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Medieval Music Database

HT! Mors, come tu es haie; Fine Amours; Quare non sum mortuus
Three-voice motet by Guillaume de Machaut

Sources

New York: Wildenstein Collection, fol. 262v (3/2);
Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale, fonds français 1584 (MachA), fol. 416v (3/2); Bibliothèque Nationale, fonds français 1585 (MachB), fol. 260v (3/2); Bibliothèque Nationale, fonds français 1586 (MachC), fol. 208v (3/2); Bibliothèque Nationale, fonds français 9221 (MachE), fol. 133v (3/2); Bibliothèque Nationale, fonds français 22546 (MachG), fol. 104v (3/2).

Facsimiles

WOLF, Johannes. Geschichte der Mensural-Notation von 1250-1460 nach den theoretischen und praktischen Quellen, 3 vols., Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1904. [reprinted Hildesheim: G. Olms, 1965], p. 19 (Pn22546, diplomatic).

Editions

1. WOLF, Johannes. Geschichte der Mensural-Notation von 1250-1460 nach den theoretischen und praktischen Quellen, 3 vols., Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1904. [reprinted Hildesheim: G. Olms, 1965], Vol. III, p. 33 (Pn22546).
2. The Oxford History of Music, edited by H. E. Wooldridge, 2 vols., London: Oxford University Press, 1905. [second edition revised by Percy C. Buck, 1929-1932], Vol. II, p. 28 (incomplete).
3. Guillaume de Machaut: Musikalische Werke. Dritter Band: Motetten, edited by Friedrich Ludwig, Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1929, p. 9.
4. The Works of Guillaume de Machaut, First Part, edited by Leo Schrade, Monaco: Editions de L'Oiseau-Lyre, 1956. Polyphonic Music of the Fourteenth Century II, p. 115.

Text Editions

Guillaume de Machaut: poésies lyriques, 2 vols., edited by V. Chichmaref, Paris: 1909, p. 487.

Literature

1. KITTREDGE, G. L. 'Guillaume de Machaut and The Book of the Duchess', Publications of the Modern Language Association, XXX (1915), p. 8.
2. APEL, Willi. The Notation of Polyphonic Music 900-1600, Cambridge/Massachusetts: The Medieval Academy of America, 1942, p. 358.
3. MACHABEY, Armand. Guillaume de Machault, 130?-1377: La vie et l'oeuvre musicale, 2 vols, Paris: Richard-Masse-Editeur, 1955. Bibliothèque d'études musicales, pp. 71-73.
4. REICHERT, Georg. 'Das Verhältnis zwischen musikalischer und textlicher Struktur in den Motetten Machauts', Archiv für Musikwissenschaft, XIII (1956): 197ff.
5. GÜNTHER, Ursula. Der musikalische Stilwandel der französischen Liedkunst in der zweiten Hälfte des 14. Jahrhunderts, dargestelt an Virelais, Balladen und Rondeax von Machaut., Ph.D. dissertation, University of Hamburg: 1957, Chapter 4.5.
6. SANDERS, Ernest. 'The mediaeval motet', Gattungen der Musik in Einzeldarstellungen: Gedenkschrift Leo Schrade, Erste Folge, Bern, Munich: 1971, pp. 497-573.
7. LEGUY, Sylvette. 'Les procédés de composition dans l'oeuvre de Machaut (à l'exclusion de la Messe)', Guillaume de Machaut, poète et compositeur. Colloque - Table Ronde, 1978, pp. 307-320.
8. GÜNTHER, Ursula. 'Contribution de la musicologie à la biographie et à la chronologie de Guillaume de Machaut', Guillaume de Machaut, poète et compositeur. Colloque - Table Ronde, 1978, pp. 95-116.

Recordings

Guillaume de Machault. Balladen - Motetten - Rondeaus - Virelais, Capella Lipsiensis, directed by Dietrich Knothe (1971): Philips 6580 026.

Text

Triplum:

HT! Mors, com tu es haie
de moy, quant tu as ravie
ma joie, ma druerie.
mon solas.
par qui je sui einsi mas
et mis de si haut si bas.
et ne me pouies pas
assaillir.
Laz! mieus amasse morir
qu'avoir si grief souvenir
qui moult souvent resjoir
me soloit.
m'amour en pensant doubloit.
mon desir croistre faisoit
et toudis amenuisoit
mes dolours.
Mais c'est dou tout a rebours.
car croistre les fait tous jours
en grans souspirs et en plours.
pour m'amour
que sens par avoir valour.
sens, courtoisie et honnour.
Or scay bien que sans retour
perdu l'ay
et que la mort en aray.
quant Amours delaisseray
ne remirer ne porray
son accueil.
qui met en moy si grant deuil
que riens ne desir ne weil
fors la mort.
s'aray mon weil
acompli.
Et se il en estoit en mi
de ma mort ou de merci.
dou tout mettroie en oubli
ma vie.
car en moy joie n'est mie.
Et on dit, je n'en doubt mie.
Qui bien aimme a tart oublie.
Bien l'ottroy;
et pour ce qu'il a l'ottroy
d'amours, soit saiges de soy
et si serve en bonne foy.
sans folie.
car il n'est, pour voir l'affie.
Nulle si grief departie.
come c'est d'ami et d'amie.

Motetus:

Fine Amour, qui me vint navrer
au cuer, m'a fait grant desraison.
quant elle ne voloit saner
mon mal en temps et en saison.
mais tant me fait en sa prison
les tres gries peinnes endurer.
car des or mais reconforter
ne me puet fors que nuire non.
car Fortune ma garison
m'a tollu pour moy plus grever.
Helas! or me puis dementer.
plourer et pleindre a grant foison.
en atendant, pour bien amer.
la mort en lieu de guerredon.

Translation

Triplum:

Hey, Death! How I hate you.
since you have taken away
my joy, my delight.
my pleasure.
by which I am thus vanquished
and placed from so high to so low -
but you cannot attack me.
Alas! I would rather die
than have such a painful memory.
which very often
used to make me rejoice.
From the memory of it
would my love double.
my desire increase.
and always
would my sorrows diminish.
But the situation is completely reversed.
for it now makes them grow all the time
in the midst of great sighing and tears.
because of my love.
who I believe has true valour.
without peer.
good sense, courtesy and honour.
Now I know well that.
without respite, I have lost it.
and that Death shall replace it.
Once I have abandoned Love.
and can no longer remember
Her welcome.
which sets within me
such great sorrow.
that I neither desire
nor wish for anything but death.
I shall have my wish fulfilled.
And if I had the choice
between Death or Pity.
I would completely forget my life.
for there is no joy in me.
And it it said, I doubt it not:
He who loves well is reluctant to forget.
I agree totally.
and since he has Love's approval.
let him conduct himself wisely
and also give good
and faithful service.
for I affirm it totally, that
there is no such painful separation
as there is between a lover and his sweetheart.

Motetus:

True Love, which comes to wound my heart.
has done me great wrong.
since She does not wish to cure my suffering
in the nick of time.
But in Her prison
She makes me bear so much the very grievous pains.
for henceforth I cannot be comforted
without being harmed.
since Fortune has taken away my cure
in order the more to torment me.
Alas! Now I may go mad with grief.
cry and complain.
waiting - in order to love well -
for death instead of my reward.

Text revision and translation © Robyn Smith

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

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