(fl c1200–50). French trouvère. Allusions in his works to people and places have led to the conclusion that he was probably active in the first half of the 13th century in and around Champagne and Lorraine. Not all the works with such references, however, have been definitely attributed to him. Quant je voi le tens refroidier is probably addressed to Gui de Joinville, seigneur of Sailly from 1206 to 1256; Devers Chastelvilain tells of two kings, probably Louis IX of France and Thibaut IV, King of Navarre from 1234, and praises the hospitality of the seigneur of Châteauvillain, probably Simon de Broyes (1199–1258): both songs are of doubtful authorship. On the other hand Or voi le dous tens is certainly Muset’s work; it is addressed to a ‘bone duchesse’ – perhaps one of several duchesses of Lorraine from the first three-quarters of the century.
The definite works are of a considerable variety of types; they include lais (e.g. Sospris sui), a descort (Or voi le dous tens), a tenso (Biaus Colins Musés) and a number of songs which refer to eating and drinking (e.g. Sire cuens). Most interesting historically are the references to instruments and the playing of instruments (by which means Muset revealed his profession as a jongleur): he mentioned ‘la viele et l’archet’ (in Volés öir muse Muset), the ‘flajoet’ (En mai), ‘flaihutel’ and ‘tabor’ (Encontre le tens novel); the ‘muse’ (Volés öir muse) may refer to the cornemuse (as well as being a pun on his own name).
Over half of Muset’s poems have survived without their melodies. A curious and very clear division exists: one group of songs is transmitted without music in one small group of sources, and a quite different repertory, with melodies, in another group. Trop volentiers chanteroie is the one exception in that it survives with melody in the first group. It is, therefore, difficult to determine the actual extent of Muset’s work; the confusion of sources may be related to his presumed humble origin. The existing melodies are basically simple in style and form, with a great deal of repetition of smaller melodic elements, a limited compass and a prevalence of syllabic settings. This ‘folksong’ style is perhaps another indication of the composer’s profession as a jongleur. In Sire cuens text and music together present a clear picture of the wandering popular musician.
Editions: Les chansons de Colin Muset, ed. J. Bédier and J. Beck (Paris, 1912) [complete edn except for doubtful works]; 2/1938, repr. 1969 [text edn without music]Trouvères-Melodien, ii, ed. H. van der Werf, MMMA, xii (1979) [W]Trouvère Lyrics with Melodies: Complete Comparative Edition, ed. H. Tischler, CMM, cvii (1997) [T]
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nm |
no music |
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Biaus Colins Musés, je me plaing d’une amour, R.1966 (tenso with Jacque d’Amiens; nm) |
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En ceste note dirai, R.74, T xiv, no.L6 (Muset names himself in the text) |
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Encontre le tens novel, R.582 (nm) |
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En mai, quant li rossignolet, R.967, W, T vii, no.572 (Muset names himself in the text) |
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Mout m’anüe d’iver que tant a duré, R.428 (nm) |
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Or veul chanter et solacier, R.1313 (nm) |
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Or voi le dous tens repairier, R.1302, T xiv, no.L7 (nm) |
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Sire cuens, j’ai vielé, R.476, W, T iv, no.272 |
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Sospris sui d’une amourete, R.972, T xiv, no.L8 (nm) |
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Trop volentiers chanteroie, R.1693, W, T xi, no.980 |
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Une nouvele amourete que j’ai, R.48 (nm) |
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Volés öir muse Muset, R.966, W, T xv, no.L32 |
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Be m’est li tans, R.284, T xiv, no.L4 (nm) |
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De la procession, R.1881 [contrafactum: Devers Chastelvilain], W, T ii, no.68 |
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Devers Chastelvilain, R.123 [contrafactum: De la procession], W, T ii, no.68 |
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Hideusement va li mons empirant, R.340, W, T iii, no.199 (only 2nd strophe, ‘Dex! com m’ont mort norrices et enfant’, set to music) |
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Il me convient renvoisier, R.1300, W, T viii, no.737 |
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Je chantasse d’amoretes, R.989 (nm) |
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Quant je voi iver retourner, R.893 W, T vi, no.530 |
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Quant je voi le tens refroidier, R.1298 (nm) |
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Quant li malos bruit, R.2079 (nm) |
MGG1 (F. Gennrich)
A. Jeanroy, L. Brandin and P. Aubry: Lais et descorts français du XIIIe siècle (Paris, 1901) [edn of 3 lais]
P. Aubry: Trouvères et troubadours (Paris, 1909, 2/1910; Eng. trans., 1914/R), 113–16 [incl. edn of Sire cuens]
A. Jeanroy and A. Långfors: Chansons satiriques et bachiques du XIIIe siècle (Paris, 1921)
J. Maillard: Problèmes musicaux et littéraires du ‘lai’ (Bologna, 1958), 7
S.N. Rosenberg and H. Tischler: ‘Chanter m’estuet’: Songs of the Trouvères (Bloomington, IN, 1981), 450
ROBERT FALCK