My favorite is “I Can All Too Well Compare My Lady” by Guillaume de Machaut. This song makes me smile. This is a polyphonic piece, so there are no instruments being played. There are three men singing in French. This is a secular piece that is about a man who is praying to a woman who is like a statue towards the man praying to her. Reviewing the details about this song I realize that it is a sad song. This man loves this woman and he prays to her and she does not answer him. Knowing this now, I find it interesting that just listening to the song makes me smile. This piece is a great one to learn to listen for cadences.
