Gautier de Coincy – 1177
From a paper by
Alain Froidefond on 1 April 1980 to the « Société Historique de
Château-Thierry ».
« Gautier born in 1177 at Coincy. A monk at Saint-Médard
of Soissons, he was Prior of Vic-sur-Aisne and then Grand-Prior of Saint-Médard. History
would not have retained his name if he had not composed the 30 000 verses of
« Miracles de Notre-Dame », with the greatest of passion, during his 59 years
of existence. Appreciated by all of Europe,
considered during 300 years as one of the first and greatest poets of the French language Gautier’s work has been translated in all
languages… except in French.
Although he is forgotten
today, he has nevertheless influenced French culture. Born in a province which was the
cultural and economic center of Europe, witness of an area where western civilization was
formed, Gautier de Coincy has been the source of a renewed faith by introducing the French
language to the sacred framework of the Church, spreading a new image of the Virgin to the
people, a replica of the urbane Lady and daring to propose a more human and charitable
Church. In addition, he gave to the poetry of « trouvères » a character as
serious as it was popular and allied himself to the defense and « promotion » of the poor. But that is not all, Gautier de Coincy was also an
audacious innovator: we may consider him as the inventor of octosyllabilic poetry and a precursor of the « Pléiade ». He paved the way
for the expansion of polyphony and gave profane music its noble Art which renewed the
Gregorian songs, giving birth to the Machaut school of music and modern music itself. He
made scenic adaptations of his « Miracles » thus inventing occidental theatre.
Surely, his most daring initiative is to have associated bourgeois society and the people
in a culture up to now reserved to clerics, giving a renewal and a real originality to
French culture which would become preponderant.
A modest man,
Gautier has been forgotten for the past four centuries: in his own region, he in unknown,
no street bears his name, no commemorative plaque remind us of him, proving the a prophet
is always better known outside his own country...
One of the two
manuscripts of his work is preciously preserved at the Leningrad library, permitting the
publishing of many foreign editions while the other has been given to the « Bibliothèque
Nationale », coming from the Diocese of Soissons where it had lain dormant for the lst
700 years. Will this finally be the tool that does Gautier justice? ».
Published works
on Gautier de Coincy:
-
« Types de quelques chansons de Gautier de Coinci », Paul Meyer, Romania, 17,
1888, pp. 429-437.
-
« Les Chansons à la Vierge », Critical edition by Jacques Chailley, Heugel,
Paris, 1959.
-
« Les miracles de Nostre Dame", Droz, Genève, 1966
-
« l'Art littérature dans les miracles de Nostre Dame de Gautier de Coinci »,
Presses Universitaires du Septentrion, Lille, 1998.
-
« l'Amplification narrative dans les miracles de Nostre Dame de Gautier de
Coinci », Prisma, 1997.
-
« Étude sur les Miracles de Notre-Dame de Gautier de Coincy », A.
Ducrot-Granderye, Helsinki, 1932.
-
« La Vie de sainte Cristine », critical edition by Olivier Collet, Droz, 1999,
[184 pages]
-
« Le Miracle de Théophile ou comment Théophile vint à la pénitence »,
texte, traduction et notes par Annette Garnier. Édition bilingue, Honoré Champion,
1998.
An example the
work of Gautier de Coincy is available in the French page.