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LISTENING GUIDE
Men’s choir
Duration: 2:06
Kyrie (plainchant)
T
his is a chant from a medieval Roman Catholic Mass. It is one of many settings of this
text. Although most of the Mass was in Latin, the words to the Kyrie are in Greek. The text consists
of three phrases: “Kyrie eleison—Christe eleison—Kyrie eleison” (“Lord, have mercy—Christ,
have mercy—Lord, have mercy”). Each of these three statements is sung three times. There is great
symbolism in this repetition scheme: in medieval Christianity, the number three represented the
Trinity, and three times three was considered absolute perfection.
Corresponding to the three statements of the text, there are three phrases of music. The whole
piece begins and ends on G, so it is in the G mode (usually called Mixolydian). As in painting, however, a composition may have a mixture of colors, and there are hints of the Phrygian mode in the
first phrase, which ends on E. The shape of the melody is very carefully designed. The first phrase
is the shortest and moves in waves. The second phrase starts high, and the motion is mostly
descending. The last phrase is in the form of an arch and starts and ends on the same note (G). At
the top of the arch, the music reaches the highest note in the whole piece. The last time the third
statement of the text is sung, the music changes slightly, with the addition of three notes to the
beginning of the phrase.
I
II
III
Kyrie eleison.
Kyrie eleison.
Kyrie eleison.
Lord have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Christe eleison.
Christe eleison.
Christe eleison.
Christ have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Kyrie eleison.
Kyrie eleison.
Kyrie eleison.
Lord have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
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Student CD
I, 24
Complete CD
I, 24
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Complete CD
I, 25
Date of composition: c. 1175
Duration: 5:21
Beatriz de Dia (late twelfth century)
Song, “A chantar”
M
ost of the troubadours of the Middle Ages were men, but a few were women. Contrary to popular belief, women in the early Middle Ages enjoyed considerable freedom and political
equality. Women of all social classes were involved in music, either as patrons, composers, or performers. The powerful and charismatic Eleanor of Aquitaine was a great patron of the arts.
Beatriz de Dia, also known as the Comtessa de Dia (Countess of Dia), lived in the late twelfth
century. Her medieval biographer wrote that she was the wife of the Count of Poitiers and the lover
of a well-known nobleman, who was himself a troubadour, and that she was the composer of “many
good songs.” Only a small number of her poems survive, and only this one has survived with music.
Like almost all the secular songs of the Middle Ages, this song is strophic: the same music is repeated
for all the stanzas of the poem. The language is that of the south of France; it is known as Occitan, sometimes called Provençal. The poem has five stanzas and a brief two-line ending known as a tornada.
In this song, Beatriz de Dia addresses her lover, who has scorned her, and expresses her pain at
his treating her so badly. It is difficult to gauge the depth of true feeling, because the topic of unrequited love was a highly conventional one in troubadour poetry. Yet beneath the convention, the
blending of words and music produces a song of great beauty.
Each line of poetry has its own musical phrase. The first phrase ends with an ornamented half
cadence (a cadence that leaves more to be said) on E; the second with a full cadence on D. These
two musical phrases are repeated for the third and fourth lines of the poetry. The next two lines are
joined and are set higher in the range; they end with the E cadence. The last line, on the other hand,
uses the whole musical phrase of lines 2 and 4 with its D ending. The pattern is:
Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4
Lines 5 and 6
Line 7
Phrase A
Phrase B
Phrase A
Phrase B
New higher phrase, with A ending
Phrase B
Each stanza uses the same arrangement. This pattern gives a rounded feeling to the melody as a
whole and a sense of increased intensity before the close. We will listen to only two stanzas.
In this performance, the singer is accompanied by a vielle (a bowed instrument—you can see
one in the medallion at the top of this listening guide) and a low wooden flute, which provide an
introduction and a close to the song as well as some interludes between stanzas. They are joined by
lute and drum for the tornada.
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CD
TIME
LISTEN FOR
25 (25)
0:00
Vielle prelude: The vielle establishes
the musical mode and character of the song.
Stanza 1
0:25
[vielle accompaniment]
The voice establishes a lovely melodic contour,
with ornamental flourishes at the end of each line.
I must sing, whether I want to or not.
I feel so much pain from him whose
friend I am,
A chantar m’er de so q’ieu no voldria,
Tant me rancur de lui cui sui amia,
[Repetition of melody.]
Car eu l’am mais que nuilla ren que sia;
Vas lui nom val merces ni cortesia,
For I love him more than anything.
But neither grace nor courtesy has
any effect on him,
[Voice goes higher.]
Ni ma beltatz, ni mos pretz, ni mos sens.
C’atressim sui enganad’e trahia
Cum degr’esser, s’ieu fos desavinens.
1:50
Stanza 5
3:01
Wooden flute plays interlude based
on melody.
[vielle accompaniment]
Return of music from first stanza with more
elaborate accompaniment and flourishes.
Valer mi deu mos pretz e mos paratges
E ma beutatz e plus mos fis coratges,
Per q’ieu vos mand lai on es vostr’estatges
Esta chansson que me sia messatges:
E voill saber, lo mieus bels amics gens,
Per que vos m’etz tant fers ni tant salvatges,
Non sai si s’es orguoills o mals talens.
4:18
[Flute and drum join in softly]
Mas aitan plus vuoill li digas, messatges,
5:01
Q’en trop d’orguoill ant gran dan maintas
many gens.
Florid ending with voice and instruments
Tornada
Nor my beauty, my decency, or my
intelligence.
I am despised and betrayed,
As though I were worthless.
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My decency and my ancestry have
their value,
As do my beauty and the depth of my
heart.
So I send to your noble home
This song: let it be my messenger!
And I want to know, my fair friend,
Why you are so savage and cruel
to me.
I don’t know: is it pride or ill will?
But I want even more for you to tell
him, messenger,
That pride has been the downfall of
people!
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LISTENING GUIDE
Student CD
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Complete CD
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Perotinus (c. 1170–c. 1236)
Viderunt Omnes (four-voice polyphony for the
Cathedral of Notre Dame)
Date of composition: 1199
Solo singers and choir
Duration: 4:42
I
n this Listening Guide, the text is given with indications specifying whether it is sung in
chant or in polyphony. In the polyphonic section, the contrast between sustained-tone and rhythmic
accompaniment is marked. Note also the intricate intertwining of the three upper voices over the two
different styles of the lower voice. The rich harmonies, the unrelenting rhythmic drive, and the sheer
scope of the piece show how magnificent and awe-inspiring a piece of music from 800 years ago can
be. (Here only a portion of the overall work is given; the entire piece lasts for nearly 12 minutes.)
CD
TIME
LISTEN FOR
Polyphony
26 (26)
0:00
(soloists)
0:57
(soloists)
1:25
(soloists)
2:29
(soloists)
3:40
(soloists)
Vi(sustained-tone)
de(sustained-tone)
-runt
(sustained-tone)
om(rhythmic/sustained-tone)
-nes
(sustained-tone)
[rhythmic upper voices throughout]
fines terrae salutare Dei nostri.
Jubilate Deo omnis terra.
[smooth plainchant]
Viderunt omnes fines terrae
salutare Dei nostri.
Jubilate Deo omnis terra.
All the ends of the earth have seen the
salvation of our God. Praise God all
the earth.
[dissonant opening; brief cadence for
end of word]
[strong dissonance just before cadence]
[cadence]
Monophony
27 (27)
3:46
(choir)
[cadence]
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Complete CD
I, 28
Date of composition: Mid-fourteenth century
Voice, lute, and recorder
Duration: 2:00
Guillaume de Machaut (c. 1300–1377)
Secular song (rondeau)
Doulz Viaire Gracieus
T
his short piece is a good example of Machaut’s style. It is a setting of a poem that has a
two-line refrain (printed in italics). The refrain comes at the beginning and the end, and its first line
comes in the middle of the poem, too. This kind of poem is known as a rondeau.
The music sounds very simple but is actually quite complex. There are only two sections of
music, which alternate in setting each line of the poetry. The first section is five measures long,
the second section seven. This contrasts with later music, where the number of measures in each
phrase or section tends to be much more regular. A short descending passage on the lute joins the
sections together.
There are other aspects of this music that seem unusual to a listener of today. Although the prevailing meter of the piece is triple, there are several places where the music moves in duple meter.
Bar lines were not used in medieval music (although we print them today for the sake of clarity), so
the meter could be much more flexible. Also, many of the notes are chromatic: even the opening
chord contains two sharps. And although the first section ends on G, which leads you to expect that
the whole piece will end on G, the final cadence is on B b.
The voice is accompanied by two instruments: a recorder below the voice and a lute above.
(A lute is a plucked instrument similar to a guitar.) Although the accompanying parts are quite independent, all three lines together create interesting harmonies, and there is a brief echo among them
at the beginning of the B section.
This kind of carefully constructed polyphony, as well as the overall gentle beauty of the piece, are
typical of Machaut’s music and of fourteenth-century French music in general.
CD
28 (28)
TIME
0:00
0:12
0:30
0:42
0:55
1:07
1:25
1:38
LISTEN FOR
[Voice is accompanied by delicate lute and soft recorder]
Doulz viaire gracieus,
Sweet, gracious countenance,
[Voice goes higher, echoed by recorder.]
De fin cuer vous ay servy.
I have served you with a faithful heart.
Weillies moy estre piteus,
Take pity on me,
Doulz viaire gracieus;
Sweet, gracious countenance;
Se je sui un po honteus,
If I am a little shy,
Ne me mettes en oubli.
Do not forget me.
Doulz viaire gracieus,
Sweet, gracious countenance,
De fin cuer vous ay servy.
I have served you with a faithful heart.
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