fait desirer
  4. Vocal
    Aucune gent;Qui plus aimme;Fiat voluntas tua, motet
  5. Vocal
    Biaute qui toutes autres pere, ballade
  6. Vocal
    Certes mon oueil
  7. Vocal
    Christe que lux es/Veni Creator Spiritus/Tribulatio proxima est
  8. Vocal
    Comment puet on mieus
  9. Vocal
    Comment qu'a moy lonteinne,
  10. Vocal
    Dame de qui toute ma joie vient
  11. Vocal
    Dame, a vous sans retollir
  12. Vocal
    Dame, mon cuer en vous
  13. Vocal
    Dame, se vous m'estés lointeinne
  14. Vocal
    De Fortune me doy pleindre
  15. Vocal
    De toutes flours

Listening guide

Hand-curated paths into Machaut's catalogue
  1. Messe de Nostre Dame
  2. Douce dame jolie (virelai)
  3. Je vivroie liement (ballade)
  4. Puis qu\’en oubli (rondeau)
  5. Rose, liz, printemps, verdure

Most Acclaimed

  1. Messe de Nostre Dame
    first polyphonic setting of the complete Ordinary of the Mass by a single composer
  2. Remède de Fortune (narrative poem with songs)
  3. Ballades (complete)
  4. Motets (23 complete)
  5. Lais (complete)

Most Weird

  1. Ma fin est mon commencement (rondeau)
    crab canon — the tenor sings backwards while the other voices go forwards; the text is about it
  2. Hoquetus David
    hocket — melodic notes divided between two voices alternating in rapid succession; alien and mathematical
  3. Messe de Nostre Dame — isorhythmic motets
    the mathematical scaffolding of the motets within the mass is invisible to the ear but rigorous
  4. De Fortune me doy plaindre et loer (motet)
    isorhythmic — same rhythm in different mensuration simultaneously
  5. Foy porter (rondeau)
    polytextual — different texts in different voices simultaneously

Similar composers

Same era, overlapping styles — by genre & period affinity

Works 64