Machaut: Discography, Biography, Lyrics (original) (raw)

This is both a reasonably complete discography of Guillaume de Machaut written in 1998 as well as a compendium of Machaut's musical lyrics gathered in 1999. It will be developed and updated in both parts.

The conception & research for this project was carried out by Pierre-F. Roberge (discography) and Todd M. McComb (texts). Please contact Todd M. McComb <mccomb@medieval.org> with your questions, feedback, or concerns.

Guillaume de Machaut (d.1377) is one of the undisputed pinnacle geniuses of Western music, and the most famous composer of the Middle Ages. Today his four-voice Mass of Notre Dame is a textbook example for medieval counterpoint, and has served sufficiently to maintain his reputation across shifts in fashion. However Machaut's work is extensive, with his French songs & poetry dominating the fourteenth century by both their quality and volume. A series of carefully prepared illuminated manuscripts, undertaken for members of the French royalty, preserve his complete artistic output. Along with these major sources, various pieces are duplicated in scattered sources throughout Europe. His life and work are thus extremely well-preserved for the period, and his position as the most distinguished composer of the century has never wavered.

Machaut was apparently born in the vicinity of Rheims in Champagne, around the year 1300. He is first known as the secretary of John of Luxembourg in 1323, and used the position to travel extensively for various battles and political events. In approximately 1340, Machaut returned to Rheims to take up the position of canon (he had previously been an absentee office-holder) together with his brother Jean. However, he continued to serve John of Luxembourg until the latter's death at Crécy in 1346, and then served his daughter Bonne, who appears in the Remède de Fortune. The remainder of the fourteenth century was an epic of wars and plagues, and one of the few periods in which the population of Europe declined, but Machaut's reputation continued to rise. He went on to serve two kings of France, and was charged with a task as important as accompanying hostages during the English war. In 1361 the Dauphine was received in Machaut's quarters, an exceptional event. By the 1370s Machaut's name was associated with Pierre de Lusignan, King of Cyprus, thus establishing his fame nearly as far as Asia.

Machaut is frequently portrayed today as an _avant garde_composer, especially because of his position with regard to the early Ars Nova (a new, more detailed rhythmic notation), but one must also emphasize the masterful continuity with which he employed established forms. While using the same basic formats, he made subtle changes to meter and rhyme scheme, allowing for more personal touches and a more dramatic presentation. Indeed, Machaut's poetry is one of the most impressive French outputs of the medieval era, serving as an example even for Chaucer. The theme of courtly love dominates his writing, becoming heavily symbolized in the guises of such characters as Fortune & Love, and the personal dramas in which they act. Machaut's poetic output, and by extension the subset of texts he chose to set to music, is both personal and ritualized, lending it a timeless quality. Some of the love themes date to Ovid and beyond, from whom they had been elaborated first by the troubadours of Provence and then by the northern trouvères, and so it is truly a classical tradition to which Machaut belongs.

Machaut marks the end of the lineage of the trouvères, and with it the development of the monophonic art song in the West. This aspect of his work is found in the virelais and especially the lengthy lais. He also acted decisively to refine the emerging polyphonic song forms ballade & rondeau, and these were to become the dominant fixed forms for the following generations. What Machaut achieved so eloquently is an idiomatic and natural combination of words with music, forcefully compelling in its lyrical grace and rhythmic sophistication. His songs are immediately enjoyable, because he was able to shape the smallest melodic nuances as well as to conceive forms on a larger scale. The latter is reflected especially in his poetic-musical creations_Le Remède de Fortune_ and Le Voir Dit, as well as in his Messe de Notre Dame. One must not lose sight of Machaut's position within the sweep of medieval history, as his great "multimedia" productions had clear precedents in the Roman de la Rose and especially the Roman de Fauvel. It is Machaut's ability to unite cogent and elegant melodic thinking with the new rhythmic possibilities of the Ars Nova which ultimately makes his musical reputation.

Although he wrote music for more than one hundred of his French poems, and even for half a dozen motets in Latin, Machaut remains best-known for his Mass of Notre Dame. This mass was written as part of the commemoration of the Virgin endowed by the Machaut brothers at Rheims, and was intended for performance in a smaller setting by specialized soloists. The most striking aspect of the piece is not simply the high quality of the contrapuntal writing, but the architectural unity of the Ordinary sections as well. Machaut's mass is not the earliest surviving mass cycle (there are two which predate it), but it is the earliest by a single composer and indeed the earliest to display this degree of unity. While the chants used as cantus firmus do vary, opening gestures and motivic figures are used to confirm the cyclical nature of the work. Technique of this magnitude is frequently offered as evidence of Machaut's prescience, given the prominence of such forms a hundred or two hundred years later, but the musical quality of his cycle can be appreciated on its own terms. Of course, the same can be said for Machaut's oeuvre as a whole.

**The discography is divided into three parts.**Parts II & III appear directly on this page, while the more extensive Part I is accessed on sub-pages for each work by following its link.

Part I lists all the works attributed to Guillaume de Machaut, in alphabetical order, with the exception of his famous Messe de Nostre Dame, listed first. The list was based first on the one published by Lawrence Earp (see reference below) in 1995. I am not aware of any major changes in the attribution of these works. This list has now been cross-verified in many other sources (see introduction to texts below) and is very standard for original musical settings. Links for each individual work lead to its complete discography as described below. There is also a link to a full version in one file, without the text information. The latter is added as a convenience, in addition to the regular listing.

Each entry refers to the original recording; this explains why references to the same label are different from other discographies, including the one published by Earp. It also includes re-edited material containing tracks not previously released. If the original material is not a CD, the medium is stated between [...]. Each individual title is linked to a descriptive section containing as much information as possible about the original recording; this description is cross-linked to available CDs actually on the market (February 2000) in North America or Western Europe. Great care has been taken to prevent misinformation and a large part of the data originates from owned recordings themselves (although often not as reliable as it should be). If the recording was not available, the content originates from the usual sources (periodicals such as The Gramophone (and the Catalogue),Diapason (and the Catalogue), Bielefelder Katalog,Notes, and Fanfare, etc.). The discography appearing in Fanfare sept./oct. 1979, p. 12-17 & 206-210 by Jerome F. Weber (=Weber) and the one in Lawrence Earp's "Guillaume de Machaut, A Guide to Research" (=Earp) served as double checks to ensure completeness (recordings before 1991).

If all else failed, reference was made to the French book_Diapason - Guide de la musique ancienne et baroque_ (Coll. Bouquins, Robert Laffond, 1993) [GMAB]; although impressive in term of quality and amount of content, readers should be careful about many recording dates listed. For releases before 1955, the World Encyclopedia of Recorded Music (=WERM) and the three supplements were very useful. For those interested in further reading on the discography of the medieval and renaissance periods, refer to the following three publications:

Part I covers all, but only, the original recordings of the specific title; reference to re-edition, excerpts or compilations of the original recording appears in the linked descriptive page. Finding all original recordings may well be wishful thinking without comments and corrections. These could be directed to my E-mail address (pfr@videotron.ca). Credit for any significant contribution will be given at the end of this page.

Part II deals with CDs, Cassettes not released as CD, or Videos including one or more of Machaut's works and expected to be available on the North American or European market. No ranking number appears if the release contains only excerpts of an already listed CD, Cassette or Video in this section.

Part III lists newly released, or soon to be released, CDs when the available information is not sufficient to be added as a specific entry in the preceding list.

This will be quite a complete discography. The content will be regularly updated.

The text of Machaut's works has been placed together withPart I of the discography, upon following the links to individual pieces below. The numbering given is that for Machaut's musical output in accordance with the Ludwig Edition (Guillaume de Machaut: Musikalische Werke, edited by Friedrich Ludwig & Heinrich Besseler, Leipzig 1926-54), with that in the Schrade Edition (Polyphonic Music of the Fourteenth Century, volumes ii-iii, edited by Leo Schrade, Monaco 1956) as an alternate after "/". For example, "(V28/25)" = Virelai 28 in Ludwig, 25 in Schrade. Other abbreviations used are: "M" = Motet, "B" = Ballade, "R" = Rondeau, "L" = Lai, and "RF" = Remede de Fortune. This numbering derives directly from musical editions, and so differs from that in poetic editions, which contain many other poems in these forms not set to music. On the linked page, the number of parts is given for the musical setting, as well as other significant comments. More extensive factual remarks on each piece will be prepared over the longer term, possibly including recent research suggestions on chronology.

Each page will then give the sources in which the piece is found, followed by the text itself, and then the individual discography (see introduction to discography above). Presently, the only sources listed are the seven primary "Machaut Manuscripts" in which Machaut's work is principally preserved. A wider concordance of sources is in preparation, and will be explained here when it appears. The Machaut Manuscripts are designated by letter, from A to G, and are given precisely as follows:

In the process of preparing a concordance of sources, the source lists will be re-checked against those in the New Grove, the RISM index, theLatrobe database, as well as against manuscript facsimiles themselves when feasible. Presently, some source lists have been double-checked, while many remain directly those of Chichmaref's edition. Note that Chichmaref does not use the standard letter designations as given above, but rather his own sequence of letters, perhaps producing confusion. This is due both to the intervening century of musicology, as well as to the fact that other manuscripts survive with texts only. The sources as stated here are the standard _musical_manuscript designations, and have been "translated" accordingly from Chichmaref. Thus far, no discrepancies have been found in any of these source listings.

The issue of texts is more complicated, as multiple versions exist. The "main" reading as given by Chichmaref has been used, with the exception of where Chichmaref notes correcting the manuscript, in which case it has been un-corrected. Most of these corrections involve the use of the apostrophe. In other cases, Chichmaref is content to reproduce a variety of spellings. Spelling is not standard within manuscripts, nor is spelling standard in modern sources. Since this was evidently not a major issue for Machaut, it will not be a major issue for us. Chichmaref and most sources do not footnote spelling variations. Chichmaref does footnote variations in wording in different sources, although his footnotes are frequently cryptic. These have been suppressed for the present for reasons of textual clarity, but are available if needed. With the exception of the "E" manuscript, these variations tend to be small. The "E" manuscript, originally owned by the Duke of Berry, contains numerous textual variations, as well as some alternate music. Chichmaref uses the "G" manuscript as his main source, checked against ten other primary sources.

The other major edition of Machaut's text, Oeuvres de Guillaume de Machaut, edited by Ernest Hoepffner (Paris, 1908-21) has also been consulted. It is extremely lacking as a scholarly edition, since it contains no index or footnotes, as well as no markings to separate individual poems. However, it can be used to answer some questions. Also, curiously, Chichmaref does not include the_Remède de Fortune_ text (even though he treats the "F" & "G" manuscripts as a single source in two volumes, and includes the pieces found in neither). However, this text is available more widely than any of Machaut's other work, with the version used being that in Guillaume de Machaut: Le Jugement du Roy de Behaigne & Remede de Fortune, edited by James Winsatt & William Kibler (University of Georgia Press, 1988). The issue of including footnotes on alternate readings in this project is still very open, and they may appear at any time. In addition, various other cross-checks will be undertaken.

Finally, although much care has been taken to type everything correctly, it is undoubtedly true that other typographical errors have been added to those in Chichmaref (whose reprint errata have been fully applied) as well as those made by the original scribes. Please contact me if you find such errors. In the event of a question of wording which cannot be resolved, microfilm facsimiles of the Machaut manuscripts will be consulted as a final source.

Schrade titles, as well as correction of some typographical errors, provided by Sergey N. Lebedev, Moscow.

Please note that some items are listed multiple times, under alternate titles. Please note also that although this listing is very complete for Machaut's authentic musical settings. Some non-musical poems and intabulations by others have also been included. These latter items are not deemed complete.

**This section includes recordings linked in Part I which have been issued on CD or transferred to CD (last release).**The most recent release is given, except for some concurrent issues of differing programs. Also included are cassettes releases.

Ars Nova CDAN 172 [CD]
Musique de Notre Dame au Moyen-Age
Deller Consort - Alfred Deller, dir.
Rec.: 1961

Ars Produktion ARS 38489 [CD]
Très gentil cuer: Höfische Musik des späten Mittelalters
Fortuna Canta
Rel: 2009

Édition Atlas MELCD 378
Présence de la musique ancienne
le guide d'écoute
Various performers
Rel.: 1994

Cantus 9705/6 (2 CDs)
Dictionary of Medieval & Renaissance Instruments
Various Artists
Rel.: 2005

Cantus 9817/20 (4 CDs)
Vox Naturalis
Medieval Vocal Music: Chant / Notre Dame / Machaut
Ensemble Gilles Binchois - Dominique Vellard
Rel.: 2004

CBS 460 596-4 [CD]
Les Troubadours d'Aquitaine : leurs plus belles mélodies
Les Troubadours d'Aquitaine
Rel.: 2000 or prior

Cyprès 1630 (12 CDs)
The Golden Age of European Polyphony
Laudantes Consort - Guy Janssens
Rel.: 2002

Decca 4854676 [CDx14]
Complete Decca Recordings
The Medieval Ensemble of London
Rel.: 2023

Eloquentia 2160 [CDx4]
Guillaume de Machaut
Marc Mauillon, et al.
Rel.: 2022

EMI Classics 68202 [CDx8]
Gateway to Classical Music Vol. 1 / 2
Various Artists
Rel.: 1994

Essential Records ESM CD 436
The Lady and the Unicorn - The Hermit
John Renbourn
Rec.: 1970

Gallimard ISBN 2-07-052904-5 [Book + CD]
Jehan : la musique au temps des chevaliers
Alain Robert
Rel.: 1999

Gramzapis GCD00319 [CD]
Monteverdi, Machaut, Britten
Kamernyi Kor - Chamber Choir - Valentin Nesterov, dir.
Rel.: ca 1978 or 1979

Harmonia mundi HMC 90 891
Trois Maîtres du Moyen Âge
Ensemble Organum - Marcel Pérès, dir.
Rel: 1999

Harmonia Mundi "musique d'abord" 290 7356/57 (2 CDs)
Hoquetus / Age of the Cathedrals
Theatre of Voices - Paul Hillier
Rel.: 2003

Harmonia Mundi "Century" HMX 290 8168 [CD]
Une révolution de l'esprit et de la musique (XIVe siècle) / An intellectual revolution in music
Le siècle de l'Ars nova / Ars Nova, A Revolution in the Late Middle Ages
Various performers
Rel.: 2005

Hyperion CDA 66 227
The Emma Kirkby Collection
Gothic Voices & Emma Kirkby - Christopher Page, dir. & others
Rel.: 1987

Naïve "Monum," V4901
20 siècles en Cathédrales
Various performers
Rel.: 2002

Naxos 8.505075 [CDx5]
Faszination Alte Musik
Lieder & Tänze des Mittelalters
Ensemble Unicorn Wien - Michael Posch, dir.
Rel.: 2001 or prior

Naxos 8.554103
Naxos: Ten Years of Success
Various performers
Rel.: 1999

Naxos 8.554770 [CDx2]
The World of Early Music
Various performers and ensembles
Rel.: 2000

Naxos 8.556704
Sanctus
Various performers and ensembles
Rel.: 1999

Other contributors:
Boris Andonovski
Robert Horres
Tony Reif
Arthur S. Leonard
Christian Brassy
Florian Chevallot

If you can contribute to this project, please contact us. Credit will be given, here or in individual files.

The primary aspects in need of work are updating the discography as new items appear, correcting any errors in texts or elsewhere, adding additional details to recordings with only partial information, and preparing a more comprehensive sources list with footnoted differences. These actions will be carried out over the coming years, as well as when new items appear. In addition, other aspects of Machaut's work can hopefully be placed online in connection with this project.