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De Fortune me doy pleindre (a3 or 4)Genre: Chanson
Pr. Instrument: Chorus/Choir
De Fortune me doy pleindre is a polyphonic song composed by the fourteenth-century French composer and poet, Guillaume de Machaut (c.1300-1377). An example of the genre known as the ballade, versions exist with either three or four parts. However, only one part, the cantus has text, and it may be safely assumed that the other parts are meant to be performed by instruments. De Fortune me doy pleindre is believed to date from the early part of Machaut's period of ballade composition between 1325 and 1335 in the early years of his patronage by John of Luxembourg, King of Bohemia. As all ballades, it is a refrain song, and has three stanzas. It is catalogued by Schrade as Ballade No. 23.
More songs survive by Machaut than do by any other composer of the fourteenth century, although this is largely due to several sources being devoted entirely to works by Machaut. Possibly Machaut himself arranged these sources, begging the question whether his fame during his own lifetime is proportional the number of songs surviving by him. If his representation in other fourteenth-century manuscripts is a guide, it may be suggested that he was better-known to his contemporaries as a poet rather than as a composer.
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