Robert de Reims: Songs and Motets

Robert de Reims, also known as "La Chievre de Rains," was a poet-composer who wrote in the dialects of northern France. This critical edition provides new translations into English and modern French of all his songs and motets, along with the original texts, extant music, and a substantive introduction. His work is exceptional for its phonic harmony, acoustic luxuriance, and expertise in rhyming, and he is the earliest trouvère known to have composed a parodic sotte chanson against Amours. This trilingual critical edition makes his complete works available in one volume for the first time.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 160 pages
Publication date: 14 September 2020
Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press

Robert de Reims, also known as "La Chievre de Rains," was a pioneering poet-composer who emerged during the same era as the troubadours, but he wrote in the dialects of northern France. This critical edition presents new English and modern French translations of all the songs and motets traditionally attributed to him, along with the original texts, the extant music, and a comprehensive introduction.

Active between 1190 and 1220, Robert played a significant role in the literary circles of Arras. Thirteen compositions, including nine chansons and four polyphonic motets, are here attributed to him, and these works were widely disseminated throughout the thirteenth century and beyond. Robert's work stands out in various ways. He paid meticulous attention to the phonic harmony of his words, creating a rich acoustic landscape characterized by luxuriance and expertise in rhyming. This rhyming prowess was grounded in the play of echoes and variation, often extending into the music itself. Moreover, Robert is recognized as the earliest trouvère known to have composed a parodic sotte chanson, a humorous song against Love.

Positioned at the crossroads of monophonic song and polyphony, Robert's corpus raises intriguing questions about trouvère participation in the development of the polyphonic repertory. His case challenges and nuances the conventional narrative of the chanson and motet. This trilingual critical edition of his complete works makes the oeuvre of this innovative and consequential trouvère accessible and instructive to a broader audience. It presents the complete works of Robert de Reims in one volume for the first time, allowing readers to explore the rich tapestry of his artistic legacy.

Weight: 324g
Dimension: 178 x 254 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780271087184