Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Semester of Degree Completion
1999
Thesis Director
Marilyn J. Coles
Abstract
The life of Guillaume de Machaut (c. 1300-1377) is examined in light of his loyalty to his king, patriotism toward his country, and his religious ties to the Catholic church. Each of these, as well as his affair in middle age with a young, nineteen year old girl named Peronnelle, shaped the life and work of Machaut. The rich legacy of Machaut's prolific output of poetry and music is documented from his personal involvement in its preservation. The fixed poetic forms, the formes fixes, found in his virelais, ballades, and rondeaux became a springboard of evolution under Machaut's creative talents. Machaut's contribution to the Ars Nova movement served to generate change in music composition that would continue to expand throughout the centuries. His largest single musical work, the mass La Messe de Nostre Dame is the earliest complete setting of the Ordinary in existence by one composer. The most unique feature in Machaut's life is his autobiographical Livre du Voir Dit which is the first recorded autobiography of a musician. The declining Middle Ages is echoed in Machaut's music and poetry, and these preserved works provide a glimpse into the Fourteenth Century.
Recommended Citation
Pearcy, Sharon S., "Guillaume de Machaut: Musician and Poet" (1999). Masters Theses. 1697.
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/1697
