In 1352, Pope Clement VI provided financial means for Reims Cathedral to hire twelve high-level choirmen, enabling the performance of complex polyphonic music, which was not previously common in Reims.
Composition History
Machaut's Messe de Nostre Dame was written for a specific Marian liturgy, sung every Saturday at the Rouelle altar in Reims Cathedral, continuing a tradition established by Archbishop Jean de Vienne.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Machaut consciously structured his Messe de Nostre Dame with a sophisticated approach to chord progressions, sometimes prioritizing them over strict adherence to Gregorian melodies.
Compositional Technique
The Messe de Nostre Dame is the first complete preserved polyphonic mass by a single composer, including the five movements of the Ordinary and the Ite missa est for four voices.
Compositional Technique
Machaut's Messe de Nostre Dame features an extensive use of dissonance to create tension, interchangeable voice roles for color changes, and many unconventional intervals and musica ficta.
Composer Biography
Guillaume de Machaut, the composer of the Messe de Nostre Dame, was born around 1300 near Reims, a flourishing royal city known for its textile workshops and trade fairs.
Composition History
Machaut's Messe de Nostre Dame was composed between 1363 and 1365, after the composer had access to skilled singers capable of performing his complex works.
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