The texts found in the Montpellier Codex and other similar compilations of thirteenth century sacred motets reflect great devotion to Mary. Several facets of Marian identity, such as Mary’s eternal virginity, Mary’s queenship, and Mary’s intercession, can be identified in such works, as well as in theological writings and trends of popular devotion of the same time period. The idea of Mary as a second Eve, another common theme of manuscripts and art around the same time, is conspicuously absent in the motet texts of Montpellier.
This paper first considers the few motets in the Montpellier Codex that mention Eve. The motet texts of the Bamberg Codex and other similar collections serve as a control for the exploration of this striking avoidance in the Montpellier collection. Finally, reasons are suggested for the avoidance of Eve in the motets of Monpellier despite the inclusion of other Marian roles.
The pivotal role played by Marie de Brabant, Queen of France (1275-1285), in the re-introduction of secular art, poetry, and music at the royal court has been confirmed. This newly-expanded awareness of events at the royal court after the death of Louis IX has allowed for a more secure placement of the famed Montpellier Codex Mo within a context of courtly patronage and culture in Paris, where it was indisputably created. The question remains whether Mo itself could possibly have been associated with Marie or her spouse, Phillipe III, within the milieu of the royal court during the decade of Marie’s reign. Such an attribution would contradict the manuscript’s traditional, if more general, association with clerical or university circles. While no direct evidence of ownership or patronage has come to light, circumstantial evidence can be gleaned by examining the meaning of the images within the manuscript.
The allegorical Li dis dou cerf amoreus is the earliest extant poem to relate the activities of the hunt to Love’s pursuit of the Beloved. The conceits in the poem are paralleled by images of hunting within the folios of the Old Corpus of Mo Moreover, the the baying of the hounds in Love’s hunting pack, described in Li dis dou cerf amorous, is likened to polyphonic motets … De trebles, de motés, de cans … ) that make up the contents of Mo. Through the poetic imagery of the dis, we find a key to understanding the meaning of some of the images in Mo, and discover that evidence for a personal connection between the royal couple and the Montpellier Codex is strengthened.
Abstract forthcoming.