The word “troubadour” from the Provencal language is translated as “to find,” “to invent,” because melodies and songs are a kind of discoveries and inventions. Most troubadours - vagrant musicians - sang their own songs and only a few, putting the song together, entrusted their performance to the juggler.
The movement of the troubadours originated in Provence - the southeastern "historical" region of France, but over time began to spread in the north of France (where they later became known as truvers), and also in Italy and Spain. The history has preserved the names of the first (conditionally) troubadours - these are such masters as Giraut Riquière, Goselm Fedi, Giraut de Borneil, Peire Vidal.
Many researchers agree that the very very first representative in this art was Duke of Aquitaine Guillaume IX nicknamed "The Troubadour". Thanks to his aristocratic background, he received an excellent education for those times, and you won’t believe it, but at the age of eight he could read, write and explain in Latin.
According to contemporaries, Guillaume's first poems were written at the age of 10, and since then the muse has accompanied the future great poet and singer. Not distinguished by great success in military affairs, the duke had great ability to make music, he loved dancing and acting. The last passion of the duke attracted to him conflicts with the church (we are talking about the medieval era).
The researchers note the perfection of the forms of his poems, and therefore it is believed that it was Guillaume who gave impetus to the further development of not only the poetry of the troubadours, but also of European poetry as a whole.
It is curious that the Occitan (in a different way, Provençal) language, in which troubadours composed their works, in the medieval era was the only literary language in many regions of Italy and Spain.
Who could be a troubadour?
Among the troubadours were many well-educated people. Basically, the troubadours were consigned knights, who were patronized by their overlords — the great rulers-feudal lords. Famous lords and ladies of Provence and Languedoc sought to patronize talented artists who perfectly mastered the art of the troubadours. At the time, court musicians were required to possess such skills:
- to play a musical instrument;
- impromptu writing poems for those who are higher in status;
- keep abreast of the latest news at court.
Other famous troubadours
In addition to the already mentioned Guillaume Aquinas, the European Middle Ages brought forward a number of names of famous troubadours:
- Peire Vidal - a troubadour whose poetry is full of sensuality and adventurism, the famous improviser of love canzon and political events (such are the genres of troubadour creativity).
- Konon Bethune - French Truver, who took part in the crusades. There are only a few of his poems, mostly courteous canzone, marching songs and satire.
- Bertrand de ventadorn - the son of an ordinary servant, who became a famous poet of his time (XII century), in his poems sang spring and love as the greatest good.
Famous troubadours are not exclusively men, in the Middle Ages there were also female poetess - at the moment, 17 female troubadours are known. First name among them - Countess Beatrice de Dia.
Courtly themes in the art of the troubadours
At the end of the 11th century, the so-called courtly poetry of the troubadours, knightly poetry, was born, in which a loving, but at the same time, courteous attitude towards a lady is cultivated. She appears in such verses as a certain ideal, is likened to the image of Madonna, at the same time we are talking about the lady of the heart, who needs to be sung and loved by platonic love.
In the role of such a lady, the heart was most often a married woman, and often the long chanting of a beautiful lady was in fact the prelude to intimacy, concluded in certain rules and frameworks; long courtship in this cultural context meant a high status of a suitor.
The cult of the beautiful lady had a significant influence on the attitude towards a woman, because before that the church presented the female sex only as a hotbed of sin and depravity. Also, thanks to courtly culture began to be married for love.
The Art of the Troubadours on Musical Culture
The art of the troubadours really influenced the further development of European culture in general and music in particular. The music composed by the troubadours influenced the development minnesang - German knightly lyrics. Initially, the minnesingers simply rewrote the compositions of the troubadours, and a little later in Germany they formed a separate type of musical creativity - the Minnesang (this word literally translates as “love song”)
You should be aware of some specific genres that were formed precisely in the music of the troubadours:
- shepherd - this is a song genre, the content of such a song is usually unpretentious: a knight talks with a simple shepherd, and, unlike courtly poems, he cannot talk about any high feelings;
- alba - this is a song in which the situation of separation of lovers in the morning is poeticized: they will have to part, perhaps forever (the knight could die in battle) with the arrival of dawn.
- canzone - a love song addressed to a girl, but sometimes singing canzons simply expressed respect for their overlord, girl or friend, in such cases the canzona could be performed by several knights at once.
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