RCM Intermediate History – Haec Dies Gregorian Chant (Medieval)

Moniot d’Arras-Ce fut en mai

        Ce fut en mai is a trouvère song composed by the monk of Arras in the mid 13th century. This particular piece is secular, but the monk of Arras wrote both sacred and secular songs. His work signalled the close of the trouvère tradition. This song tells of a depressed lover who finds joy in watching other people court. Ce fut en mai is a monophonic song where the instrumental (accompaniment) part is improvised. The melody is like a poem, with five stanzas that follow the same rhyming pattern throughout. The rhyme scheme is a,a,b,a,a,b,c,c,b,c,c,b and the A sections (a,a,b) and B sections (c,c,b) are repeated twice in each stanza.