I was born in the year 1291
On a Wednesday, it was Halloween
And I was my family's only son
I grew up in the French town Vitry

From an early age I studied music in the school "Sorbonne"
After that I served the royal family (in Normandy)
I was made a bishop by the Pope when I was fifty-one
After five years helping with the French army
(But that's not what's most important about me...)

I am Philippe de Vitry, the only medieval virtuosi
Yes, I'm Philippe de Vitry, all future music is because of me! 

I'm Philippe de Vitry, I'm Philippe de Vitry, 
I'm Philippe de Vitry, I'm Philippe de Vitry...
And I invented rhythm - the idea was mine
To take unstructured music and put it into time!

Before me musicians paid no attention to rhythm
They just sang their melodies without counting (What a mess!)

Listen in how my music you can count out a beat
One two three four, one two three four - now let's try in three
One two three, one two three - can't you see? It's easy!

But alas, nobody appreciates me
They are blind; they can't see that I should make history
I try, and I try - it makes me want to cry
And I try, and I try - pretty soon I'm going to die

And no one will know all the things that I thought of
Like "mensural notation" (a new way to write music)
And my greatest creation: the motet

A motet is an isorhythm repeated over and over
With other rhythms against it similar in rhythm 
(La la la la la la la la...)

So that's a motet, which I invented
People didn't like them 'cuz they were different
From the normal rhythm-less tunes (no, no, no)
Rulers didn't like my music 
   'cuz I wrote about things other than the church
Those idiots can't appreciate my secular music

Don't get me wrong - I was respected
For very long I lived with Charles the Fourth
As well as John (the second one, I mean) 
And Philip Six - I was his secretary (yeah)
I was thought of as a very smart man 
Most prominent in math and thought (philosophy)

But nobody sees what I see in music
Maybe someday future artists will use it
It's all in my book titled "Ars Nova" which means "The New Art"
Yeah... 

I think I've covered everything. I am also one of the first musicians to use the tenor pitch to carry melodies, not just hold out long bass notes. My rhythms are extremely complex, but I am able to play them because of my skill in math. After all...

I'm Philippe de Vitry, I'm Philippe de Vitry, 
I'm Philippe de Vitry... 
Yes I am! 

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