(b 1201; d 1260). French trouvère. He is often given the title maistre in sources and was the son of Rogiers de Fournival, personal physician to King Philippe Auguste of France. In 1240 he was recorded as ‘Magister Richardus de Fournival, Canonicus’ of the chapter of Notre Dame in Amiens, and by 1246 was chancellor. Like his father, he was a surgeon, and continued in that profession throughout his life. In addition to the 22 lyric poems ascribed to him in a substantial number of sources, he wrote a Latin Biblionomia and a Bestiaire d'amour.
Even without the large number of monophonic songs attributed to him, Richart would be of interest to the music historian because of his association with the early motet. Although none of his motets may be traced directly to a clausula as its source, one, Chascuns qui de bien amer, is based on a tenor from the Notre Dame repertory. Two of the motets are found in a collection (D-W 1206) that contains the earliest layer of French motet composition; thus, Richart may be regarded as one of the earliest poet-composers associated with the genre. (Neither the tenor nor the music for Renvoisiement i vois a mon ami is extant, and indeed it is uncertain whether this is a motet at all.)
Richart's 18 monophonic songs are remarkable for the variety of their structure matched by equally varied and subtle musical treatment. One song, Mere au roi omnipotent, is a Marian contrafactum of a song by Richart's contemporary, Moniot d'Arras, while another, Oiés, seigneur, pereceus, par oiseuses, is based on a celebrated crusader's song which was composed in the year 1188. Richart's contrafactum employs one of four melodies surviving with the model.
Editions: L'oeuvre lyrique de Richard de Fournival, ed. Y. Lepage (Ottawa, 1981) [complete edn except for motets]Trouvère Lyrics with Melodies: Complete Comparative Edition, ed. H. Tischler, CMM, cvii (1997) [T]
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Adés m'estoie a ce tenus, R.2130, T xiii, no.1221 |
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Ains ne vi grant hardement, R.685, T v, no.406 |
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Gente m'est la saisons d'esté, R.443, T iv, no.257 |
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Joie d'amours ne puet nus esprisier, R.1278, T viii, no.725 |
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L'amour de ma douce enfance, R.218, T ii, no.126 |
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L'autrier avint en cel autre pais, R.1574 (conflicting attribs.; two melodies survive), T x, no.909 |
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Lonc tens me sui escondis, R.1541, T x, no.885 |
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Mere au roi omnipotent, R.713, T v, no.432/2 [modelled on: Moniot d'Arras, ‘Ne me dones pas talent’, R.739] |
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Oiés, seigneur, pereceus, par oiseuses, R.1020a, T vii, no.647/2 [modelled on: Conon de Béthune or Chastelain de Couci, ‘Ahi, Amours, con dure departie’, R.1125] |
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Par mainte fois pensé ai, R.53, T i, no.37 |
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Puis qu'il m'estuet de ma doulour chanter, R.805, T vi, no.471 |
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Quant chante oisiaus tant seri, R.1080, T vii, no.623 |
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Quant chiet la fueille en l'arbroie, R.1689, T xi, no.976 |
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Quant ie voi, R.1677a, T xi, no.972 |
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Quant la justice est saisie, R.1206, T viii, no.683 |
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Se je pooie aussi mon cuer doner, R.847, T vi, no.506 |
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Talent avoie d'amer, R.760, T v, no.445; also ed. in Karp |
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Tels s'entrement de garder, R.858, T vi, no.511 |
with Gautier de Dargies
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Amis Richart, j'eusse bien mestier, R.1290 (no melody) |
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A vous mesire Gautier, R.1282, T viii, no.728 |
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Chascuns qui de bien amer, 2vv, R.759, T v, no.444 |
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Onques n'amai tant con je fui amee, 2vv, R.498, T iv, no.288 |
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Renvoisiement i vois a mon ami, 2vv, R.1143a, T xii, no.1052 (no music; ?motet) |
P. Zarifopol: Kritischer Text der Lieder Richards de Fournival (Halle, 1904)
F. Gennrich: ‘Trouvèrelieder und Motettenrepertoire’, ZMw, ix (1926–7), 8–39, 65–85
T. Karp: ‘Interrelationships between Poetic and Musical Form in Trouvère Song’, A Musical Offering: Essays in Honor of Martin Bernstein, ed. E.H. Clinkscale and C. Brook (New York, 1977), 137–61 [incl. edn of Talent avoie d'amer, p.150]
S.N. Rosenberg and H.Tischler: ‘Chanter m'estuet’: Songs of the Trouvères (Bloomington, IN, 1981), 372
G.P. Johnson: Aspects of Late Medieval Music at the Cathedral of Amiens (diss., Yale U., 1991), 282–383
ROBERT FALCK/JOHN D. HAINES