Theatrical Chansons of the Fifteenth and Early Sixteenth Centuries

198 Pages·1963·3.195 MB·English

by  Howard Mayer Brown (ed.)

THEATRICAL CHANSONS
OF THE FIFTEENTH
AND EARLY SIXTEENTH
CENTURIES

THEATRICAL CHANSONS
OF THE FIFTEENTH
AND EARLY SIXTEENTH
CENTURIES
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EDITED BY
Howard Mayer Brown
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HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS · 1963
© Copyright 1963 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College
All rights reserved
Distributed in Great Britain by Oxford University Press, London
Publication of this book had been aided by a grant from the Ford Foundation
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 62-19213
Printed in the United States of America
Music autographed by Charles McConnell
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It is a pleasure to record here my gratitude to the people who helped me
prepare this anthology. I should like to thank especially Charles McConnell,
who autographed all of the music; he was not only painstaking with his
work but also patient with a novice editor. Ronald Grossman was kind
enough to letter some of the texts. Professor A. Tillman Merritt, curator of
Isham Memorial Library at Harvard University, was unfailingly generous
in obtaining the many costly microfilms necessary to complete this anthol-
ogy. I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Professor Edward Lowinsky,
who read all of the proofs ; but for his sharp eyes a great many errors would
have been allowed to remain, and he was kind enough to offer numerous
suggestions regarding musica ficta. And I am grateful to the Research Com-
mittee of the Division of the Humanities of the University of Chicago and
to the American Council of Learned Societies for a grant of money which
enabled this book to be prepared.
Finally, I should like to thank the libraries which have given me permis-
sion to publish transcriptions from manuscripts or rare printed works owned
by them : ^Bologna, Biblioteca del Conservatorio di Musica G. Β. Martini;
Brussels, Bibliothèque Royale; Cambrai, Bibliothèque de la Ville; Cam-
bridge, Magdalene College; (Cassel, Deutsches Musikgeschichtliches Archiv;
Dijon, Bibliothèque de la Ville; Escorial, Biblioteca del Monasterio; Flor-
ence, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale; London, British Museum; London,
Royal College of Music; Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale; JPavia, Biblioteca
Universitaria ; [Segovia, Cathedral Library; Turin, Biblioteca Nazionale;
Vatican City, Biblioteca Ap. Vaticana ; [Vienna, Österreichische National-
bibliothek; and Wolfenbüttel, Herzog-August-Bibliothek.
Howard Mayer Brown
ν

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
ι. Allegez moy, douce & plaisant brunette ANON. I
2. Allons, allons gay ADRIAN WILLAERT 3
3. Allons, allons gay PIERRE DE MANCHICOURT 6
4. Au bois, au bois, Madame PIERRE MOULU 12
5. Belle tenés moy / La triquotée ANON. 16
6. Bergerotte savoysienne LOVSET COMPÈRE (?) 18
7. Bergerotte savoysienne ANON. 20
8. Celle qui m'a demandé MATHIEU GASCONGNE 22
g. Celle qui m'a demandé ANON. 24
10. C'est malencontre que d'aimer ANON. 25
11. C'est ung mauvais mal que de jalousie ANON. 28
12. Content désir CLAUDIN DE SERMISY 3 I
13. Content désir JACQUES BUUS 33
14. D'aimer je me vueil entremettre ANON. 39
15. D'aimer je me vueil entremettre ANON. 43
16. De mon triste desplaisir JEAN RICHAFORT 45
17. En amours n'a sinon que bien ANTOINE DE FÉ VIN 48
18. En douleur et tristesse ANON. 51
19. En douleur et tristesse NOEL BAULDEWYN 55
20. En m'esbatant / Gracieuse plaisant mous-
nière / Gente fleur de noblesse ANON. 59
21. Et d'où venez vous, madame Lucette? PIERRE MOULU 63
22. Faulte d'argent, c'est douleur non pareille ANTOINE DE FÉVIN 6J
23. Faulte d'argent, c'est douleur non pareille ADRIAN WILLAERT 7 O
24. Gentils galans, compaignons du resin ANON. 74
25. Il est de bonne heure né ANON. 76
26. Il est de bonne heure né / L'Homme
armé JOHANNES JAPART 79
27. Il fait bon aimer l'oyselet ANTOINE DE FEVIN 82
28. Il n'est si doulce vie JEAN RICHAFORT 85
29. Ils sont bien pelez, ceux qui font la gorre ANON. 89
Vil
Contents
30. J'ay mis mon cueur MATHIEU GASCONGNE 92
31· J'ay mis mon cueur ANON. 95
32· J'ay un billard de quoy JACOTIN 97
33· Je fille quant Dieu me donne de quoy GOSSE 99
34· Je fille quant Dieu me donne de quoy VUILDRE 102
35· Je le lesray, puisqu'il m'y bat ANTOINE DE FEVIN 106
36. Je le lesray, puisqu'il m'y bat JEAN MOUTON 109
37· Je m'en allé veoir m'amye ANON. I I I
38· Je ne scay pas comment ANON. "3
39· Je ne scay pas comment BENEDICTUS "5
40. Je suis d'Alemagne ANON. 118
41. Je suis d'Alemagne JOHANNES STOKHEM 119
42. Je suis d'Alemagne ANON. 121
43· Je voys, je viens, mon cueur s'en voile ANON. 126
44· Je voys, je viens, mon cueur s'en voile MATHIEU GASCONGNE 128
45· Laissez moy planter le may BOUTEILLER 130
46. La, la, la, l'oysillon du bois JEAN MOUTON 135
47· L'amour de moy si est enclose ANON. 138
48. L'amour de moy si est enclose ANON. 142
49· Le perier qui charge souvent ANON. !47
50. Lourdault, lourdault, lourdault, garde LOYSET COMPÈRE
que tu feras (NINOT LE PETIT?) 152
51· M'y levay par ung matin GUYARD !57
52. M'y levay par ung matin CLÉMENT JANEQUIN 160
53· Reveillez vous, Piccars ANON. 164
54· Robinet se veult marier / Se tu t'en
marias / Hélas pourquoy se mari on ANON. 168
55· Rolet ara la tricoton / Maistre Piere /
La tricotée ANON. 170
56. Soubz les branches d'un beau may / Jolis
mois de may / En la rousée de may ANON. 172
57· Troys jeunes bourgeoises GUILLAUME LE HEURTEUR !75
58. Vecy la dance barbary liry GODARD 178
59· Voz huis sont ils tous fermez? VAQUERAS (COMPÈRE?) 181
60. Vray Dieu! qu'amoureux ont de peine LUPI 184
viii
INTRODUCTION
Chansons were sung in many of the moralities, farces, sotties and mono-
logues of the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. These theatrical chan-
sons were the popular tunes of their day. And the leading composers of the
time arranged them as more or less elaborate part songs. That the poly-
phonic arrangements were actually heard at theatrical performances is by no
means certain : actors sometimes sang the tunes monophonically, and theater
musicians may have improvised simpler polyphonic versions. This anthol-
ogy should be considered, then, a collection of theatrical chansons as ar-
ranged by some of the most prominent composers of the fifteenth and six-
teenth centuries.
These compositions were assembled as examples in a study of a particular
musical tradition. Since the primary purpose of the edition was neither to
present a final, scholarly version of the chansons with an elaborate critical
apparatus, nor a version ideally suited for performance, the editor has felt
free to take certain liberties in an effort to interpret the rhythmic subtleties
of the music.
In this edition the original note values have been quartered ( {> = J ).
This ratio of reduction, with a longa of the original equal to one 4/4 meas-
ure of the transcription, creates a note picture with a greater number of
smaller time values than in most modern editions, but it allows the phrase
structure of each voice to emerge more clearly. Ligatures in the original are
indicated by 1 coloration by r and editorial additions by [ ]. Acci-
dentals appearing in the staff are found in one or more manuscripts or prints.
Editorial accidentals are placed above the notes affected. The original men-
suration signs and clefs appear at the beginning of each composition.
Bar lines are intended to serve merely as visual aids. They are therefore
placed between the staves. Although the bar lines do not imply an under-
lying uniformity of metric organization, regular barring has seemed ap-
propriate for the most part. In certain cases, however, bar lines are placed
irregularly, in keeping with the rhythmic structure of the cadences. In these
IX
Introduction
instances the regular metrical pulse does not change ; the tactus remains the
same. Real meter changes are indicated as such, and an editorial indication
such as J = J. is added to fix the relative tempo between sections.
Within any one measure, and sometimes between measures, irregular
groups of 8th-, i6th-, and 32nd-notes have been joined together with one
beam. Such unconventional groupings are intended to clarify the rhythmic
structure of the motives. A motive is always beamed in the same way even
when it recurs in a different position within a measure. And beams some-
times indicate conventional rhythmic patterns (for example, the grouping
before a cadence).
Text underlay follows the sources as closely as possible, but some adjust-
ments have been necessary. Most of the sources give complete text under
each voice. In this edition text is given for selected voices only. Whenever
a cantus prius factus is complete in one voice, that voice has been supplied
with words, thus graphically emphasizing the compositional technique in-
volved. Text can be added where it is now absent by following the pattern
established in the texted voices. For the most part the present scores can be
used without change for performance with solo voices and instruments. For
a cappella performances the words can easily be written in where they are
now missing. The literary texts are given in their original spelling, but u
and ν, and i and j are differentiated, and punctuation has been standardized.
The musical sources generally give only one stanza of text. Additional
stanzas are supplied from verse anthologies (texts from Paris 9346 and Paris
12744 are copied from the editions by Gérold and Paris);
The transcriptions are based on the one source named at the beginning of
each piece. Complete concordances may be found in the alphabetical cata-
logue of the editor's Music in the French Secular Theater: 1400—1550.
Variant readings are not recorded.
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