In addition to these manuscripts, other complete collections of Machaut’s works have been lost entirely or survive only in part. Less complete collections of Machaut’s works, often mingled with the work of others, also survive from his lifetime or soon after.

Although the manuscripts should have guaranteed the preservation of Machaut’s complete works, a great deal of comparison must be done to produce a modern edition. Friedrich Ludwig, who is better known for publishing the definitive catalogue of Notre Dame polyphony, prepared the first complete edition of Machaut’s music, basing it primarily on the Vogué manuscript. The first three volumes of a work that he undertook in 1900 were published between 1926 and 1929; the last volume finally appeared in 1954 under the supervision of Heinrich Besseler. This is the most accurate edition, though it is not free of errors in transcription. It uses the clef signs that appear in the original sources. Performers today prefer to use modern clefs, making the music easier to read.

Ludwig Schrade prepared a new edition for L’Oiseau-Lyre in 1956, based on manuscript A. While this is more useful to performers because of modern clefs and shorter measures, it is even less accurate than Ludwig’s edition. Performers who use either of these editions must be careful to evaluate the musical notation and judge which variant readings are to be preferred.

The Judgement of the King of Navarre and other narrative poems

The works of Machaut consist of narrative poems or dits, lyric poems, and songs. Most of his dozen narrative poems were written for royal employers or patrons. The Jugement du Roy de Behaingne (The Judgement of the King of Bohemia; over 2,000 lines) is a debate about love, with the decision about the debate submitted to John of Luxembourg for judgement. It was written in the late 1330s, while Machaut was still in the king’s service, and 20 surviving manuscripts indicate that it was his most popular work. The Remède de Fortune (The Remedy of Fortune; 4,300 lines) is an amorous poem that includes seven lyric poems set to music, each of them in a different poetic form. It was probably written for Bonne of Luxembourg around 1340. The Jugement du Roy de Navarre (The Judgement of the King of Navarre; over 4,200 lines) is another debate about love, this decision being submitted to Charles the Bad for judgement. It was written in 1349 as Machaut entered the king’s service.