Jaque de Cambrai

Jaque de Cambrai ("fl. c." 1260–80), sometimes Jacques, was a trouvère from Cambrai. He composed four "chansons courtoises", one "pastourelle", six devotional "chansons", and one Marian "rotrouenge". The Berne manuscript, in which most of his works are uniquely preserved, notes that his "Haute dame, com rose et lis" was modelled on (i.e. a contrafactum of) "Ausi com l'unicorne sui" by Theobald I of Navarre and "Mere, douce creature" on "Quant voi la glaie meure" by Raoul de Soissons. Otherwise none of his music survives, though staves for its transcription were prepared. Of all Jaque's works, only his "rotrouenge", the "Retrowange novelle", has no model mentioned in the manuscripts; its rubric reads only "Jaikes de Cambrai—De Notre Dame" (Jaque of Cambrai—On Our Lady).

Jaque's devotional songs emphasise Jesus' humanity and his Passion. These may be directed at the Cathars, who denied Christ's humanity. Jaque was one of the last medieval French poets to express his devotion to Mary primarily through "chansons", that is, modelled on the "chansons courtoises" or love songs. After him the tendency was to use the "serventois" and even later the "chant royal".

Table of Marian poems and their models

The following table is derived from O'Sullivan.

References

*Karp, Theodore. [http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/14178 "Jaque de Cambrai."] "Grove Music Online". "Oxford Music Online". Accessed 20 September 2008.
*O'Sullivan, Daniel E. (2005). "Marian devotion in thirteenth-century French lyric". Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0 802 03885 9.