Grimace (composer)

Grimace (also Grymace or Grimache) was a French composer active in the mid-to-late 14th century.

Grimace was active in the period of music history known as the ars nova and was probably a contemporary of Guillaume de Machaut, since his compositions lack the complicated rhythms of the Ars subtilior. Grimace's birth and death dates are not known; little is known about him outside of attributions in medieval music manuscripts. Five works are attributed to him securely; two doubtful attributions have been proposed based on stylistic similarities. His virelai, A l'arme, A l'arme, is his most often performed work in modern times.[1]

Works

List of compositions by Grimace

Title	Voices	Genre	A	G	MSS
Dedens mon cuer	2	Ballade
Des que buisson	4	Ballade
Se Zephirus/Se Jupiter	3	Ballade
Je voy ennui	3	Rondeau
A l’arme/A l’arme/Tru tru	3/4	Virelai

Doubtful works:

• C’estoit ma douce (virelai)
• Rescoés: Horrible feu d’ardent desir/Rescoés: Le feu de mon loyal servant (virelai)

References

Books

• Abraham, Gerald; Hughes, Dom Anselm, eds. (1960). Ars Nova and the Renaissance. The New Oxford History of Music. III (1st ed.). New York, New York: Oxford University Press US. ISBN 978-0193163034.

• Apel, Willi (1969). Harvard Dictionary of Music. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0674375017.

• Davis, Elizabeth A.; Gottlieb, Jane; Underwood, Kent David; Bristah, Pamela; Anderson, William E., eds. (1997). A Basic Music Library: Essential Scores and Sound Recordings. Chicago, Illinois: American Library Association. ISBN 978-0838934616.

• Leach, Elizabeth Eva (2002). "Grimace, Magister Grimache, Grymace". In Finscher, Ludwig (ed.). Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart. 8. Kassel, Germany: Bärenreiter. ISBN 978-3476410207.

• Nádas, John L.; Cuthbert, Michael Scott, eds. (2017). Ars nova: French and Italian Music in the Fourteenth Century (1st ed.). Oxford, England: Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1351575805.

• Yudkin, Jeremy (1989). Music in Medieval Europe (1st ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. ISBN 978-0136081920.

Journals and articles

• Günther, Ursula (2001). "Grimace". Grove Music Online. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.11784. (subscription or UK public library membership required)

• Leach, Elizabeth Eva (29 December 2010). "The composer Grimace".

External links

• Free access to high-resolution images of manuscripts containing works by Grimace from Digital Image Archive of Medieval Music

1. Günther 2001.