2.5 (popular)
Tune of the Day: Chanson Baladée
Guillaume de Machaut (sometimes spelled Machault) was and is the most celebrated composer of the Middle Ages (he lived in the 14h century). He composed in a wide range of styles and forms and his output was enormous. He was also the most famous and historically significant representative of the musical movement known as the ars nova.
The name chanson baladée generally denotes a particular type of medieval French song, which later evolved into the virelai. The work we present today was suggested to us by one of our Italian followers. It seems that this composition enjoyed considerable popularity in Italy during the 1980s because of its use as the opening theme for the TV show Almanacco del giorno dopo. The melody was played on a soprano recorder an octave above the version on our score; in fact, this is an excellent piece to play on the piccolo.