Vielart, Vielars, Wilars or Wilart de Corbie was one of the earliest trouvères from northern France. In one instance a chansonnier

Chansonnier

A chansonnier is a manuscript or printed book which contains a collection of chansons, or polyphonic and monophonic settings of songs, hence literally "song-books," although some manuscripts are so called even though they preserve the text but not the music A chansonnier is a manuscript or...

 names him Willame (Guillaume de Corbie, William from Corbie

Corbie

Corbie is a commune of the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The small town is situated up river from Amiens, in the département of Somme and is the main town of the canton of Corbie. It lies in the valley of the River Somme, at the confluence of the River Ancre. The town...

) and some scholars have followed this, concluding that "Vielart" and its variations form a sobriquet meaning "violist" (player of a vielle

Vielle

The vielle is a European bowed stringed instrument used in the Medieval period, similar to a modern violin but with a somewhat longer and deeper body, five gut strings, and a leaf-shaped pegbox with frontal tuning pegs. The instrument was also known as a fidel or a viuola, although the French...

) or perhaps "old man" (from French vieillard). He was active in the Île-de-France

Île-de-France (province)

The province of Île-de-France or Isle de France is an historical province of France, and the one at the centre of power during most of French history...

 in the first decades of the thirteenth century at the latest, since his song De chanter me semont Amours was used as the basis for a contrafactum

Contrafactum

In vocal music, contrafactum refers to "the substitution of one text for another without substantial change to the music"....

, Quant ces floretes florir voi, by Gautier de Coincy

Gautier de Coincy

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 in which he set poems in praise of the Virgin Mary to popular melodies and songs of his...

 (died 1236). Only two songs can be firmly ascribed to him, and both survive with musical notation: De chanter and Cil qui me prient de chanter, which served as the basis for a Latin

Medieval Latin

Medieval Latin was the form of Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the liturgical language of the medieval Roman Catholic Church, but also as a language of science, literature, law, and administration. Despite the clerical origin of many of its authors,...

 contrafactum, Dic, homo, cur abuteris. Unfortunately the music of the Latin song has not survived. Two other songs are ascribed to Vielart in some sources, but they are more probably the work of Gace Brulé

Gace Brulé

Gace Brulé , French trouvère, was a native of Champagne.His name is simply a description of his Blazonry. He owned land in Groslière and had dealings with the Knights Templar, and received a gift from the future Louis VIII. These facts are known from documents from the time...

: Desconfortés, plain d’ire et de pesance and Moins ai joie que je ne seuil.