Jacques de Cambrai


Jacques de Cambrai, sometimes Jaque or Jaikes, was a trouvère from Cambrai. He composed four chansons courtoises, one pastourelle, six devotional chansons, and one Marian rotrouenge. The Berne manuscript preserves all his works, nine of them uniquely. In addition, a chanson and the pastourelle are preserved in the manuscript Oxford Douce 308 and one of the devotional songs is also copied in two other sources. The Berne manuscript notes that his Haute dame, com rose et lis was modelled on Ausi com l'unicorne sui by Theobald I of Navarre and Mere, douce creature on Quant voi la glaie meure by Ralph of [Soissons (trouvère)|Raoul de Soissons]. Otherwise none of his music survives, though staves for its transcription were prepared. Of all Jacques's works, only his rotrouenge, the Retrowange novelle, has no model mentioned in the manuscripts; its rubric reads only "Jaikes de Cambrai—De Notre Dame".
Jacques's devotional songs emphasise Jesus' humanity and his Passion. These may be directed at the Cathars, who denied Christ's humanity. Jacques was one of the last medieval French poets to express his devotion to Mary primarily through chansons, that is, modelled on the chansons courtoises or love songs. After him the tendency was to use the serventois and even later the chant royal.

Works

;Secular love songs
  • RS933 Amours et jolietés
  • RS1031 Or m'est bel du tens d'avri
  • RS1631 = RS1617 Force d'Amour me destraint et justise
  • RS2044 N'est pas courtois, ains est fols et estous
;Pastourelles
  • RS1855 Ier matinet delés un vert buisson
;Marian poems and their models
IncipitGenreModel Composer of model
Grant talen ai k'a chanteir me retraie chansonLoaus amors et desiriés de joie Colart le Boutellier
Haute dame, com rose et lis chansonAusi conme unicorne sui Theobald I of Navarre
Kant je plus pens a commencier chanson chansonTuit mi desir et tuit mi grief torment Theobald I of Navarre
Loeir m'estuet la roïne Marie chansonDe bone amor et de loial amie Gace Brulé
Meire, douce creature chansonQuant voi la glaie meüre Raoul de Soissons
O Dame, ke Deu portais chansonAïmans fins et verais Gautier d'Espinal
Retrowange novelle rotrouengeprobably none, possibly pastourelle or ballette

Discography