Guillaume de Machaut, a pioneer of a new school of lyric compositions, is the most important poet and composer of late medieval France. This volume provides a freshly prepared edition based on the most reliable manuscript of two of Machaut’s best known dits, the Remede de Fortune (Remedy for Fortune) and the Confort d’ami (Consolation from a Friend), both of which adapt the central ideas of Boethian philosophy to the love poetry tradition.
Less well known than the Remede, the Confort d’Ami is an important political document and exemplifies one of the most significant of medieval literary forms, the regiment principum. The work is addressed to Machaut’s imprisoned patron, Charles of Navarre, who attempted to seize the throne of France upon his release. The music of the intercalated lyrics in the Remede is here included in situ in performance-accessible form, as are the manuscript illuminations in grisaille. Detailed commentaries on Machaut, these poetical works, the accompanying music, and the art program of the base manuscript are also included.
