Four Musicians

Four Musicians
Guy Marchant, Musicians

Le premier mort
Vous par diuine sentence
Qui viues en estatz diuers
Tous: danseres ceste danse
Vnefoys. et bons: et peruers.
Et si seront menges de vers
Voz corps. helas: regardez nous
Mors. pourris. puans. descouuers
Comme sommes: telx seres vous.

Le second mort
Dictez nous par quelles raisons
Vous ne penses point a morir
Quant la mort va en voz maisons
Huy lung: demain lautre querir.
Sans quon vous puisse secourir
Cest mal viure: sans y penser
Et troup grant danger de perir.
Force est quil faille ainsi danser.

Le tier mort
Entendez ce: que ie vous dis.
Ieunes et vieulx: petis et grans
De iour en iour selon les dis
Des sages: vous alez mourans
Car vos iours vont diminuans
Pour quoy: tous serez trespasses
Ceulx qui viuez: deuant cent ans:
Las: cent ans seront tost passes.

Le quart mort
Deuant quil soient cent ans passes
Tous les viuans comme tu dis
De ce monde seront passes
En enfer: ou en paradis
Mon compagnon: mais ie te dis.
Peu de gent sont qui aient cure
Des trespasses: ne de noz dis.
Le fait deulx: git en aduenture.

Four musicians
Guy Marchant, Musicians

The four musicians were not included in the original dance on the mural. They are among the additions that Guy Marchant made to his books shortly after his first publication, namely in 1485/86. The funny thing is that musical instruments are not used anywhere in the original Danse Macabre, even the minstrel's lute is lying on the ground.

Another five years later, in 1491, images were produced of the female dancers, and the Women's Danse Macabre was initially released separately. For this book a new version of the four musicians were produced (picture on the right). These cadavers have long spiky hair, like the cadavers have in the rest of the women's dance.

Musicians, 1766
Garnier, Troyes 1766
Musicians, 1766
Garnier, Troyes 1766

The dances of death were for a long time reprinted in Troyes, and during the years it became necessary to produce new copies of the woodcuts.

Oddly enough, the publisher in 1766 had two different versions of these copies, and what is even stranger is that he choose to feature the coarsest copy (pictured left) on the frontpage, and the more detailed one inside the book.

Døde-Dands
Døde=Dands, Music
An even later edition
Hugo Pratt, Corto Maltese

The musical cadavers may have inspired the Danish book Døde-Dands from 1762 (picture to the left).

Variants

Various Artists

Guy Marchant (1486)
Guy Marchant 1486: Musicians
Matthias Huss (1499)
Matthias Huss 1499: Musicians
Barre (1500)
Barre 1500: Musicians
Nicolas Oudot (1641)
Nicolas Oudot 1641: Four musicians
Garnier (1766)
Garnier 1766: Troyes 1766
Garnier (1766)
Garnier 1766: Four Musicians
Garnier (1766)
Garnier 1766: Troyes 1766
Baillieu (1862)
Baillieu 1862: Musicians
Baillieu (1862)
Baillieu 1862: Musicians
Hugo Pratt (2010)
Hugo Pratt 2010: Corto Maltese