Baude Cordier (fl. early 15th century) was a French composer in the ars subtilior style of late medieval music. Virtually nothing is known of Cordier's life, aside from an inscription on one of his works which indicates he was born in Rheims and had a Master of Arts. Some scholars identify him with Baude Fresnel, a harpist and organist in the court of Philip the Bold, though other scholars have rejected this.[1]
He is best known for his unique and experimental notational methods, often with shapes relating to the subject matter. These include a heart-shaped staff in Belle, Bonne, Sage, a rondeau about love, and numerous circles in the Tout par compas suy composés rondeau. Such an approach is thought to have inspired later composers, ranging from Gilles Binchois to Karlheinz Stockhausen.
It has been suggested that Cordier was the pen name of Baude Fresnel.[2][1][3][4]
| External audio | |
|---|---|
 Tout par compas in a manuscript animation performed by Fortune Obscure |
Cordier's works are considered among the prime examples of ars subtilior. In line with that cultural trend, he was fond of using red note notation, also known as coloration, a technique stemming from the general practice of mensural notation. The change in color adjusts the rhythm of a particular note from its usual form. (This musical style and type of notation has also been termed "mannerism" and "mannered notation.")[5]
Ten of Cordier's secular pieces survive, most of which are rondeaux:
Two of the composer's chansons are in the Chantilly Manuscript and are well-known examples of eye music:
Many commentators have speculated that Cordier's unique and experimental notation inspired certain notation by later composers, such that in as Refrain by Karlheinz Stockhausen,[10] and Gilles Binchois's Je ne pouroye.[11] Cordier's work was among the earliest Western compositions to include performance instructions to explain how to use the specialized notation.[12]
His mass movement in the Apt MS is in the later, simpler fifteenth-century style.
| Title | No. of voices | Genre | Manuscript source: Folios[n 1] | Reaney |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gloria | 3 | Mass movement | R 11 | |
| Dame excellent ou sont bonté | 4 | Ballade | R 10 | |
| Amans, amés secretement | 3 | Rondeau | R 6 | |
| Belle, bonne, sage, plaisant | 3 | Rondeau | R 8 | |
| Ce jour de l'an que maint | 3 | Rondeau | R 1 | |
| Je suy celuy qui veul | 3 | Rondeau | R 3 | |
| Pour le deffault du noble dieu Bachus | 3 | Rondeau | R 2 | |
| Que vaut avoir qui ne vit | 3 | Rondeau | R 4 | |
| Se cuer d'amant par soy | 3 | Rondeau | R 7 | |
| Tant ay de plaisir et de desplaisance | 3 | Rondeau | R 5[n 2] | |
| Tout par compas suy composés | 3 | Rondeau | R 9 | |
| No other works by Baude Cordier survive | ||||
Cordier's works are included in the following collections:
