Virelai

A virelai is similar to a rondeau. Each Stanza has two Rhymes , the end rhyme recurring as the first rhyme of the following stanza. The overall Musical Structure is almost invariably AbbaA, with the first and last sections having the same lyrics; this is the same form as the Italian Ballata .

One of the most famous Composers of virelai is Guillaume De Machaut ( 1300 – 1377 ), who also wrote his own verse; 33 separate compositions in the form survive by him. Other composers of virelai include Jehannot De L'Escurel , one of the earliest (d. 1304 ), and Guillaume Dufay (c. 1400 – 1474 ), one of the last.

By the mid-15th century, the form had become largely divorced from music, and numerous examples of this form (as well as the ballade and the rondeau) were written, which were either not intended to be set to music, or for which the music has not survived.

EXAMPLE

"Douce Dame Jolie" by Guillaume De Machaut

:Douce dame jolie,
:Pour dieu ne pensés mie
:Que nulle ait signorie
:Seur moy fors vous seulement.

:Qu'adès sans tricherie
:Chierie
:Vous ay et humblement
:Tous les jours de ma vie
:Servie
:Sans villain pensement.
:Helas! et je mendie
:D'esperance et d'aïe;
:Dont ma joie est fenie,
:Se pité ne vous en prent.

:Douce dame jolie,
:Pour dieu ne pensés mie
:Que nulle ait signorie
:Seur moy fors vous seulement.

English Example:

People I Once Knew by Eric Armentrout

Thinking back a few
Years, three, maybe two,
I'd say,
On Fifth Avenue
Stood my house oof blue
And Gray.
Neighbors (I had a few)
Were friends that I knew
would stay.

But to my dismay
They all moved away
from me.
I don't know where they
Are living today,
You see,
But I do still pray
They'll come back someday
To me.

REFERENCES

The example is taken from the German version of this page.

Information About

Virelai