P. des Molins
P. des Molins (fl. mid 14th century), probably Pierre des Molins,[n 1] was a French composer-poet in the ars nova style of late medieval music. His two surviving compositions – the ballade De ce que fol pensé and rondeau Amis, tout dous vis – were tremendously popular as they are among the most transmitted pieces of fourteenth-century music. The ballade is found in 12 medieval manuscript sources and featured in a c. 1420 tapestry; the rondeau is found in 8 sources and referenced by the Italian poet Simone de' Prodenzani. Along with Grimace, Jehan Vaillant and F. Andrieu,[2] Molins was one of the post-Guillaume de Machaut generation whose music shows few distinctly ars subtilior features, leading scholars to recognize Molins's work as closer to the ars nova style of Machaut.[3]
Identity and career[edit]
P. des Molins is only known for two works, the three-part ballade De ce que fol pensé and three-part rondeau Amis, tout dous vis.[4][1] No secure biographical information about Molins exists. His name is given as "P. des Molins" in the Chantilly Codex and as "Mulino" in the codex, Paris, Bibl. Nat. MS ital. 568. In several sources, the title of Amis, tout dous [le] vis is given as "The mills of Paris," (Molendium de Paris, Die molen van Pariis, and El Molin de Paris), probably misconstruing the name of the composer (Molins means mill) as the title of the piece.[5] His name signifies that he originally hailed from the north of France, although he is thought to have emigrated to southern France at the Avignon court.[6] In doing so he would have been in the company of many composers of the time, such as Grimace, Jacob Senleches and Trebor.[7]
Craig Wright has suggested that he was the musician in the court of Jean II, King of France, named "Perotus de Molyno," placing him in England from 1357 to 1359.[8] The reference to the "languid en estrange contrée" in De ce que fol could refer to the captivity of the court under King Edward III.[8] Earlier, Suzanne Clercx and Richard Hoppin suggested that he could have been the Petrus de Molendino, civis parisiensis mentioned in connection with Pope Clement VI in 1345.[9] Ursula Günther has connected him tentatively with a Perrotum Danielis alias del moli from a document from 1387 or as the chancellor of the Duke of Berry, Philippe de Moulins mentioned in 1368 and 1371.[5]
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Con l'organi framegni fe' Rigolti |
Music[edit]
| External image | |
|---|---|
 Tapestry which includes De ce que fol pense |
De ce que fol pense[edit]
De ce que fol pense appears in twelve sources.[11] In one of these sources, Strasbourg 222, it is attributed to Guillaume de Machaut, an ascription universally rejected by scholars.[12] The composition's opening cantus part appears in a 15th-century tapestry depicting a lady harp player reading from the score held by her servant.[4]
Amis, tout dous vis[edit]
Amis, tous dous [le] vis appears in eight musical sources and is cited in Il Solazzo by Simone de' Prodenzani. Amis, tout dous vis is found as a highly decorated version in some sources;[13] the work is listed as Di molen van Pariis and is likely intended to be instrumental.[1]
Works[edit]
| Title | No. of voices | Genre | Manuscript source: Folios[n 2] | Apel | Greene |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| De ce que fol pense | 3 | Ballade | F-CA 1328 (CaB): 18v, previously 5v
|
A 84 | G Vol 19 |
| Amis, tout dous vis | 3 | Rondeau | I-IV 115 (Iv): 3r–2v, 3st
|
A 85 | G Vol 22 |
Editions[edit]
P. des Molins's works are included in the following collections:
- Apel, Willi, ed. (1970). French Secular Compositions of the Fourteenth Century. Corpus mensurabilis musicae 53. Vol. 1, Ascribed Compositions. Cambridge: American Institute of Musicology. OCLC 311424615.
- Greene, Gordon K., ed. (1981–89). French Secular Music. Polyphonic Music of the Fourteenth Century. Vol. 19, 22. Monaco: Éditions de l'Oiseau-Lyre.
- Greene, Gordon K., ed. (1982). Manuscript Chantilly, Musée Condé 564 Part 2, nos. 51–100. Polyphonic Music of the Fourteenth Century. Vol. 19. Monaco: Éditions de l'Oiseau-Lyre. OCLC 181661945.
- Greene, Gordon K., ed. (1989). Rondeaux and Miscellaneous Pieces. Polyphonic Music of the Fourteenth Century. Vol. 22. Monaco: Éditions de l'Oiseau-Lyre. OCLC 19540959.
Recordings[edit]
| Year | Album | Performers | Piece | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Art of Courtly Love | Early Music Consort of London | Amis, tous dous | Conte HMV SLS 863 |
| 1989 | Ars Magis Subtiliter | Ensemble Project Ars Nova | De ce que fol pense | New Albion 021 |
| 1999 | D'amours loial servant | Alla Francesca | De ce que fol pense | Virgin Veritas 7243 5 45357 2 7 |
| 2002 | Wolkenstein | Ensemble Alta Musica | De ce que fol pense | Carpe Diem 16265 |
| 2003 | Unrequited | Liber Unusualis | De ce que fol pense | LU 1001 |
| 2004 | Zodiac | Capilla Flamenca | De ce que fol pense | Eufoda 1360 |
| 2005 | Alta musica | Ensemble Alta Musica | Amis, tous dous | Carpe Diem 16260 |
| 2010 | Oswald von Wolkenstein - Songs of Myself | Andreas Scholl & Shield of Harmony | Amis, tous dous | Harmonia Mundi HMC 902051 |
References[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ A few medieval sources refer to him as Die molen van Pariis[1]
- ^ "v" and "r" stand for verso and recto respectively; in left-right language books, verso is the front page while recto is the back page.
- ^ An incipit of De ce que fol pense is listed in the index of F-Pn 23190 (Trém), but the page on which the piece appeared is lost.
- ^ An incipit of Amis, tout dous vis is listed in the index of F-Pn 23190 (Trém), but the page on which the piece appeared is lost.
Citations[edit]
- ^ a b c Abraham & Hughes 1960, p. 29.
- ^ Reaney 1954, p. 85.
- ^ Strohm 2005, p. 53.
- ^ a b Reaney 2001, § para. 2.
- ^ a b Günther, Ursula. "Die Musiker des Herzogs von Berry", Musica Disciplina 17 (1963), pp. 79–95.
- ^ Wilkins 1979, p. 23.
- ^ Wilkins 1979, p. 28.
- ^ a b Wright 1979, p. 17.
- ^ Clercx-Lejeune, Suzanne and Richard Hoppin. "Notes biographiques sur quelques musiciens français du XIVe siècle", Les Colloques de Wégimont II—1955, L’Ars nova: Recueil d’études sur la musique du XIVe siècle (Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 1959), pp. 63–92.
- ^ Wilkins 1968, p. 58.
- ^ Strohm 1984, p. 116.
- ^ Earp 2013, pp. 65, 128.
- ^ Reaney 1954, p. 72.
- ^ Reaney 2001, § "Works".
- ^ Leach 2011.
- ^ "Amis, tout dous vis, ne joye". lib.latrobe.edu.au. La Trobe University. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- ^ "De ce fol penser". lib.latrobe.edu.au. La Trobe University. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- ^ "De ce que foul pensT souvent remaynt". lib.latrobe.edu.au. La Trobe University. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
Sources[edit]
- Books
- Abraham, Gerald; Hughes, Dom Anselm, eds. (1960). Ars Nova and the Renaissance 1300-1540. The New Oxford History of Music. Vol. III. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-316303-4.
- Boorman, Stanley, ed. (2017). Studies in the Performance of Late Medieval Music. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-08831-2.
- Earp, Lawrence (2013) [1995]. Guillaume de Machaut: A Guide to Research. Oxford, England: Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-8240-2323-2.
- Leach, Elizabeth Eva (2005). "P. des Molins". In Finscher, Ludwig (ed.). Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart. Vol. 13. Kassel, Germany: Bärenreiter. pp. 220–221. ISBN 978-3-476-41020-7.
- Strohm, Reinhard (2005). The Rise of European Music, 1380-1500. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-61934-9.
- Wilkins, Nigel (1979). Music in the age of Chaucer. Cambridge, England: D.S. Brewer. ISBN 978-0-85991-052-1.
- Wright, Craig M. (1979). Music at the Court of Burgundy, 1364-1419. Henryville: Institute of Medieval Music. ISBN 978-0-912024-25-7.
- Journals and articles
- Newes, Virginia Ervin (1977). "Imitation in the Ars nova and Ars subtilior". Revue belge de Musicologie / Belgisch Tijdschrift voor Muziekwetenschap. 31. Belgium: Societe Belge de Musicologie: 38–59. doi:10.2307/3686188. JSTOR 3686188.
- Reaney, Gilbert (1954). "The Manuscript Chantilly, Musée Condé 1047". Musica Disciplina. 8: 59–113. JSTOR 20531876.
- Reaney, Gilbert (2001). "Molins, P(ierre) des". Grove Music Online. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.18887. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
- Strohm, Reinhard (1984). "The Ars Nova Fragments of Gent". Tijdschrift van de Koninklijke Vereniging voor Nederlandse Muziekgeschiedenis. 2 (2). Koninklijke Vereniging voor Nederlandse Muziekgeschiedenis: 109–131. doi:10.2307/939011. JSTOR 939011.
- Wilkins, Nigel (1968). "The Post-Machaut Generation of Poet-Musicians". Nottingham Medieval Studies. 12. Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols: 40–84. doi:10.1484/J.NMS.3.38.
- Online
Blog by subject-matter expert
- Leach, Elizabeth Eva (3 January 2011). "The composer P. des Molins". eeleach.blog.
External links[edit]
- List of compositions by P. des Molins at the Digital Image Archive of Medieval Music
- Works by P. des Molins in the Medieval Music Database from La Trobe University
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