Sens, Rhétorique, Musique : Machaut and the Three Gifts of Nature

Sens, Rhétorique, Musique : Machaut and the Three Gifts of Nature is the second collaboration between Montreal’s COMTESSA Medieval Ensemble and Toronto’s Diapente Renaissance Vocal Quintet, centered around the works of 14th century French poet and composer, Guillaume de Machaut (c. 1300 – 1377). Arguably the poster child of Medieval Era music, Machaut’s extensive output of compositions and innovations in counterpoint were revered across Europe, and laid the groundwork for further innovation in Late Medieval polyphony. The program includes excerpts from the Messe de Nostre Dame–the first known complete polyphonic setting of the Mass Ordinary–as well as secular works in many forms on courtly love. He was imagined as having been gifted by Nature with three extraordinary gifts: Sense, Rhetoric, and Music. This program explores those three gifts, and why Machaut’s work represents one of the great pinnacles of medieval musical and poetic culture. ------------------------------------------------ This concert is presented by Friends of Music at St. Thomas Anglican Church & the Apocryphonia Concert Series