Gillebert de Berneville (EN)

Gillebert de Berneville, Gilbert, Guillebert de Berneville, northern French trouvère. Active in the third quarter of the 13th century. He likely came from a bourgeois family and was probably born in Berneville (near Arras) or in Courtrai. His patron was Duke Henry III of Brabant (1248–1261). Gillebert dedicated three chansons to the duke’s sister, Beatrice, Countess of Oudenaarde (the widow of Guillaume de Dampierre). Gillebert de Berneville was closely associated with the poetic circle of the Puy d’Arras and took part in numerous song contests, earning considerable recognition and popularity for his works. Thirty-three of his songs have survived, (including four jeux-partis, among them Biaux Guillebert, dites s’il vous agree, Amours, pour ce que mes chans soit jolis, and two pastourelles.) His works are predominantly devoted to themes of love. They are characterized by formal mastery, sometimes with parodic elements (e.g., L’autrier d’Ais a la Chapele and Thumas Herier, j’ai partie). Most of these compositions preserve their original melodies; only a few employ earlier melodic material (e.g., Thumas Herier, j’ai partie). The melodies are generally simple and rarely exceed the range of a sixth. Exceptions include Amours, vostre seignourie, Aucune gent m’ont enquis, Onques mais si esbahis, and Ja mès chançon ne feroie, which span a tenth or an eleventh. The limited melodic range and frequent repetitions contribute to the tonal uniformity of these works. Some melodies survive in mensural notation, indicating the influence of modal rhythm and a preference for the second and third rhythmic modes (e.g., Onques d’Amours n’ai nule si grief paine). Certain original melodies (including Haute chose en Amour, Cuident dont li losengier, and J’ai fait maint vers de chanson) were later reused by other poets for their own texts, in keeping with contemporary practice. The authorship of the song Joliement doi chanter, attributed to Gillebert de Berneville, has also been ascribed to Robert de le Pierre.

Literature: A. Hoffmann Robert de le Pierre, Robert le Clerc, Robert de Castel, Halle 1917 (dissertation); H. Petersen Dyggve Onomastique des trouvères, Helsinki 1934; Th. Gérold Histoire de la musique des origines à la fin du XIVe siècle, Paris 1936; F. Gennrich Troubadours, Trouvères, Minne- und Meistergesang, Cologne 1951; H. Van der Werf The Chansons of the Troubadours and Trouvères. A Study of the Melodies and their Relation to the Poems, Utrecht 1972.