Jehannot de l'Escurel (13th c.-1304); FRA   

Jehannot de l'Escurel was a poet and composer active in early fourteenth century Paris. Little is known about his life; some authors identify him with a Notre Dame cleric of the same name who was hanged for debauchery in 1304. His only surviving works are a set of 34 compositions contained in a rare manuscript of the "Roman de Fauvel," all of which follow the formes fixes of rondeau, virelai, and ballade. The songs in this collection are monophonic, with the exception of the three-voice rondeau "A vous douce debonnaire." The collection also contains two poems whose strophes conclude with a refrain set to a notated melody. Scholars have observed that the works in this collection appear in alphabetical order and end with the letter "G," indicating that they may only represent a portion of his complete output. l'Escurel's works are significant in that they form the largest body of music from this period in which the rhythmic durations are notated, a practice that would fully develop over subsequent generations, especially in the works of Guillaume de Machaut.

© Robert Adelson, All Music Guide

Below are works by Jehannot de l'Escurel that every music lover should explore: