This barless transcription of Doulce Mémoire presents Pierre de Manchicourt’s two-voice adaptation of Pierre Sandrin’s famous chanson. Active during the mid-16th century, Manchicourt served as maître de chapelle to Philip II of Spain and was known for blending Franco-Flemish contrapuntal technique with an emerging interest in expressive flow—a hallmark of the late Renaissance. This setting was first published in 1545 in Georg Rhau’s Bicinia gallica, latina et germanica, volume 2 (Wittenberg), and reflects Manchicourt’s evolving style marked by seamless imitation and text-driven nuance.
Offered as a bicinium—a Renaissance teaching format designed to cultivate clarity, independence, and listening between two voices—the transcription omits barlines to encourage interpretation shaped by cadence, imitation, and rhetoric rather than fixed meter. The original French text is preserved underlay-style to guide phrasing and articulation, especially for instrumentalists aiming to reflect its emotional pacing. This duet offers developing players a structured yet expressive introduction to late Renaissance vocal polyphony.