The Malatestas were a large, extraordinarily powerful family in the Italian Renaissance; their dual branches controlled the towns of Pesaro and Rimini. Although they eventually succumbed to bitter rivalry, during the time when Dufay was among their artistic beneficiaries they were still in a powerful alliance, and had their main base in Rimini.

The three surviving works Dufay is known to have composed for the family are the magnificent isorhythmic motet Vasilissa ergo gaude (the first datable composition in Dufay's oeuvre), and two ballades: Mon chier ami and Resveilliés vous. Resveilliés vous was composed for the marriage of Carlo Malatesta da Pesaro to Vittoria di Lorenzo Colonna, celebrated at Rimini on July 18, 1423. Ballades were one of the customary forms used for such occasions, probably because the recurring refrain line could contain a reference to the patron, underscoring again and again the name of the one being honored: "Charle gentil, qu'on dit de Malateste." To emphasize further, Dufay sets "Charle gentil" in block-chord homorhythm. Though musically incongruous, these blatant musical references to patrons appear in a number of Dufay's works—the fifteenth century equivalent of today's hilarious "product placements" in films.

In spite of this, the chanson is quite beautiful—certainly not burdened by Charles' presence. Dufay was clearly satisfied with the work since he made Resveilliés vous the musical basis for his first surviving mass cycle, the inaccurately named Missa Sine nomine. The mass may in fact have been sung at the wedding also.

The two main sections of Resveilles vous have different meters; the contrast between them brings their principle melodies into sharp relief. The rich counterpoint generally follows the movement of the topmost discantus voice, with the two lower parts shadowing it in gesture and manner. Rhythmic contrast is the key to Dufay's thinking here; it is also used within each section to maintain interest within the discantus voice. The wealth of material here indeed suggests a greater structural capacity than a mere ballade, and so it's no surprise that Resveilliés vous became the foundation of a much more ambitious, important work.

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