Pierre Cadéac
The title page of Cadéac’s ‘Missa Alma redemptoris’ printed in 1556 by Du Chemin in Paris states that Cadéac was chapelmaster at the Cathedral of Auch in Gascony–about as far in the provinces one can get and still be in France. However, he did manage to get a fair amount of his oeuvre printed and disseminated . . . and preserved, even as far as Krakow, Poland. We have 7 mass settings, 32 motets and a few chansons, of which ‘Je suis desheritée” has become understandably quite well known.
Je suis desheritée
Of the several sources of this chanson two attributions are to Lupus, whose identity is also in doubt. ‘Chorwerk 15’ compiled by Hans Albrecht in 1931, from which this performance emanated, attributed it to Lupus. Fortunately, there has been a decision to assign authorship to Cadéac avoiding the Lupus, Lupi, Lupo quagmire. All that aside, it is a melody whose beauty is recognized as much today as in the 16th century, when it formed the basis for at least three Mass settings–by Gombert, Lassus and Palestrina.
Pierre Cadéac "Je suis desheritée"
Text:
Je suis desheritée
puisque j’ai perdu mon ami
seule si ma laissee
plaine de pleurs et de souci.
Rossignol du bois joly
sans faire demeure
vaten dire a mon ami
que pour lui suis tourmentee,
que pour lui suis tourmentee.