Much of the style of the sixteenth century "Parisian" chanson depends upon convention. The poetry, even that of the celebrated Clément Marot, explores the usual complaints of the neglected courtly lover, who despairs of ever knowing the satisfaction of consummating a love affair with the distant (married) beloved. The poetry, however, of the time makes the exploration with a freshness and a simple elegance that mirror its Parisian society. Likewise, the musical settings of such texts betray a simpler yet still effectively direct aesthetic. Claudin de Sermisy worked at the heart of the new "Parisian" chanson style and embodied in his music the tensions between utter simplicity of style and strength of emotional affect. A miniature chanson such as Las je m'y plains exemplifies the mixture. As with the majority of the "Parisian" chanson repertory that flourished in the early decades of the sixteenth century, Sermisy's four-voiced musical setting tends toward a completely homophonic texture, with brief and carefully chiseled melodic phrases leading to clearcut cadences. The form tends to be rounded by melodic repetition at the conclusion, and F "major" happens to be the most common tonal center. Yet in the case of this piece, Sermisy stretches the musical fabric in subtle ways. Nearly every phrase involves some imitative motives, as if to disturb the overall stability of the piece. This insistence on imitative motives can both unify the chanson—since a number of the motives are very close in melodic content—and disturb it, as sometimes a voice will attempt to bring the musical texture to a cadential resting point before the others are ready to do so. The uncharacteristically high level of imitation in this piece can also highlight particular texts, such as the third poetic line: "Venez, regretz." Not only does this imitation physically evoke the command that the speaker's regrets should follow, it subtly links Las je m'y plains with the rich, earlier traditions of "regret" chansons by La Rue and others.

© Timothy Dickey, Rovi