Guillaume de Machaut

Guillaume de Machaut is one of the first composers who was well aware of his influence on the history of music: at the end of his life he collected his complete body of work in a large book. This neatly arranged, well preserved manuscript contains not only all of his compositions, but also 15 epic poems and over 250 lyric poems. Machaut was an all-round musician, and he was unique in the fact that he wrote commentaries for his own work. His best known work is probably his Messe de Nostre Dame, the first mass which wa composed as a whole.  Besides this, Machaut primarily wrote secular music, in all common genres of his time, such as the chanson and the virelai. His versatility brought him great fame, which still lasts in our day and age.