Gautier de Dargies, d’Argies, *c. 1165, Dargies (near Beauvais), †June 1236, Picard trouvère of noble origin.
He took part in the Third Crusade, led by the French king Philip II of France (1165–1223); this experience is reflected in his songs, which otherwise contain no biographical information. During this crusade he undoubtedly became acquainted with other trouvères active there: Guy de Couci, Conon de Béthune, and Hugues de Berzé. Two works (Ainc mais ne fis chançon and Desque ci ai tous jours chanté) testify to Gautier de Dargies’ friendship with the trouvère Gace Brulé, while the dialogued tenson Amis Richart presents a polemic with Richard de Fournival. A total of 20 of his songs have survived, including 19 with musical notation.
Alongside Colin Muset, Gautier de Dargies is among the earliest composers of the lai, a form characterized by a refined formal structure. According to F. Gennrich, 11 of his songs represent the sequential type, while the others are structurally related to hymns. The melodies of Gautier de Dargies are marked by great mobility and a range extending up to two octaves; together with rhythmic variety (both unregulated rhythm and modal rhythm), this gives them a distinctive expressive power.
Literature: A. Jeanroy, L. Brandin, P. Aubry Lais et descorts français du XIIIe siècle, Paris 1901; P. Aubry Trouvères et troubadours, Paris 1909; G. Huet Chansons et descorts de Gautier de Dargies, pub. Société des anciens textes français, Paris 1912; E. Langlois Remarques sur les chansonniers français, I: A propos de Gautier de Dargies, “Romania” XLV, 1918/19; E. Vaillant Les origines de la chanson française, La langue d’oïl, Les trouvères, Chansons inédites de Gautier d’Argies, trouvère picard du XIIIe siècle, Paris 1922; H. Petersen Dyggve Personnages historiques figurant dans la poésie lyrique française des XIIe et XIIIe siècles, Gautier de Dargies, “Neuphilologische Mitteilungen” XLVI, 1945; W. Bittinger Studien zur musikalischen Textkritik des mittelalterlichen Liedes, Würzburg 1953.
