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"Je ne puis vivre ainsy” was composed in the year 1460. It was written for Jacqueline de Hacqueville, a mistress of Charles VII.  Her name appears as the first letters in each line of poetry. It is composed in one of the "forme fixe” or fixed forms of the period after the poetic form, in this case a “virelai.” The musical forms followed the poetic forms which for the virelai is AbbaA. Musically A & B represent two distinct sections and capital letters refer to repetitions with the same lyrics.
 
There are some very striking things about this particular piece.
 
The meter of the first section (A) is triple whereas the B section is duple. The difference between the two sections can be felt whether or not the listener knows this. The use of Imitation in this piece is pervasive. In the A section each line enters successively with the same material, in this case the Soprano 2 comes in long after the Soprano 1.  Listening, you can hear imitation and sequence woven into the texture in a compelling way. The B section starts homophonically with long note values in all voice. The effect here is breathtaking after the contrapuntal busyness of the A section. The duple meter is clearly sensed.
 
The end of the B section takes a turn into new modal territory with the E and A flats. Here the text says “Pay close attention to this poem” in the first time through the B section, and “You may have mercy on me” on the repeat.