Author Description

During the first half of the fifteenth century, the medieval chanson underwent its greatest flowering in the Court of the Dukes of Burgundy. While maintaining medieval forms and functions, the chanson of this period acquired an eloquence and creative scope which are manifest in the works of its leading composers. Here, Kemp considers the polyphonic chanson within the literary, aesthetic, and social contexts of court culture during the reign of Philip the Good, and by analyzing their structure, is able to establish stylistic criteria for their ascription to Dufay and Binchois, the masters of the period.