Guillaume de Machaut: Nes que on porroit les estoilles nombrer

Guillaume de Machaut, a leading French composer and poet of the 14th century, was born in Rheims, were he spent the greater part of his life, after earlier employment in the service of John of Luxemburg, King of Bohemia. He was employed subsequently by various members of the nobility, including the future Charles V of France. He held various church benefices and as a musician was pre-eminent in the period in the history of music known as the Ars nova, when composers created music of increased rhythmic complexity.
Machaut was a prolific composer of secular vocal music, in the contemporary metrical and musical forms of lais, virelais, ballades and rondeaux.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Performers:
• Ensemble
• Gilles
• Binchois
• Painting
• by
• Jan
• van
• Eyck:
• Detail
• from
• The
• Ghent
• Altar
• Piece

[proulxmontpellier]

Nes que on porroit les estoiles nombrer

Quant on les voit luire plus clèrement

Et les gouttes de pluie et de la mer

At la grève sur coy elle s'estent

Et compasser le tour dou firmament

Ne porroit-on penser ne concevoir

Le grant désir que j'ai de vous veoir.

[proulxmontpellier]

Et si ne puis par devers vous aller

Pour Fortune qui le wet et deffent

Dont maint souspir me convient estrangler

Quant à vous pense et je suis entre gent

Et quant je suis par moi secrètement

Adonc me fait tous meschies recevoir

Le grant désir que j'ai de vous veoir.

[proulxmontpellier]

Quand il me fait complaindre et dolouser

Et regretter votre viaire gent

Et vos bonté souveraine et sans pair

Et la très grant douceur qui en descent

Ainsi me fait languir piteusement

Mon cueur esprent et esteint mon espoir

Le grant désir que j'ai de vous veoir.

[pawsoned]

Beautiful and exquisite works of art

[guimaul69]

@DeHeld8 i'm sure that if you look at this section again with a lot of attention, i'm sure you'll recognize the 4 different tessitures of the singers... ;) it's a nice game!

[DeHeld8]

I've always found thise section of the Ghent altarpiece rather unsetelling. the singing angels have rather odd expressions on their faces. Some look angry or agitated, asif they have to sneeze. others look as though they did not have a good nights rest.