This barless transcription presenting Fini le bien, is an anonymous reply to Sandrin’s widely beloved chanson Doulce Mémoire. The original text serves as an epigram: a melancholic meditation on memory’s power to evoke sorrow, where sweetness is inseparable from pain and constancy feels tragically out of reach. A philosophical reply to Sandrin’s famous chanson “Doulce Mémoire,” “Fini le bien” accepts misfortune as part of life and affirms the wisdom of constancy and savoring joy while it lasts.

I feel the barless format encourages flexible phrasing and attentive ensemble listening. Accidentals placed above a note are editorial suggestions (musica ficta) and apply only to that note. For players unfamiliar with barless notation, see my article “How to Play Barless Renaissance Music” in ARS NOVA, July 2025.