(b c1210; d Arras, 1272). French trouvère. His grandfather, Jacques, was ‘sergent héréditaire’ of the abbey of St Vaast in Arras at the turn of the 13th century, one of eight officials supervising the water rights to the river Scarpe within the abbey's domain; his father (also named Jehan) held this position at least from 1241 until his death in 1244. The poet is cited among the ‘sergens iretavles de la riviere Saint-Vaast’ in a document of 1256. He and his brother were apparently well-to-do property owners.
Seven of an original series of eight chansons courtoises by Bretel survive in the Vatican (I-Rvat Reg.lat.1490), but jeux-partis form his main contribution. He was apparently a participant in 89 such works, nearly half of the surviving total. Often these are without rubrics, and the names of the participants are revealed in the poems. (The attribution to Bretel of a few poems addressed merely to ‘Sire’ or ‘Sire Jehan’, while probably correct, is not certain.) Some 40 poets active around Arras in the mid-13th century appear either as participants or judges in these jeux-partis; among the more prominent are Adam de la Halle, Jehan de Grieviler, Jehan le Cuvelier d'Arras, Lambert Ferri, Perrin d'Angicourt, Gaidifer d'Avion, Adam de Givenchi, Jehan de Renti, Robert de la Piere and Robert de Castel. The jeux-partis between Bretel and Adam de la Halle are normally grouped among Adam's works in the manuscripts even though most are initiated by Bretel, whereas some jeux-partis between Bretel and lesser trouvères are placed within sections devoted to Bretel even though in these he is only the respondent. A chanson by Bretel (Li miens chanters) is dedicated to Countess Beatrice of Brabant, sister of Henri III. Seven works by Jehan le Grieviler, Jehan Erart, Jaques le Vinier, Colart le Boutellier and Mahieu de Gant are dedicated to Bretel. At some time during the height of his fame he was designated ‘Prince’ of the Arras puy.
Most of the poems written solely or partly by Bretel have heterometric strophes. Five are built on three line lengths, including Grieviler, deus dames sai, the only known example of a pedes-plus-cauda construction beginning with an 11-syllable line. Most heterometric poems combine lines of seven and ten syllables; a few intermingle heptasyllabic lines with lines of one other length. With only two exceptions, isometric strophes are either heptasyllabic or decasyllabic. Normally the poems begin with two pedes, each rhyming ab, but 19 begin with an abba pattern. Bretel had a strong penchant for continuing with one or more sets of paired rhymes, and this characterizes four of the five unusual rhyme schemes used.
A delineation of Bretel's musical style is hampered by the fact that not only the chansons but more than half of the jeux-partis survive with music only in one source each. When multiple musical readings are available there are normally two or more unrelated melodies. Which, if any, may have been by Bretel is difficult to decide unless there is corroboration between two sources. One might speculate that each of the participants in the jeux-partis contributed his own melody, but this would not explain why six poems survive with three settings each. The origins of melodic unica are thus doubtful. Most melodies are in bar form, although a few are non-repetitive. Repetitions of entire phrases are generally avoided in the concluding sections, and the varied return of phrases six and seven as phrases nine and ten in Onques nul jour is exceptional. All the chansons and more than three-quarters of the jeux-partis with rubrics to Bretel are cast in authentic modes; in most of the exceptions there are only one, two or three notes below the sub-final. There is normally a strong sense of tonal centre in these melodies. The jeux-partis not attributed by rubrics present a more varied picture: a greater number of plagal melodies, melodies of extended ranges and melodies with either unusual or unexpected finals. None of the melodies survives in mensural notation and there are few clear hints of modal rhythms.
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(nm) |
no music |
Editions: The Lyric Works of Adam de la Hale, ed. N. Wilkins, CMM, xliv (1967) [W]Trouvère Lyrics with Melodies: Complete Comparative Edition, ed. H. Tischler, CMM, cvii (1997)
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Jamais nul jour de ma vie, R.1225 |
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Je ne chant pas de grant joliveté, R.463a |
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Li grans desirs de deservir amie, R.1100 |
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Li miens chanters ne puet plaire, R.168 |
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Mout liement me fait Amours chanter, R.781 |
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Onques nul jour ne chantai, R.64 |
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Poissans Amours a mon cuer espiié, R.1091 |
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Adan, amis, je vous dis une fois, R.1833 (with Adam de la Halle), W 37 |
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Adan, amis, mout savés bien vo roi, R.1675 (dialogue with Adam de la Halle), W 38 |
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Adan, a moi respondés, R.950 (with Adam de la Halle), W 33 |
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Adan, d'amours vous demant, R.331 (with Adam de la Halle), W 31 |
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Adan, li qués doit mieus trouver merchi, R.1066 (with Adam de la Halle), W 42 |
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Adan, mout fu Aristotes sachans, R.277 (with Adam de la Halle), W 36 |
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Adan, qui aroit amee, R.494 (with Adam de la Halle), W 34 |
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Adan, se vous amiés bien loiaument, R.703 (with Adam de la Halle), W 33 |
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Adan, s'il estoit ensi, R.1026 (with Adam de la Halle), W 30 |
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Adan, si soit que ma feme amés tant, R.359 (with Adam de la Halle), W 41 |
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Adan, vauriés vous manoir, R.1798 (with Adam de la Halle), W 30 |
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Adan, vous devés savoir, R.1817 (with Adam de la Halle), W 35 |
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Avoir cuidai engané le marchié, R.1094 (with Adam de la Halle), W 43 |
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Biaus sire tresorier d'Aire, R.155 (proposed jointly by Bretel and Lambert Ferri to the Tresorier d'Aire and Cuvelier d'Arras) |
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Compains Jehan, un gieus vous vueil partir, R.1443 (with Adam de le Halle), W 40 |
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Conseilliez moi, Jehan de Grieviler, R.862 |
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Cuvelier, dites moi voir, R.1824 (with Cuvelier d'Arras) (nm) |
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Cuvelier, vous amerés, R.909 (with Cuvelier d'Arras) |
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Ferri, il sont dui fin loial amant, R.298 (with Lambert Ferri) (nm) |
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Ferri, se ja Dieus vous voie, R.1774 (with Lambert Ferri) |
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Ferri, se vous bien amiés, R.1340 (with Lambert Ferri) |
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Gaidifer, d'un jeu parti, R.1071 (with Gaidifer d'Avion) |
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Gaidifer, par courtoisie, R.1121 (with Gaidifer d'Avion) |
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Grieviler, deus dames sai d'une beauté, R.403 (with Jehan de Grieviler) |
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Grieviler, deus dames sont, R.1925 (with Jehan de Grieviler) |
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Grieviler, dites moi voir, R.1824 (with Jehan de Grieviler) (nm) |
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Grieviler, feme avés prise, R.1637 (with Jehan de Grieviler) |
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Grieviler, ja en ma vie, R.1230 (with Jehan de Grieviler) (nm) |
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Grieviler, par quel raison, R.1890 (with Jehan de Grieviler) (nm) |
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Grieviler, par vo bapteme, R.618 (with Jehan de Grieviler) |
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Grieviler, s'il avenoit, R.1838 (with Jehan de Grieviler) (nm) |
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Grieviler, un jugement, R.693 (with Jehan de Grieviler) |
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Grieviler, vostre ensient, R.668 = 667 (2 melodies) (with Jehan de Grieviler) |
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Grieviler, vostre pensee, R.546 (with Jehan de Grieviler) |
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J'aim par amours et on moi ensement, R.664 (proposed by Audefroi) |
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Jehan Bretel, respondés, R.942 (proposed by Perrot de Neele) |
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Jehan Bretel, un chevalier, R.1263 (proposed by Jehan de Renti) (nm) |
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Jehan Bretel, vostre avis, R.1523 (proposed by Jehan de Grieviler) |
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Jehan de Grieviler, deus dames sai, R.101 (nm) |
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Jehan de Grieviler, sage, R.39 |
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Jehan de Grieviler, une, R.2083 |
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Jehan de Grieviler, un jugement, R.694 (nm) |
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Jehan Simon, li quieus s'aquita mieus, R.1354 (2 melodies) |
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Je vous demant, Cuvelier, espondés, R.928 (with Cuvelier d'Arras) (nm) |
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Lambert Ferri, li quieus doit mieus avoir, R.1794 |
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Pierrot de Neele, amis, R.1518 (with Perrot de Neele) (nm) |
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Prince del Pui, mout bien savés trouver, R.899 (proposed by Jehan de Grieviler) |
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Respondés a ma demande, R.258 (2 melodies) (with Jehan de Grieviler) |
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Robert du Chastel, biaus sire, R.1505 (with Robert de Castel) |
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Sire Audefroi, qui par traïson droite, R.1850 |
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Sire Bretel, je vous vueill demander, R.841 (proposed by Jehan de Grieviler) (nm) |
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Sire Bretel, vous qui d'amours savez, R.951 (proposed by Jehan de Grieviler) (nm) |
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Sire Jehan, ainc ne fustes partis, R.1584 (proposed by Adam de la Halle), W 32 |
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Sire Jehan Bretel, conseill vous prie, R.1200 (proposed by Robin de Compiegne) (nm) |
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Sire Jehan Bretel, vous demant gié, R.1092 (proposed by Lambert Ferri) (nm) |
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Sire Jehan, vous amerez, R.1042 (proposed by Gerart de Boulogne) (nm) |
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Adan, du quel cuidiés vous, R.2049 (with Adam de la Halle), W 45 (nm) |
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Amis Lambert Ferri, vous trouverés, R.952 (with Lambert Ferri) |
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Amis Pierot de Neele, R.596 (with Perrot de Neele) |
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A vous, Mahieu li Taillere, R.1335 |
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Cuvelier et vous, Ferri, R.1042 (with Cuvelier d'Arras, Lambert Ferri and Jehan de Grieviler) |
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Cuvelier, or i parra, R.8 (with Cuvelier d'Arras) |
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Cuvelier, s'il est ainsi, R.1025 (2 melodies) (with Cuvelier d'Arras) |
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Entendés, Lambert Ferri, R.1041 (with Lambert Ferri) |
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Ferri, a vostre ensïent, R.666 (with Lambert Ferri) |
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Ferri, il sont doi amant, R.295 (with Lambert Ferri) |
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Grieviler, a ma requeste, R.955b (with Jehan de Grieviler) (nm) |
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Grieviler, del quel doit estre, R.958 (with Jehan de Grieviler) |
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Grieviler, par maintes fies, R.1351 (with Jehan de Grieviler) |
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Grieviler, se vous aviés, R.1341 (with Jehan de Grieviler) |
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Grieviler, se vous quidiés, R.1346 (with Jehan de Grieviler) |
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Jehan Bretel, par raison, R.1888 (2 melodies) (proposed by Lambert Ferri) |
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Jehan Bretel, une jolie dame, R.203 (proposed by Jehan de Grieviler) |
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Jehan de Grieviler, s'aveuc celi, R.1034 (nm) |
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Jehan de Vergelai, vostre ensïent, R.669 |
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Lambert Ferri, drois est ke m'entremete, R.978 (nm) |
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Lambert Ferri, je vous part, R.375 |
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Lambert Ferri, s'une dame orgeilleuse, R.1021 |
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Lambert, il sont doi amant, R.296 (with Lambert Ferri) |
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Lambert, se vous amiés bien loiaument, R.704 (with Lambert Ferri) |
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Lambert, une amie avés, R.915 |
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Maistre Jehan de Marli, respondés, R.947 = 916 |
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Perrin d'Angicourt, respondés, R.940 |
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Pierot, li ques vaut pis a fin amant, R.297 (with Perrot de Neele) |
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Prince del Pui, selonc vostre pensee, R.547 (proposed by Lambert Ferri) |
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Prince del Pui, vous avés, R.918 (proposed by Perrin d'Angicourt) |
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Robert de la Piere, repondés moi, R.1672 (with Robert de la Piere) |
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Sire, assés sage vous voi, R.1679 (proposed by Adam de la Halle), W 44 (nm) |
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Sire Bretel, entendés, R.927 (proposed by Lambert Ferri) |
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Sire Prieus de Boulogne, R.1776 (nm) |
MGG1 (F. Gennrich)
G. Raynaud: ‘Les chansons de Jehan Bretel’, Bibliothèque de l'Ecole des chartes, xli (1880), 195–214
A. Långfors, A. Jeanroy and L. Brandin, eds.: Recueil général des jeux-partis français (Paris, 1926)
M. Gally: ‘Jehan Bretel, poète et mécène’, Figures de l'écrivain au Moyen Age: Amiens 1988, 125–38
THEODORE KARP