Compare And Contrast Machaut And John Dowland

Guillame de Machaut, unlike John Dowland, has a well-known composition called Agnus Dei, and it is a prayer for mercy and peace. Machaut created music for the church and was the first to do in a polyphonic approach. Agnus Dei became a staple in the mass ordinary, as it referred to “speaking of christ”. This song was meant to appeal to the mind and not so much the ears, it was a revamp on the Middle Age Gregorian chant. John Dowland was from 1563-1626, so he is from the late Renaissance period in which he primarily wrote melancholy songs based off of popular consort songs and dance music from that time period. John Dowland was English, so he wouldn’t have made Gregorian chant inspired songs seeing that he was Protestant. Guillame de Machaut was French. John Dowland was also famous for his instrumental music based on sorrow, while Guillame primarily wrote love songs.

Both from the later eras of the two different time periods, wrote secular songs based on melancholy whether it be from love or despair, and both composers used certain styles and changes in texture, range, melody to heighten these moods and emphasize the emotion that they wanted to portray. Both composers wrote in vernacular languages, French and English respectively. Unlike Dowland, Machaut accoladed a couple of songs to the Gregorian chant through a polyphonic approach. Guillame de Machaut and John Dowland were great composers with similar idealistic