Gennrich briefly discusses the relation between some French songs and their Latin contrafacta. While it is often difficult to decide whether the chanson (Kanzonentypus) or the Latin song is the contrafactum, the priority of the French version becomes obvious as soon as formes fixes (rondeaus, virelais) are involved. Some Latin poems did not come down with music. References to French refrains, however, indicate to which melody the poem belongs. These refrains appear with a certain consistency of time and place and thus help dating and localizing related pieces. Gennrich provides the music of the songs discussed and cites their appearances in the manuscripts.

Works: Anonymous: Crescens incredulitas (190); Adam de la Bassée: Olim in armonica (190); anonymous contrafacta: Flos preclusus sub torpore (192-95); Amis, quelx est li mieux vaillanz (192); Povre veillece m'assaut (192-95); Parit preter morem (196-201); Adam de la Bassée: Nobilitas ornata moribus (201); anonymous contrafacta: Veni, sancte spiritus spes omnium (201); Ecce nobilis (202-3); Nicholai sollempnio (203-4); Ille puerulus (205-6); Universorum origo (206).

Index Classifications: Monophony to 1300

Contributed by: Andreas Giger