Je Vivroie Liement - Medieval French Song

Music & lyrics by Guillaume de Machaut, vocals & arrangement by Farya Faraji. This is a 14th century French song and one of my favourite songs of all time, from one of my favourite composers of all time: Guillaume de Machaut, a monument of not only French but Medieval music as a whole. As a leading figure of the Ars Nova, the emergent style of polyphony in France of the 1300's, he would secure his place as one of the most important musicians of the era.

My goal with this arrangement was to provide a bridge to the gap between Renaissance and earlier medieval music. When comparing historically informed renditions of French music of the early modern era to that of the 1200's and prior, the difference is obvious; one can sense the shift from modality to tonality. However, the 1300's and 1400's mark a more subtle liminal state between both eras. Modality is slowly giving way to the emergent fundamentals of what would become tonality, aka what we now recognise as Western music.

My goal was to create a completely monophonic rendition of this song, as pure monophony was still very much the norm of medieval music and of the virelai genre such as this song's; but the monophonic style here is ostensibly less modal than that of earlier songs like "E Dame de Montpellier," or "Chevaliers Mult Estez Guariz." The vocal style here is less florid and free with pitch inflection; microtonal inflections are gone, the entire attitude towards with pitch is far more strict and closer to our familiar idea of more recent Western music. As the Middle-Ages draw to an end, Western European music has changed into a different paradigm that becomes the recognisable proto-template for tonal music, which is what I wanted to illustrate here, by showing that even when dealing with monophony and a general lack of polyphony and verticality, the broader psychological-musical framework of Western European music has changed from earlier era's. Contrasting this piece with my Renaissance performances and earlier French piece should yield a fuller picture of the gradual shift from a fully modal tradition to the one we now know as Western music.

The instruments used are the harp, the hammered dulcimer, and the vielle.

Lyrics in Middle-French:
Je vivroie liement,
Douce creature,
Se vous saviés vraiement,
Qu′en vous fust parfaitement ma cure.
Dame de meintieng joli,
Plaisant, nette et pure,
Souvent me fait dire 'ai mi!′
Li maus que j'endure
Pur vous servir loyaument.
Et soié seüre
Que je ne puis nullement
Vivre einssi, se longuement
Me dure.
Je vivroie liement,
Douce creature,
Se vous saviés vraiement,
Qu'en vous fust parfaitement ma cure.
Je vivroie liement,
Douce creature,
Se vous saviés vraiement,
Qu′en vous fust parfaitement ma cure.
Car vous m′estes sans mercy
Et sans pité dure.
et s'avés le cuer de mi
Mis en tel ardure
Qu′il morra certeinnement
De mort trop obscure,
Se pour son aligement
Merci n'est procheinnement
Meüre.
Je vivroie liement,
Douce creature,
Se vous saviés vraiement,
Qu′en vous fust parfaitement ma cure.

English translation:
I should lead a happy life,
sweet creature,
if only you truly realized
that you where the cause of all
my concern.

Lady of cheerful bearing,
pleasing, bright and pure,
often the woe I suffer
to serve you loyally
makes me say 'alas!'

And you may be sure
that I can in no way
go on living like this, if it lasts
any longer.

For you are merciless to me
and pitilessly obdurate,
and have put such longing
into my heart,
that it will certainly die
a most dismal death,
unless for its relief
your mercy is soon
ready.

[faryafaraji]

Music & lyrics by Guillaume de Machaut, background artwork by Jehan Foucquet vocals & arrangement by Farya Faraji. This is a 14th century French song and one of my favourite songs of all time, from one of my favourite composers of all time: Guillaume de Machaut, a monument of not only French but Medieval music as a whole. As a leading figure of the Ars Nova, the emergent style of polyphony in France of the 1300's, he would secure his place as one of the most important musicians of the era.

My goal with this arrangement was to provide a bridge to the gap between Renaissance and earlier medieval music. When comparing historically informed renditions of French music of the early modern era to that of the 1200's and prior, the difference is obvious; one can sense the shift from modality to tonality. However, the 1300's and 1400's mark a more subtle liminal state between both eras. Modality is slowly giving way to the emergent fundamentals of what would become tonality, aka what we now recognise as Western music.

My goal was to create a mostly monophonic rendition of this song, as pure monophony was still very much the norm of medieval music and of the virelai genre such as this song's; but the monophonic style here is ostensibly less modal than that of earlier songs like "E Dame de Montpellier, " or "Chevaliers Mult Estez Guariz." The vocal style here is less florid and free with pitch inflection; microtonal inflections are gone, the entire attitude towards with pitch is far more strict and closer to our familiar idea of more recent Western music. As the Middle-Ages draw to an end, Western European music has changed into a different paradigm that becomes the recognisable proto-template for tonal music, which is what I wanted to illustrate here, by showing that even when dealing with monophony and a general lack of polyphony and verticality, the broader psychological-musical framework of Western European music has changed from earlier era's. Contrasting this piece with my Renaissance performances and earlier French piece should yield a fuller picture of the gradual shift from a fully modal tradition to the one we now know as Western music.

The instruments used are the harp, the hammered dulcimer, and the vielle.

Lyrics in Middle-French:
Je vivroie liement,
Douce creature,
Se vous saviés vraiement,
Qu′en vous fust parfaitement ma cure.
Dame de meintieng joli,
Plaisant, nette et pure,
Souvent me fait dire 'ai mi!′
Li maus que j'endure
Pur vous servir loyaument.
Et soié seüre
Que je ne puis nullement
Vivre einssi, se longuement
Me dure.
Je vivroie liement,
Douce creature,
Se vous saviés vraiement,
Qu'en vous fust parfaitement ma cure.
Je vivroie liement,
Douce creature,
Se vous saviés vraiement,
Qu′en vous fust parfaitement ma cure.
Car vous m′estes sans mercy
Et sans pité dure.
et s'avés le cuer de mi
Mis en tel ardure
Qu′il morra certeinnement
De mort trop obscure,
Se pour son aligement
Merci n'est procheinnement
Meüre.
Je vivroie liement,
Douce creature,
Se vous saviés vraiement,
Qu′en vous fust parfaitement ma cure.

English translation:
I should lead a happy life,
sweet creature,
if only you truly realized
that you where the cause of all
my concern.

Lady of cheerful bearing,
pleasing, bright and pure,
often the woe I suffer
to serve you loyally
makes me say 'alas!'

And you may be sure
that I can in no way
go on living like this, if it lasts
any longer.

For you are merciless to me
and pitilessly obdurate,
and have put such longing
into my heart,
that it will certainly die
a most dismal death,
unless for its relief
your mercy is soon
ready.

[quietcat]

At this rate with the costumes, you'll soon be able to make a full-length film about a guy time travelling into the past, in all kinds of places and eras. Great music, as always.

[craigthebrute]

Modern audiences taking the time out of their busy lives to cover your music 700 years later has to be the greatest compliment a composer could ever dream of.

[guillaumeixdaquitaine]

Merci pour cette belle interprétation de cette magnifique chanson de Guillaume de Machaut, une de mes chansons médiévales préférées.
Merci.

[lemonZzzzs]

Not European enough: where's the duduk and the stepdance shoes acting as the percussion?

[BurgermanForever-nhvp]

THIS SONG HAS BEEN GETTING STUCK IN MY HEAD FOR YEARS AND I NEVER KNEW WHAT IT WAS THANK YOU SO MUCH

[tylerbrubaker]

Right in time for my birthday! As always, thank you Farya ☺️

[chlodweg]

Un classique, mais sublimé à la perfection, je suis plus conquis que l'Angleterre après le passage de Guillaume!🤩

Merci beaucoup pour ce délice auditif!

[IoanCenturion]

One song every three to four days is a crazy pace, keep these coming!

[septimus]

I swear man you are solidifying your place even as my NIECE'S favorite musician, and snd shes not even old enough to comprehend words yet!
I've never seen a baby genuinely enjoy music more than when I told my sister to start playing your music, especially Medieval.

You're bringing the greatest positive energy in song now to a brand new generation, and I die of surprise if the next several never hear your sounds.

[HistorywithCy]

Love it... and as always, thanks for providing the translation!

[vincentiusrex]

Je n'ai pas été aussi tôt depuis que Notre-Dame était le plus haut bâtiment de Paris ! Merci d'avoir interprété ce qui est aussi une de mes chansons préférées 😊

[raphihosiassohn]

Hey bro, I don’t know if you’ll see this, but this song came at a good time for me. Your work is beautiful man. Keep going

[LilyLewis]

This is one of my absolute favorites!! I’ve been hoping you would cover Guillaume de Machaut and this did not disappoint :D

[secretarchivesofthevatican]

This is great and it's really interesting understanding where it fits in what you have been sharing about the change from modal music to modern harmony-based music.

[raychat]

Thank you for providing the world with such a rendition of De Machaut’s song 😊, and in fact for generally providing a more true to History palette of musical view and understanding, for someone like me who’s not really delved enough to know, but was at least aware that something is a miss, your musical body of work is very much appreciated, thank you Farya

[luthfilofianda]

Your medieval songs are always be my favorite! Waiting for more medieval songs!

[angry-indian-goddess]

😮 I didn't expect those notes in French Another instance of Farya teaching us how /truly/ universal music can be ❤❤❤

[mariekolify]

Thank you so much - you bring the music of this time to life again.

[Lardenoy]

Merci beaucoup ! Je suis Rémois ( ville de Reims, en Champagne, où Guillaume de Machaut, fut chanoine de la cathédrale)...La belle enluminure représentée ici est une œuvre du peintre Jehan Fouquet, représentation fidèle, vers 1450, de l'île de la Cité à Paris, de la tour de l'évêché, du Petit Pont et de Notre Dame tels que les virent François Villon ou Charles d'Orléans.
Vita brevis, ars longa ! ❤