Jehan de Lescurel
Encyclopedia
Jehan de Lescurel (died May 23, 1304?) was a medieval
poet
and composer
.
Nothing is known of his life other than that he was the son of a merchant in Paris
, and he probably received his musical training at the Notre Dame cathedral
. For many years, it has been presumed he was hanged on May 23, 1304, along with three other young clerics of Notre Dame, including Oudinet Pisdoé, for "debauchery" and "crimes against women" (Hoppin, p. 368). Recent research showed that "Jehan de Lescurel" was a rather common name in early fourteenth-century Paris. And no link is found between Jehan de Lescurel, the composer and some Jehan de Lescurel who was hanged.
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, and they clearly thought highly enough of him to include his music in the same manuscript which preserves the Roman de Fauvel
.
Most of his works are monophonic
songs, in the style of the trouvère
s; only one of his 34 works was polyphonic
, although he wrote other works which have not survived. The songs are virelai
s, ballades
, rondeaux
and diz entés; 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.
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
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 composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Nothing is known of his life other than that he was the son of a merchant in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and he probably received his musical training at the Notre Dame cathedral
Notre Dame de Paris
Notre Dame de Paris , also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that contains the cathedra of...
. For many years, it has been presumed he was hanged on May 23, 1304, along with three other young clerics of Notre Dame, including Oudinet Pisdoé, for "debauchery" and "crimes against women" (Hoppin, p. 368). Recent research showed that "Jehan de Lescurel" was a rather common name in early fourteenth-century Paris. And no link is found between Jehan de Lescurel, the composer and some Jehan de Lescurel who was hanged.
He was a transitional figure from the trouvère
Trouvère
Trouvère , sometimes spelled trouveur , is the Northern French form of the word trobador . It refers to poet-composers who were roughly contemporary with and influenced by the troubadours but who composed their works in the northern dialects of France...
period to the ars nova
Ars nova
Ars nova refers to a musical style which flourished in France and the Burgundian Low Countries in the Late Middle Ages: more particularly, in the period between the preparation of the Roman de Fauvel and the death of the composer Guillaume de Machaut in 1377...
. His lyrical style unites him with the composers of the later period, and they clearly thought highly enough of him to include his music in the same manuscript which preserves the Roman de Fauvel
Roman de Fauvel
The Roman de Fauvel, translated as The Story of the Fawn-Colored Beast, is a 14th century French poem accredited to French royal clerk Gervais du Bus, though probably best known for its musical arrangement by Philippe de Vitry in the Ars Nova style...
.
Most of his works are monophonic
Monophony
In music, monophony is the simplest of textures, consisting of melody without accompanying harmony. This may be realized as just one note at a time, or with the same note duplicated at the octave . If the entire melody is sung by two voices or a choir with an interval between the notes or in...
songs, in the style of the trouvère
Trouvère
Trouvère , sometimes spelled trouveur , is the Northern French form of the word trobador . It refers to poet-composers who were roughly contemporary with and influenced by the troubadours but who composed their works in the northern dialects of France...
s; only one of his 34 works was polyphonic
Polyphony
In music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ....
, although he wrote other works which have not survived. The songs are virelai
Virelai
A virelai is a form of medieval French verse used often in poetry and music. It is one of the three formes fixes and was one of the most common verse forms set to music in Europe from the late thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries.A virelai is similar to a rondeau...
s, ballades
Ballade (musical form)
A ballade refers to a one-movement musical piece with lyrical and dramatic narrative qualities.- Medieval ballades :The term ballade was used to describe one type of musical setting of French poetry common in the 14th and 15th centuries...
, rondeaux
Rondeau (music)
The rondeau was a Medieval and early Renaissance musical form, based on the contemporary popular poetic rondeau form. It is distinct from the 18th century rondo, though the terms are likely related...
and diz entés; 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.
Further reading
- Richard H. Hoppin, Music in the Middle Ages. 1978, New York, W.W. Norton & Co. ISBN 0-393-09090-6.