Probably
born in Rheims, Machaut was the leading exponent of the Ars Nova movement that
flourished in France during the fourteenth century. In 1323 he joined the royal
household of John of Lux embourg, King of Bohemia, and served as a clerk for
about 20 years, widely respected as a poet as well as a composer. He travelled
with the court, but increasingly spent his time composing rather than in
administration. His first verified composition was a motet written in 1324 for
the election of the Archbishop of Rheims. Through the efforts of King John,
Machaut was granted several benefices, in particular the canonry of the new
Gothic cathedral in Rheims, granted in 1337. He took up residency there in 1340,
leaving his formal work with the king though remaining in service until the
monarch's death at the battle of Crecy in 1346.
Machaut
was one of the earliest known users of syncopated rhythm, and was at the
forefront of rhythmic experimentation in both his religious and his secular
music. His Hoquetus David is one of
the first pieces of purely instrumental music in modern Western times. In
addition, he composed for voices in a wider vocal range than was previously
thought possible. In all he wrote more than 140 (mainly polyphonic)
compositions, although fewer than two dozen have been found outside his own
collections, suggesting that he protected his work fiercely. After the outbreak 
of the Black Death in France at the end of the 1340s, Machaut prepared elaborate
collections of his compositions for his patrons, who included Jean, Duc de
Berry, and the future King Charles V of France. These unique and very
beautifully illuminated manuscript editions combined motets, ballades and many
other forms with a wide selection of his poetry.
Machaut's
Messe de Notre Dame is, deservedly,
the best-known composition of the entire age. He wrote the principal components
of the Mass (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus/Benedictus, and Agnus Dei)
polyphonically rather than in the customary plainchant. It is also one of the
first Masses to have been written as a whole by a single composer (previously
the different components of the Mass were assembled from different composers).
This, together with its innovative rhythmical techniques, makes it a milestone
in the evolution of the Mass as a musical form in its own right.
The Mirror of Narcissus-Songs by Machaut
Hoquetus David
Foy porter, honneur garder
Je ne caisse de prier, 'Le lai de la fonteinne'
Ma fin est mon commencement
Machaut-Choral Works
Machaut-Messe de Notre Dame