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Medieval Music Database

Par maintes foys ay oy recorder
virelai by Johannes Vaillant

Sources

Brussels: Bibliothèque du Conservatoire Royal de Musique, fonds St. Gudule, 1st Fragment, fol. 1 (3/1);
Chantilly: Bibliothèque du Musée Condé 564, fol. 60 (3/1);
Grottaferrata: Badia Greca, Biblioteca, collocazione provisoria 197, fol. 12v-13 (3/1) (incomplete);
Innsbruck: Universitätsbibliothek, MS. s.s. (Wolkenstein-Rodeneck Codex), fol. 22v-23 (3/1) (Contrafactum);
Lucca: Archivio di Stato 184 (Mancini Codex), fol. 74v-75v (3/1);
Mons: collection privée F. Leclercq, fol. recto (4/2);
Munich: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Clm 14274 (olim M.mus. 3232a), fol. 27v-28 (3/1) (Contrafactum);
Strasbourg: Bibliothèque Municipale (olim Bibliothèque de la Ville) 222 C. 22, fol. 65v (2/2) (Contrafactum)(lost);
Vienna: Österreichische Nationalbibliothek 2777, fol. 19v-20 (3/1) (Contrafactum).

Facsimiles

1. LECLERCQ, F. 'Questions à propos d'un fragment récemment découvert d'une chanson du XIV siècle: une autre version de "Par maintes fois"' Musik und Text in der Mehrstimmigkeit des 14. und 15. Jahrhunderts, Kassel: Bärenreiter, 1984, (B-ML, BcI)., (B-ML, BcI).
2. The Lucca Codex. Codice Mancini. Introductory Study and Facsimile Edition, edited by John Nádas and Agostino Ziino, Lucca: Libreria musicale italiana editrice, 1990.

Editions

1. GENNRICH, Friedrich. 'Zur Musikinstrumentenkunde der Machaut-Zeit', Zeitschrift für Musikwissenschaft, IX (1926-1927), p. 550.
2. French Secular Music of the Late Fourteenth Century, edited by Willi Apel, Cambridge/Massachusetts: Medieval Academy of America, 1950, no. 69.
3. Study Scores of Musical Styles, edited by Edward R. Lerner, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968, no. 30 (incomplete).
4. French Secular Compositions of the Fourteenth Century, music edited by Willi Apel, texts edited by Samuel N. Rosenberg, Rome: American Institute of Musicology, 1970. Corpus Mensurabilis Musicae 53/I, p. 222 (CH564, Las184).
5. French Secular Music. Manuscript Chantilly, Musée Condé 564, Second Part, edited by Gordon K. Greene, Monaco: Editions de L'Oiseau-Lyre, 1982. Polyphonic Music of the Fourteenth Century XIX, p. 170 (CH564).
6. WILLIAMS, Carol J. The Mancini Codex: A Manuscript Study, Ph.D. dissertation (University of Adelaide), 3 vols., 1983, Vol. II, p. 96.
7. LECLERCQ, F. 'Questions à propos d'un fragment récemment découvert d'une chanson du XIV siècle: une autre version de "Par maintes fois"' Musik und Text in der Mehrstimmigkeit des 14. und 15. Jahrhunderts, Kassel: Bärenreiter, 1984, p. 222.
8. French Secular Music. Virelais, edited by Gordon K. Greene, Monaco: Editions de L'Oiseau-Lyre, 1987. Polyphonic Music of the Fourteenth Century XXI, p. 158 (CH564, BcI).
9. Johannes Vaillant: Par maintes foys, edited by Bernard Thomas, London Pro Musica, 1990. Early Music Library 179.

Literature

1. BORREN, Charles van den. Le manuscrit musical 222 C. 22 de la bibliothèque de Strasbourg (XVe siècle) brulé en 1870, et reconstitué d'après une copie d'Edmond de Coussemaker, Antwerp: E. Secelle, 1924, pp. 113-114, 197.
2. BONACCORSI, Alfredo. 'Un nuovo codice dell' Ars nova: Il codice Lucchese', Atti della Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Ser. 8, I/12 (1948), p. 599.
3. PIRROTTA, Nino and Ettore LI GOTTI. 'Il Codice di Lucca. III. Il repertorio musicale', Musica Disciplina, V (1951), p. 137.
4. GÜNTHER, Ursula. 'Johannes Vaillant', Speculum Musicae Artis: Festgabe für Heinrich Husmann zum 60. Geburtstag, Munich: 1970, p. 184.
5. GÜNTHER, Ursula. 'Zitate in französischen Liedsätzen der Ars nova und Ars subtilior', Musica Disciplina, XXVI (1972), p. 59/n42.
6. WILKINS, Nigel. 'Virelai', The New Grove, XX (1980): 1-3.
7. HALLMARK, Anne. 'Some evidence for French influence in northern Italy, c.1400', Studies in the Performance of Late Mediaeval Music, edited by Stanley Boorman, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983, pp. 193-226.
8. GÜNTHER, Ursula. 'Sinnbezüge zwischen Text und Musik in Ars nova und Ars subtilior', Musik und Text in der Mehrstimmigkeit des 14. und 15. Jahrhunderts, edited by U. Günther and L. Finscher, Kassel: Bärenreiter, 1984, pp. 229-268.
9. WILKINS, Nigel. 'The late mediaeval French lyric: with music and without', Musik und Text in der Mehrstimmigkeit des 14. und 15. Jahrhunderts, edited by U. Günther and L. Finscher, Kassel: Bärenreiter, 1984, pp. 155-174.

Recordings

1. Music of Mediaeval France 1200 - 1400 [Songs of Birds, Battles and Love, and the Flowering of the French Chanson], Deller Consort, Concentus Musicus Vienna, directed by Alfred Deller, Nicolaus Harnoncourt (1961): Bach Guild BG 70656 (mono BG 656).
2. Early Music in Italy, France and Burgundy, Early Music Studio, directed by Thomas Binkley (1965): Telefunken 6.41068 AS (SAWT 9466).
3. Music from the Hundred Year War, Musica Reservata, directed by John Beckett (1969): Philips 6747 004 (set 5) (INT).
4. Transformations, Music for a While, directed by Richard Taruskin (1974): 1750 Arch Records 1753.
5. Ars Magis Subtiliter, Project Ars Nova (1989): New Albion Records NA 021 CD.
6. Bestiarium, Elisabetta de' Mircovich, Claudia Caffagni, Ella de' Mircovich, Livia Caffagni, La Reverdie (1991): Nuova Era 6970.
7. Machaut and his time, Alba Musica Kyo (1994): Channel Classics CCS 7094.

Text

Par maintes foys ay oy recorder
du rosignol la douce melodie.
Mais ne s'i veult le cucu acorder.
ains veult chanter contre ly par envie:
"Cucu, cucu, cucu" toute sa vie.
Car il veult bien a son chant descourder.
et pourtant dit le reusignol et crie:
"Je vos comant qu'on le tue et ocie:
Tue, tue, tue, tue, oci, oci.
oci, oci, oci, oci, oci.
fi de li, fi de li, fi de li, fi.
oci, oci, oci, oci, oci, oci.
oci, oci, oci, fi, fi.
fi du cucu qui d'amours veult parler."

Si vous suppli, ma tres douce alouette.
que voz voullTs dire vostre chanson:
"Lire, lire, lire, lire, (lire,) lirelon;
que dit Dieu, Dieu, que te dit Dieu.
que dit Dieu, Dieu.
que te dit Dieu, Dieu, que te dit Dieu, Dieu.
que te dit Dieu, Dieu?"
Il est tamps, il est [tamps]
que le roussinolet die sa chansounette:
"Oci, oci, oci, oci, oci, oci, oci, oci.
oci seront qui nos vont guerroyant."

AssemblTs vos; prenTs la cardinette.
faites chanter la calle et le sanson.
tuTs, (tuTs,) batTs cucu pilebisson!
Il est pris, pris, il est pris, pris.
Or soit mis mort.
soit mis a mort, mort, soit dist il mort, mort.
soit mis a mort, mort."
Or aloms seurement
anjoliver [n]os (qu')et cullir la mosette;
ami, ami, ami, ami, ami, ami, [ami, ami,]
toudis seray le dieux d'amours priant.

Par maintes fois ay oy recorder
du rosignol la douce melodie.
Mais ne s'i veut le cucu acorder.
ains veult chanter contre ly par envie
"Cucu, cucu, cucu" toute sa vie.
car il veult bien a sont chant descourder
et pourtant dit le rosignol et crie:
"Je vos comant qu'on le tue et ocie!
Tue, tue, tue, tue, oci, oci.
oci, oci, oci, oci, oci.
fi de li, fi de li, fi de li, fi.
oci, oci, oci, oci, oci.
oci, oci, oci, oci, fi, fi.
fi du cucu qui d'amours veult parler."

Translation

Many times have I heard brought into harmony
the sweet melody of the nightingale.
But the cuckoo does not wish to harmonize with him.
rather does he wish to sing against him out of envy:
"Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo!" all his days.
For he wishes indeed to sing out of tune with him.
and because of this the nightingale sings and calls aloud:
"I command you to have him killed and slain.
Kill, kill, kill, kill, slay, slay.
slay, slay, slay, slay, slay, slay.
fie on him, fie on him, fie on him.
slay, slay, slay, slay, slay, slay.
slay, slay, slay, fie, fie!
Fie on on the cuckoo who wishes to speak of love.

Indeed I entreat you, my very sweet skylark.
that you be so good as to sing your song.
"Lire, lire, lire, lire, lirelon;
toowee, toowee, toowee, toowee.
toowee, toowee.
toowee, toowee, toowee, toowee.
toowee, toowee!"
It is time, it is [time]
that the nightingale sings his little song:
slay, slay, slay, slay, slay, slay, slay, slay.
Slain will be those who wage war upon you.

Gather yourselves: take the gold-finch.
make the quail and the starling sing;
kill, beat the cuckoo, who beats the living daylights out of his
"He is taken, taken, he is taken, taken, [linen!
he is taken, taken.
Now may he be put to death, be put to death, to death.
be put to death, to death!"
Now let us go with our minds at peace.
amuse ourselves and gather up lily-of-the-valley.
Love, love, love, love, my love, my love, my love, my love.
always will I pray to the God of Love.

Many times have I heard brought into harmony
the sweet melody of the nightingale.
But the cuckoo does not wish to harmonize with him.
rather does he wish to sing against him out of envy:
"Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo!" all his days.
For he wishes indeed to sing out of tune with him.
and because of this the nightingale sings and cries:
"I command you to have him killed and slain.
Kill, kill, kill, kill, slay, slay.
slay, slay, slay, slay, slay, slay.
fie on him, fie on him, fie on him.
slay, slay, slay, slay, slay, slay.
slay, slay, slay, slay, fie, fie!
Fie on the cuckoo who wishes to speak of love."Text revision and translation © Robyn Smith

Content Approved by: MMDB Director
Last updated: Wednesday, 19 March 2003

Cantus

CAO-ECE

Cantus Planus

Vulgate

DIAMM

TML

Latin Dictionary