Poetry Of The Troubadours And Trouv example essay topic

The troubadours and trouv " eres in France had a very important impact on poetry and the social atmosphere of the Middle Ages. Life at this time was rapidly changing, as was the poetry and music of this time as well. The Troubadours and Trouv " eres were more than just "traveling musicians who played in medieval castles" (Hawkins). The Troubadours and Trouv " eres of France were some of the leaders in the poetry of this time. Troubadours and Trouv " eres wrote poetry that was new and innovative.

The Troubadours and the Trouv " eres were very similar and yet very different in the content of their poems and songs. With lyrics of courtly love, life in general, knightly chivalry, and even politics these poets changed the social atmosphere of there time. They took great care to match the music that they wrote with the poetry that was written. Troubadours' and Trouv " eres' music was based primarily on the poetry of the time period in France. Even in its earliest forms, French poetry had very clear and definite form. These poet musicians worked hard to fit their music to the rhythm mood of the poem itself (Colles 14).

It was important to these artists that their profession be a harmony of arts. According to Paul Henry Lang, a Professor of Musicology at Columbia University, the music of the Troubadours and Trouv " eres "was intended to be sung, [and] must be considered a combination of two arts, music and poetry, ceaselessly influencing each other" (99). They created music and poetry simultaneously. These lyrics were "intensely emotional" (Cook, Herzman 292). The literature of the Middle Ages was moving from liturgical, church based writing to writings of love, knightly virtues and heroism, and even politics.

The nobleman, aristocratic Troubadours of Southern France were poets who focused the content of their poetry on courtly love. The Troubadour movement began with William IX, Duke of Aquitaine (Tierney 259). There were other Troubadours who were lesser nobility like Bernard de Venta dour or Eleanor of Aquitaine. There were soldiers or clerics 'of poor family', but good talent "could raise the commoner-poet to the level of the aristocracy" (Hindly 75).

Because they were aristocracy, they generally used the langue d'oc which was a Provencal language and its dialects (Hindly 74). Because so many of the Troubadours were of aristocracy, they seemed to be an "offshoot" of the order of chivalry which was spreading through all of Europe (Loon 192). This chivalry of armored knights was a driving force behind the Troubadours poetry. Love and service were subjects in the forefront of the Troubadour poetry (Lang 103). Love poetry and the courtly epic are peculiar creations of these knights (Lang 100). The Troubadours' concept of love was made of two different views.

One was the "sensual, glowing passion which considered woman simply as the object of a burning desire which had to be satisfied". The other was the "moral, chaste love ethic in which the woman was considered primarily as the unattainable lady" (Lang 101). The poetry of the troubadour was not completely focused on courtly love, but also on moral and political subjects, often jokingly, and even philosophical ideas on life in general (Crocker, Hiley 387). They even wrote about writing music itself: "A song cannot in any way have value If the singing doesn't from the heart, And the singing cannot well from the breast Unless its source is fine, true love. And so my verse looms high, For I have joy from love, devoting there My mouth and eyes, my heart and mind.

(Cook, Herzman 292) The Trouv " eres of Northern France were very similar to Troubadours and yet very different in some of their subjects. The Trouv " eres used the forms of the Troubadour and made new ones of their own (Brereton 32). They were very innovative and created many songs on the spot. They were common people in general, but also included some noble names like Thibault of Champagne (Hindley 74). They used the langue d'o"il which is the ancestor of modern French. To an extent, this language was like our modern day slang and was not used by most aristocrats (Hindley 74).

The subjects of Trouv " ere poetry came from just about "any material they could find". They also wrote about courtly and not-so courtly-love. One of the most well known of trouv eres was Adam de la Hale, who wrote about courtly love and admiration of women. Often when Trouv " eres spoke of love tough, it was more on the sexual level (Tierney 410,411). "They dipped deeply into Welsh folklore" (Tierney 412). They wrote poems known as "Songs of Deeds" that were huge epic song-poems that ranged from one to twenty thousand lines about heroism and good deeds of knights (Lang 105).

Some of there songs were political, such as asking for compassion for those swinging by the gallows, or about princes and kings (Brereton 35). They wrote for many different audiences and wrote for different reasons. Their poetry and music, as well as the troubadours, helped change the face of society in the Middle Ages of France. The social atmosphere of France was changing during the middle ages, and the Troubadours and Trouv " eres were instrumental in helping bring that about.

The society was turning from its originally Church based culture and educational system to one that looked on tournaments, exaggerated reverence of women, and the pursuit of material pleasure. The poetry of the Troubadours and Trouv " eres helped pass from an age of rule by sword to that of love and tenderness, causing a change in the peoples' morals and customs. This new style of literature brought a new delicacy and respect for integrity (Lang 99,100). The Troubadours and Trouv " eres wrote for courts quite often. Their performances had to be appropriate to the moment so that the courtly conversation was elevated and more meaningful. In troubadour song and poetry there was a special genre for every occasion: the sir vent " es for political or generally opinionated discussion, the plan for death of a friend, the chanson 'a danser or estampida to encourage dancing.

Aside from their performances in courts, troubadours might perform for important public meetings or at fairs (Jinright). Their long heroic, epic poems formed the entertainment and the history of a civilization based on oral tradition (Hindley 73). The impact of the Troubadours and Trouv " eres is plain to see, but in some ways difficult to prove. There are really very little sources for historical reference to them. At the same time though, there are around 2600 Troubadour poems and 2100 Trouv " ere poems that survive (Crocker, Hiley 363,367). These poems give a good glimpse into the world of these poets in France in the Middle Ages.

Through them, we can see how the Troubadour and Trouv " ere poetry had a major impact on literature and social life in the Middle Ages.

Bibliography

1. Jinright, John. "The Troubadours of France". [Online]. Troy State University, 19 August, 1998, accessed 5 October, 2003.
Available from web 2. Van Loon, Hendrik Willem. The Arts. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1939.
3. Patrick Hawkins, Amy Beetle. "The National Standards and Medieval Music in Middle School Choral and General Music". Music Educators Journal. January 2003, Vol.
89, Issue 3.4. Brereton, Geoffrey. A Short History of French Literature. Penguin Books, 1962 5.
Colles, H.C. The Growth of Music; A Study in Musical History for Schools. Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1939.
6. Tierney, Brian. Western Europe in the Middle Ages, 300-1475. New York: Knopf. Random House, 1974.
7. Crocker, Richard, Hiley, David, ed. New Oxford History of Music. London: Oxford University Press, 1954.
8. Hindley, Geoffrey, ed. Larousse Encyclopedia of Music. New York: Crescent Books, 1986, c 1971.
9. Lang, Paul Henry. Music in western civilization. New York: W.W. Norton, c 1941 10.
Cook, William R., Herzman, Ronald B. The Medieval World View: An Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press, 1983.