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Score of A vous douce debonnaire by Jehan

Jehan de Lescurel (fl. early 14th century; also Jehannot de l'Escurel) was a composer-poet of late medieval music. Jehan's extensive surviving oeuvre is an important and rare examples of the formes fixes before the time of Guillaume de Machaut; it consists of 34 works: 20 ballades, 12 rondeaus and two long narrative poems, diz entés. All but one of his compositions is monophonic, representing the end of the trouvère tradition and the beginning of the polyphonic ars nova style centered around the formes fixes.

Identity and career

Jehan de Lescurel is also known as Jehannot de l'Escurel. Very little is known of his life; the transmission, notation and circumstances of his works suggest he was active in the early 14th century, and his compositions's textual references indicate he was active in Paris. It has also be inferred that Jehan was the son of a merchant and probably received his musical training at the Notre Dame de Paris. For many years, scholars assumed he was the 'Jehan de Lescurel' who had been hung on 23 May 1304 along with three other young clerics of Notre Dame, including Oudinet Pisdoé, for "debauchery" and "crimes against women". Recent research has shown that "Jehan de Lescurel" was a rather common name in early fourteenth-century Paris, and there is no other clear link between the composer and cleric.

Music

He was a transitional figure from the trouvère period to the ars nova. His lyrical style unites him with the composers of the later period. The sole source for his music is the same manuscript (Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS français 146) which preserves the interpolated version of the Roman de Fauvel.

Most of his works are monophonic songs, in the style of the trouvères; only one of his 34 works is polyphonic, although he wrote other works which have not survived. The songs are virelais, ballades, rondeaux; they include word painting more in the style of the later 14th-century composers than those of the 13th century; they are simple, charming, and debauchery is not a prominent theme. Jehan also has two extant diz entés, length poems with music set only to the refrain text.

Works

List of compositions by Jehan de Lescurel
W Title Genre
1 A vous, douce debonnaire Rondeau
2 Amours aus vrais cuers commune Ballade
3 A vous, douce debonnaire Rondeau
4 Amours cent mille merciz Ballade
5 Amour, voules vous acorder Ballade
6 Amours que vous ai meffait Ballade
7 Abundance de felonnie Ballade
8 Amours trop vous doi cherir Ballade
9 Bietris est mes delis Rondeau
10 Bien se lace Ballade
11 Bontes, sen, valours et pris Ballade
12 Bonne amour me rent Ballade
13 Bonnement m'agree Rondeau
14 Belle et noble a bonne estrainne Rondeau
15 Bien se peust apercevoir Ballade
16 Belle com loiaus amans Ballade
17 Comment que pour l'eloignance Ballade
18 De gracieuse dame amer Rondeau
19 De la grant joie d'amours Ballade
20 Douce Amour confortez moi Ballade
21 Dame vo regars m'ont mis en la voie Ballade
22 D'amour qui n'est bien celee Ballade
23 Dame gracieuse et bele Ballade
24 Dame, par vo dous regart Rondeau
25 Douce dame je vous pri Rondeau
26 Douce desirree Rondeau
27 Dame, si vous vient a gre Rondeau
28 Diex quant la verrai Rondeau
29 Dis tans plus qu'il ne faudroit flours Ballade
30 Fi, mesdisans esragie Ballade
31 Guilleurs me font mout souvent Rondeau
32 Gracieusette Ballade
33 Gracieuse, faitisse et sage Diz entez
34 Gracieus temps est quant rosier Diz entez
No other works by Jehan survive

Editions

  • Wilkins, Nigel (1966). [Jehan de Lescurel at Google Books The Works of Jehan de l'Escurel]. Corpus mensurabilis musicae. 30. Cambridge, Massachusetts: American Institute of Musicology. OCLC 1123637753. Jehan de Lescurel at Google Books.
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