Author
Guillaume de Machaut (French, 1300-1377):
- took holy orders at an early age
- later became secretary to John of Luxembourg, king of Bohemia.
- active in the court of Charles, duke of Normandy
- spent his later life as a canon at the Cathedral of Rheims
- Wikipedia Article
Time and Place
- Ars nova era, mid 14th century
- Written in France
About the Piece
(much of the description comes from elements that were brought out by Forney and Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, and the accompanying DVD)- Genre is polyphonic chanson in 3 voices
- form: A-B-a-A-a-b-A-B
- Alternates between two different (melodic) phrases
- relatively low (male voice) range, but a decently wide range none the less
- very fluid and smooth
- slow
- emphasis on the word sui
- language is (Middle) French
- title means "Since I am forgotten"
Purpose
- Secular
- Very sad song
- author morns unrequited love
Reflections
I really like this song. The mornful tune fits so well with the text; it reminds me of something the modern-day band Evanescence would have sung in the Ars Nova era. For some reason, sad songs sound more like art to me than happy ones, perhaps because I feel like the artist is being honest with me.