Gautier de Coincy
Encyclopedia
Gautier de Coincy was a French
abbot
, poet
and musical arranger, chiefly known for his devotion to the Virgin Mary.
While he served as prior
of Vic-sur-Aisne
he compiled Les Miracles de Nostre-Dame (known in English
as The Miracles of Notre Dame or The Miracles of Our Lady) in which he set poems in praise of the Virgin Mary to popular melodies and songs of his day. It is a reverential but humorous work, full of love for the cult of the Virgin Mary, which at that time also received attention from Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
who was the leading medieval proponent of veneration of the Virgin as a counter-balance to the more rigorous Christian scholasticism
, then the dominating spiritual force.
Unlike Clairvaux's more sombre tomes, de Coincy's book (whilst sharing much of the same ideological bedrock) tends more towards the indulgent or soft-hearted. Many of the songs de Coincy wrote were set to popular ballads then in vogue at the royal court, or borrowed the tune of pastoral or romantic ditties. The Miracles of Our Lady is one of the most popular works of Marianist literature from the period and it encapsulates a very particular set of Christian values, which saw in the Virgin Mary the most benevolent and humanistic aspect of salvation, intercession and mercy. Many of the songs are concerned with the key elements of the Virgin's earthly life - her conception, her birth, her childhood, her youth in the Temple
, the events recorded in the Biblical gospels
and her Dormition; the poems and stories are generally more concerned with her modern-day miracles.
On the subject of the Virgin's interaction with the contemporary faithful, one modern historian describes de Coincy's view of Mary thus: -
"The more raffish the Virgin's suppliant, the better she likes him. The miracles' heroes are liars, thieves, adulterers, and fornicators, footloose students, pregnant nuns, unruly and lazy clerics, and eloping monks. On the single condition that they sing her praises, usually by reciting the Ave Maria, and show due respect for the miracle of the Incarnation wrought in her, they can do no [fundamental] wrong. Her justice is loyalty to her own: whatever his conduct, anyone pledged to her protection is her liegeman and she his responsible suzerain. Through her the whole gay crew of wanton, loving, weak humanity finds its way to Paradise..."
In many ways, de Coincy rejected the strict Pauline morality that would come to characterise later denominations of Christianity, especially counter-Reformation
Catholicism and Protestantism
, which placed a great effort on self-denial and renunciation. In their immediate context, they were written to please de Coincy's own congregation and to present a softer form of Christianity in reaction to the hardline stance of the nearby cathedral-chapter at Beauvais
, which had staged various plays savagely satirising secular pursuits as inherently wrong and damaging to one's spiritual life. This perhaps explain why de Coincy chose to express his own more liberal, Marianist views through the same exploitation of secular forms of presentation - in his case, poems and music.
Much of de Coincy's music is still performed and recorded, most recently by The Harp Consort
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and musical arranger, chiefly known for his devotion to the Virgin Mary.
While he served as prior
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
of Vic-sur-Aisne
Vic-sur-Aisne
Vic-sur-Aisne is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France. It is located approximately 100 kilometres northeast of Paris.-Population:-References:*...
he compiled Les Miracles de Nostre-Dame (known in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as The Miracles of Notre Dame or The Miracles of Our Lady) in which he set poems in praise of the Virgin Mary to popular melodies and songs of his day. It is a reverential but humorous work, full of love for the cult of the Virgin Mary, which at that time also received attention from Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux, O.Cist was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian order.After the death of his mother, Bernard sought admission into the Cistercian order. Three years later, he was sent to found a new abbey at an isolated clearing in a glen known as the Val...
who was the leading medieval proponent of veneration of the Virgin as a counter-balance to the more rigorous Christian scholasticism
Scholasticism
Scholasticism is a method of critical thought which dominated teaching by the academics of medieval universities in Europe from about 1100–1500, and a program of employing that method in articulating and defending orthodoxy in an increasingly pluralistic context...
, then the dominating spiritual force.
Unlike Clairvaux's more sombre tomes, de Coincy's book (whilst sharing much of the same ideological bedrock) tends more towards the indulgent or soft-hearted. Many of the songs de Coincy wrote were set to popular ballads then in vogue at the royal court, or borrowed the tune of pastoral or romantic ditties. The Miracles of Our Lady is one of the most popular works of Marianist literature from the period and it encapsulates a very particular set of Christian values, which saw in the Virgin Mary the most benevolent and humanistic aspect of salvation, intercession and mercy. Many of the songs are concerned with the key elements of the Virgin's earthly life - her conception, her birth, her childhood, her youth in the Temple
Solomon's Temple
Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple, was the main temple in ancient Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount , before its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar II after the Siege of Jerusalem of 587 BCE....
, the events recorded in the Biblical gospels
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
and her Dormition; the poems and stories are generally more concerned with her modern-day miracles.
On the subject of the Virgin's interaction with the contemporary faithful, one modern historian describes de Coincy's view of Mary thus: -
"The more raffish the Virgin's suppliant, the better she likes him. The miracles' heroes are liars, thieves, adulterers, and fornicators, footloose students, pregnant nuns, unruly and lazy clerics, and eloping monks. On the single condition that they sing her praises, usually by reciting the Ave Maria, and show due respect for the miracle of the Incarnation wrought in her, they can do no [fundamental] wrong. Her justice is loyalty to her own: whatever his conduct, anyone pledged to her protection is her liegeman and she his responsible suzerain. Through her the whole gay crew of wanton, loving, weak humanity finds its way to Paradise..."
In many ways, de Coincy rejected the strict Pauline morality that would come to characterise later denominations of Christianity, especially counter-Reformation
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...
Catholicism and Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
, which placed a great effort on self-denial and renunciation. In their immediate context, they were written to please de Coincy's own congregation and to present a softer form of Christianity in reaction to the hardline stance of the nearby cathedral-chapter at Beauvais
Beauvais
Beauvais is a city approximately by highway north of central Paris, in the northern French region of Picardie. It currently has a population of over 60,000 inhabitants.- History :...
, which had staged various plays savagely satirising secular pursuits as inherently wrong and damaging to one's spiritual life. This perhaps explain why de Coincy chose to express his own more liberal, Marianist views through the same exploitation of secular forms of presentation - in his case, poems and music.
Much of de Coincy's music is still performed and recorded, most recently by The Harp Consort
The Harp Consort
The Harp Consort is an international Early Music ensemble directed by Andrew Lawrence-King, specialising in Baroque Opera, early dance-music, and historical World Music....
.
Recordings of Gautier de Coincy's Works
- The Harp Consort, Andrew Lawrence-KingAndrew Lawrence-KingAndrew Lawrence-King is a harpist and early music specialist, and is currently the director of The Harp Consort...
, director: Miracles of Notre-Dame (Harmonia MundiHarmonia MundiHarmonia Mundi is an independent music record label founded in 1958 by Bernard Coutaz in Arles . The Latin phrase means "world harmony"....
U.S.A.)
External Resources
- List of recordings of works by Gautier de Coincy (courtesy of the Early Music FAQ)