Jehan de Lescurel

Jehan de Lescurel is also known as Jehannot de l'Escurel. Very little is known of his life; the transmission, notation and circumstances of his works suggest he was active in the early 14th century, and his compositions's textual references indicate he was active in Paris. It has also been inferred that Jehan was the son of a merchant and probably received his musical training at the Notre Dame de Paris. For many years, scholars assumed he was the 'Jehan de Lescurel' who had been hanged on 23 May 1304 along with three other young clerics of Notre Dame, including Oudinet Pisdoé, for "debauchery" and "crimes against women". Recent research has shown that "Jehan de Lescurel" was a rather common name in early fourteenth-century Paris, and there is no other clear link between the composer and cleric.

He was a transitional figure from the trouvère period to the ars nova. His lyrical style unites him with the composers of the later period. The sole source for his music is the same manuscript (Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS français 146) which preserves the interpolated version of the Roman de Fauvel. Most of his works are monophonic songs, in the style of the trouvères; only one of his 34 works is polyphonic, although he wrote other works which have not survived. The songs are virelais, ballades, rondeaux; they include word painting more in the style of the later 14th-century composers than those of the 13th century; they are simple, charming, and debauchery is not a prominent theme. Jehan also has two extant diz entés, lengthy poems with music set only to the refrain text.

List of compositions by Jehan de Lescurel • W — Title — Genre • 1 — A vous, douce debonnaire — Rondeau • 2 — Amours aus vrais cuers commune — Ballade • 3 — A vous, douce debonnaire — Rondeau • 4 — Amours cent mille merciz — Ballade • 5 — Amour, voules vous acorder — Ballade • 6 — Amours que vous ai meffait — Ballade • 7 — Abundance de felonnie — Ballade • 8 — Amours trop vous doi cherir — Ballade • 9 — Bietris est mes delis — Rondeau • 10 — Bien se lace — Ballade • 11 — Bontes, sen, valours et pris — Ballade • 12 — Bonne amour me rent — Ballade • 13 — Bonnement m'agree — Rondeau • 14 — Belle et noble a bonne estrainne — Rondeau • 15 — Bien se peust apercevoir — Ballade • 16 — Belle com loiaus amans — Ballade • 17 — Comment que pour l'eloignance — Ballade • 18 — De gracieuse dame amer — Rondeau • 19 — De la grant joie d'amours — Ballade • 20 — Douce Amour confortez moi — Ballade • 21 — Dame vo regars m'ont mis en la voie — Ballade • 22 — D'amour qui n'est bien celee — Ballade • 23 — Dame gracieuse et bele — Ballade • 24 — Dame, par vo dous regart — Rondeau • 25 — Douce dame je vous pri — Rondeau • 26 — Douce desirree — Rondeau • 27 — Dame, si vous vient a gre — Rondeau • 28 — Diex quant la verrai — Rondeau • 29 — Dis tans plus qu'il ne faudroit flours — Ballade • 30 — Fi, mesdisans esragie — Ballade • 31 — Guilleurs me font mout souvent — Rondeau • 32 — Gracieusette — Ballade • 33 — Gracieuse, faitisse et sage — Diz entez • 34 — Gracieus temps est quant rosier — Diz entez • No other works by Jehan survive