The music to the left dates from about 1400 from the area of Rheims (France) and written by a fellow named Baude Fresnel who used the nom de plume "Cordier" (of the heart - Cor). Of course we know the "music" as the manuscript decorated a perfume bottle (Chantilly) and someone may be impressed that the music was bound into the collection of French songs called "The Chantilly Codex" this one added last to the volume.
One of our friends visited today and was fretting about what to give his "bride" for Valentine's Day - a simple card not being adequate. We of course suggested some bubbly and a trip to the chocolate store down the street. That launched him into one of his stories.
He recounted that he had taken a music manuscript course for some hotsietot degree and there was a book all musicology students eventual make of transcriptions of some 40 or so of these manuscripts like the one above and the trick was to put them into modern notation. This one was really hard until you figured it out and got over the curved top part. You can see the three parts - the main one at the top in the heart curve, the other two underneath - look for the flourished script "B". It was up to the performer to put the text in exactly (it is in the form of a "rondeau(x)" - not a round but a poetic form - usually 8 lines - more than you want to know) and knowing that helps you figure things out.
We were bored silly at this point but smiled on; this being far more than we ever wanted to know but somehow or another we were touched to think that 600 years someone wrote a love song in the shape of a heart. We mean, WHEN was the last time someone wrote you a love song shaped like that?
Today is Valentines Day and if you just find the object of your affection and show him/her the picture of the manuscript and say "Beautiful Good Wise" (belle bonne sage)...you might score a point or two...otherwise go to the perfume store.
No comments:
Post a Comment