Jehan de Lescurel

Jehan de Lescurel (; also Jehannot de l'Escurel) was a composer-poet of late medieval music. Jehan's extensive surviving oeuvre is an important and rare examples of the formes fixes before the time of Guillaume de Machaut; it consists of 34 works: 20 ballades, 12 rondeaus and two long narrative poems, diz entés. All but one of his compositions is monophonic, representing the end of the trouvère tradition and the beginning of the polyphonic ars nova style centered around the formes fixes.

Identity and career Jehan de Lescurel is also known as Jehannot de l'Escurel. Very little is known of his life; the transmission, notation and circumstances of his works suggest he was active in the early 14th century, and his compositions's textual references indicate he was active in Paris. It has also been inferred that Jehan was the son of a merchant and probably received his musical training at the Notre Dame de Paris. For many years, scholars assumed he was the 'Jehan de Lescurel' who had been hanged on 23 May 1304 along with three other young clerics of Notre Dame, including Oudinet Pisdoé, for "debauchery" and "crimes against women". Recent research has shown that "Jehan de Lescurel" was a rather common name in early fourteenth-century Paris, and there is no other clear link between the composer and cleric.

Music He was a transitional figure from the trouvère period to the . His lyrical style unites him with the composers of the later period. The sole source for his music is the same manuscript (Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS français 146) which preserves the interpolated version of the Roman de Fauvel.

Most of his works are monophonic songs, in the style of the trouvères; only one of his 34 works is polyphonic, although he wrote other works which have not survived. The songs are virelais, ballades, rondeaux; 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. Jehan also has two extant diz entés, lengthy poems with music set only to the refrain text.

Works + List of compositions by Jehan de Lescurel W Title Genre 1 A vous, douce debonnaireRondeau 2 Amours aus vrais cuers commune Ballade 3 A vous, douce debonnaireRondeau 4 Amours cent mille merciz Ballade 5 Amour, voules vous acorder Ballade 6 Amours que vous ai meffait Ballade 7 Abundance de felonnie Ballade 8 Amours trop vous doi cherir Ballade 9 Bietris est mes delisRondeau 10 Bien se lace Ballade 11 Bontes, sen, valours et pris Ballade 12 Bonne amour me rent Ballade 13 Bonnement m'agreeRondeau 14 Belle et noble a bonne estrainne Rondeau 15 Bien se peust apercevoir Ballade 16 Belle com loiaus amans Ballade 17 Comment que pour l'eloignance Ballade 18 De gracieuse dame amerRondeau 19 De la grant joie d'amours Ballade 20 Douce Amour confortez moi Ballade 21 Dame vo regars m'ont mis en la voie Ballade 22 D'amour qui n'est bien celee Ballade 23 Dame gracieuse et bele Ballade 24 Dame, par vo dous regartRondeau 25 Douce dame je vous priRondeau 26 Douce desirreeRondeau 27 Dame, si vous vient a greRondeau 28 Diex quant la verraiRondeau 29 Dis tans plus qu'il ne faudroit flours Ballade 30 Fi, mesdisans esragie Ballade 31 Guilleurs me font mout souventRondeau 32 Gracieusette Ballade 33 Gracieuse, faitisse et sage Diz entez 34 Gracieus temps est quant rosier Diz entezNo other works by Jehan survive

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