Hors ennuyeux

Banishment is the theme of Nicolas Gombert’s secular chanson Hors ennuyeux. The four-part SATT setting in French speaks directly to envious souls, ordering them away lest they meet a bad end. True lovers, it states, will show them the way out, and true lovers will be happy in this place. Gombert, a master of complex polyphony and imitation, brings his skill to bear on this text, creating a work that is both textually vivid and musically compelling. The chanson reflects the rich tradition of secular vocal music in the Renaissance, where carefully crafted counterpoint was often employed to express the nuances of vernacular poetry.