10.2 French Ars Nova: Guillaume de Machaut and the formes fixes

The French Ars Nova revolutionized 14th-century music, introducing complex rhythms and harmonies. Guillaume de Machaut, the era's leading composer, pioneered new techniques in both sacred and secular works, pushing the boundaries of musical expression.

Machaut's mastery of formes fixes—structured poetic and musical forms like the ballade, virelai, and rondeau—shaped French secular music. These forms, along with innovative techniques like isorhythm, transformed composition and paved the way for future musical developments.

Guillaume de Machaut and the Ars Nova

Ars Nova: A New Era in Music

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• Ars Nova emerged in 14th-century France as a revolutionary musical style
• Contrasted with the earlier Ars Antiqua, introducing more complex rhythms and harmonies
• Characterized by increased use of secular themes in composition
• Emphasized individual expression and emotional depth in music
• Facilitated the development of polyphonic composition techniques

Key Figures in Ars Nova

• Guillaume de Machaut stood out as the most prominent composer of the Ars Nova period
  • Served as a clerk, diplomat, and poet in addition to his musical career
  • Composed both sacred and secular works, including the famous Messe de Nostre Dame
  • Pioneered the use of formes fixes in polyphonic compositions
• Philippe de Vitry played a crucial role in developing Ars Nova theory
  • Wrote the influential treatise Ars Nova (c. 1322)
  • Introduced new rhythmic notations and time signatures
  • Composed motets showcasing innovative techniques (isorhythm)

Roman de Fauvel: A Satirical Masterpiece

• Roman de Fauvel, a 14th-century allegorical poem, incorporated musical interpolations
• Served as a vehicle for political and social satire
• Contained a diverse collection of monophonic and polyphonic pieces
• Included works by Philippe de Vitry and other contemporary composers
• Provided valuable insights into the musical practices of the Ars Nova period

Formes Fixes

Structure and Characteristics of Formes Fixes

• Formes fixes referred to fixed poetic and musical forms in French secular music
• Developed during the late 13th and early 14th centuries
• Consisted of three main types: ballade, virelai, and rondeau
• Each form had a specific pattern of rhyme, meter, and musical repetition
• Served as the foundation for much of the secular music composed during the Ars Nova period

Ballade: The Narrative Form

• Featured a structure of three stanzas with an identical rhyme scheme and melody
• Typically followed an aab rhyme pattern
• Often told a story or expressed emotions related to courtly love
• Musical setting usually in AAB form, with the final B section called the ouvert
• Guillaume de Machaut composed numerous ballades (De Fortune me doy plaindre et loer)

Virelai and Rondeau: Circular Forms

• Virelai characterized by its refrain structure and dance-like qualities
  • Followed an AbbaA form, where capital letters represent the refrain
  • Often associated with pastoral themes and lighter subjects
  • Machaut's Douce Dame Jolie exemplifies the virelai form
• Rondeau featured a more complex structure with frequent repetition
  • Typical form: ABaAabAB, where capital letters represent the refrain
  • Shorter than ballades and virelais, often expressing concise sentiments
  • Rose, liz, printemps, verdure by Machaut showcases the rondeau structure

Polyphonic Chanson: Evolution of Formes Fixes

• Polyphonic chansons developed from the monophonic trouvère tradition
• Incorporated multiple voice parts, usually three (cantus, tenor, contratenor)
• Maintained the structural elements of formes fixes while adding harmonic complexity
• Cantus often carried the main melody, while lower voices provided harmonic support
• Machaut's Je vivroie liement demonstrates the polyphonic treatment of a virelai

Musical Techniques and Notation

Isorhythm: Rhythmic Innovation

• Isorhythm involved the repetition of rhythmic patterns (talea) with different pitch series (color)
• Developed primarily in motets but also applied to secular forms
• Created complex structural organization within compositions
• Philippe de Vitry pioneered the use of isorhythm in his motets
• Machaut's motet Quant en moy/Amour et biauté/Amara valde showcases extended isorhythmic techniques

Hocket and Rhythmic Complexity

• Hocket technique involved the alternation of notes or short melodic fragments between voices
• Created a distinctive "hiccup-like" effect in the music
• Enhanced rhythmic complexity and interplay between vocal parts
• Used in both sacred and secular compositions of the Ars Nova period
• Machaut's rondeau Ma fin est mon commencement employs hocket technique

Mensural Notation: Advancing Musical Writing

• Mensural notation evolved to represent more complex rhythmic relationships
• Introduced new note shapes to indicate different durations (longa, brevis, semibrevis)
• Allowed for the notation of duple and triple meter within the same piece
• Enabled composers to create more intricate rhythmic patterns and syncopations
• Philippe de Vitry's Ars Nova treatise codified many aspects of mensural notation

Courtly Love: Thematic Inspiration

• Courtly love served as a primary theme in Ars Nova secular compositions
• Emphasized idealized, often unrequited love between a knight and a noble lady
• Influenced the lyrical content of many formes fixes compositions
• Reflected the social and cultural values of medieval courtly society
• Machaut's ballade Nes que on porroit explores the complexities of courtly love