31 Days of Classical, Day 20: Love at First Listen

Each day throughout July, I'll share with you a piece of classical music. Thirty-one days, thirty-one pieces.

The list is by no means definitive, nor is it necessarily a list of all of my favorite music from the classical world. Every morning, I start my day with music that inspires me in some way, whether I'm inspired by its happiness, its loneliness, the instrumentation, the harmony, the colors, the melody -- each piece is special in some way -- and offers an opportunity to either hear something you've never heard, or hear something new in a piece you've known your whole life.

Guillaume de Machaut, "Rose, liz, printemps, verdue"

I heard this when I was an undergrad and instantly fell in love with "old" music and Guillaume de Machaut.

Machaut was a French composer at the forefront of a musical movement called ars nova in the 14th century. Changes in music moved slower than a snail's pace during the medieval era. Machaut and other composers of the ars nova style tended to incorporate secular melodies into their sacred music, something Pope John XXII (1244-1334) hated but Pope Clement VI (1291--1352) adored. Go figure.

Machaut wouldn't have intended this piece for the church, but rather for a crowd of music and art lovers, more along the lines of a concert than a Mass. If you'd like to compare "Rose, liz..." to the style that came before, you can listen to music by Perotin or Leonin for a good contrast (those two wrote in the style called ars antiqua).

Take the 31 Days of Classical Challenge

31 Days is a bite-sized month-long trial of Classical Music from across the spectrum of the wonderful, expansive music we love at Classical MPR. Join the fun by subscribing to the 31 Days of Classical newsletter, or use #31DaysofClassical on Twitter or Facebook.

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