Antoine Busnois
Antoine Busnois was born around 1430 near Béthune in Northwestern France close to the Flemish border. The first definitive information we have is of his position in 1461 as chaplain at the Cathedral in Tours. In 1465 he moved across town to become sub-deacon at the Royal Collegiate church of St. Martin where Ockeghem happened to be Treasurer at this time. We can assume the two composers knew each other well.
The text of Busnois’ motet, “In hydraulis”, pays homage to Ockrghem, and claims therein to be musician to Charles the Bold, Count of Charolais, soon (1467) to be Duke of Burgundy on the death of his father, Philip the Good. Busnois continued to serve Charles in the Burgundian Ducal Chapel at Dijon along with the likes of Robert Morton and Hayne van Ghizeghem. And even after Charles is killed in battle in 1477 Busnois maintains his position in the Chapel under Mary of Burgundy for another five years, when Mary is killed in a hunting accident. By this time Busnois had become a priest spending the last ten years of his life as “rector cantoriae” at St. Sauveur Church in Bruges . . . which is rather surprising since the vast majority of his work is secular. (285 chansons).
Est-il merchi
This rondeau is from the Mellon Chansonnier, an illuminated manuscript of chansons from c. 1470. The manuscript is at Yale University Library in New Haven, CT and is described and edited by Prof. Leeman Perkins with modern transcriptions from Yale University Press.
Unrequited love is the dominant theme of most secular songs of the period. Refrain is sung by duo . . . verse by solo.
Antoine Busnois "Est-il merchi"
Text:
Est-il merchi de quoy on peut finer?
Est-il pitie qu’on peust en vous trouver?
Est-il, m’amour, nulle riens souffissante,
Est-il chose tant sois forte ou puissante
Dont je sceusse vo grace recouvrer?
Pour fondre tout en larmes de plourer,
Ne pour paine que je sceusse endurer,
Est-il chose dont vous fussies contente?
Est-il merchi . . . etc
Quel remede puis-je a mon fait donner,
Quant je voy bien que par tant vous amer
Il ne s’ensuit que ma mort evidente?
Et toutesfoys por doleur que je sente
Je ne m’en puis tant sois peu destourner.
Est-il merchi . . . etc
Translation:
Is there mercy that can make an end?
Is there any pity to be found in you?
Is there nothing, my love, that will suffice?
Is there anything in my power or strength
With which I can regain your favour?
By melting in tears,
Or enduring any pain,
Is there anything that would make you happy
Is there mercy . . . etc
What remedy can I offer for my plight?
When I can see by loving you so much,
That the only result is clearly my death.
But whatever unhappiness I might feel
I cannot turn aside from this path.
Is there mercy . . . etc
L’autrier que passa_
This is an untexted chanson a4 from Petrucci’s ‘Canti B’.
Antoine Busnois "L'autrier que passa"
Un plus que tous_
Antoine Busnois "Un plus que tous"
Text:
Un plus que tous est en mon souvenir
auquel pour riens qui me peust advenir
de loyaulte jamais ne luy fauldray
.Mais telz termes et milleurs luy tiendray
que dame doit a son servant tenir
Car sil se veult a mon gre maintenir
En si hault bruit le verrez parvenir
Quen sa faveur pour ma devise auray
Ung plus que tous est en mon souvenir
Auquel pour riens qui ne peust advenir
De loyaulte jamais ne luy fauldray
Sur cest espoir lay voulu retenir
Presupposant que brief doye obtenir
Un tel renom que trop mieulx ie vouldray
Si hault vouloir se dieu plaist luy donray
Quil me fera ce mot entretenir
Ung plus que tous est en mon souvenir.
Translation: