Solage

Solage (; or Soulage), possibly Jean , was a French composer, and probably also a poet. He composed the most pieces in the Chantilly Codex, the principal source of music of the ars subtilior, the manneristic compositional school centered on Avignon at the end of the century. Life Nothing is known about Solage’s life, beyond what can be inferred from the texts to his music. Even his name is a puzzle. One possibility is that the single name “Solage” is a nickname or pseudonym, similar to others known from the period, such as Grimace or Hasprois. “Solage” and “soulage” are variant spellings of Old French solaz, solace, meaning “consolation”, “joy”, or “entertainment”. In the refrain to the text of Calextone qui fut dame, the composer refers to himself with such a double meaning, using the spelling “soulage”. However, the possibility that it is a genuine name cannot be ruled out. One of the attributions in the Chantilly Codex includes the initial J wrapped into the name, so it is possible his first name was . There are many references from that time to people called Jean Soulas (a name still found in modern times), and the surname Soulage or Soulages also existed (for example, Guillaum