Guillaume de Machaut and Reims: Context and Meaning in his Musical Works (Cambridge Studies in Medieval) [Hardcover]

Anne Walters Robertson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Cambridge Studies in Medieval | Publication Date: February 17, 2003

Guillaume de Machaut, fourteenth-century French composer and poet, wrote the first polyphonic Mass and many other important musical works. Friend of royalty, prelates, noted poets, and musicians, Machaut was a cosmopolitan presence in late medieval Europe. He also served as canon of the cathedral of Reims, the coronation site of French kings. From this penetrating study of his music, Machaut emerges as a composer deeply involved in the great crises of his day, one who skillfully and artfully expressed profound themes of human existence in ardent music and poetry.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A]rgues that Machaut's works are best understood in the context of his long-term relationship to Reims and its cathedral ... this is a wonderful study.... Recommended." Choice

"If the book is remarkable for the wealth of information it provides, much of it new to Machaut scholarship, it is equally valuable for the many questions it raises, as to both method and content, which will necessarily affect future studies. A figure as complex as Guillaume de Macaut must be looked at from a great many angles, and the present work has expanded the horizon in a vital new direction." - Marie Louise Gollner, University of California, Los Angeles

Book Description

Guillaume de Machaut, renowned fourteenth-century French composer and poet, wrote the first polyphonic Mass and many other important musical works. Friend of royalty, prelates, noted poets, and musicians, Machaut was a cosmopolitan presence in late medieval Europe. He also served as canon of the cathedral of Reims, the coronation site of French kings. From this penetrating study of his music, Machaut emerges as a composer deeply involved in the great crises of his day, one who skilfully and artfully expresses profound themes of human existence in ardent music and poetry.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 476 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (February 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521418763
• ISBN-13: 978-0521418768
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,424,403 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Extremely Important Volume, September 5, 2006

By 

Douglas E. Thompson "Dr. Douglas Thompson" (Waubun, MN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Guillaume de Machaut and Reims: Context and Meaning in his Musical Works (Cambridge Studies in Medieval) (Hardcover)

I am just finishing up this book in preparation for presenting new insights into Machaut's Motets to my colleagues in a doctoral level choral literature seminar. In short, this book is a brilliant contribution to our understanding of the works of Machaut, and a must have for any serious student of the Middle Ages, especially musicologists.

Dr. Robertson's strikingly clear and original points are firmly supported by her familiarity with an exceptionally large and significant number of sources from that time. It is abundantly clear that she knows what she's talking about, and, indeed, what she knows is a great deal.

Additionally, it is apparent that Dr. Robertson possesses that rare gift found in only the finest of scholars: the ability to organize and convey her ideas with a clarity and vitality that is both riviting and a delight to read.

One hopes this is only one of several such landmark offerings in the history of music and culture that this exceptional scholar is capable of bequeathing the world.

For a whole host of reasons, this book belongs on your shelf.

Douglas Thompson
Tucson, AZ

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!, January 14, 2008

By 

hinducats "hinducats" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Guillaume de Machaut and Reims: Context and Meaning in his Musical Works (Paperback)

As an early music scholar and enthusiast, I find, unfortunately, that too many scholarly books on the subject are overpriced and frightfully boring. Not this one! Author Anne Walters Robertson expounds not only on the structure of Guillaume de Machaut's work, but on the mystical side - and answers the often-pondered question of why a celibate priest like Guillaume would produce a huge body of poems and songs about passionate, romantic love. This is one of the few Cambridge University Press books (and I have consulted a lot of them) that I could actually sit down and read - and not only learn from it, but enjoy it as well. Congratulation to author Robertson for producing such a fine volume!