What is a Troubadour?
Troubadours were lyric poets who thrived from the 12th to the 13th centuries in the South of France, composing works in a wide variety of styles and on an assortment of themes. Although an estimated 300 compositions survive to this day, the bulk of the work produced by the troubadours has been lost, with their legacy living on instead in the form of various art forms derived from the troubadour tradition. The work of these medieval poets inspired many generations of artists in Europe, and copious translations of their existing works can be found in libraries and book stores. The primary defining characteristic of a troubadour is that he or she wrote in the langue d’Oc, or Occitan language, a romance language which was spoken in the region of France known as Provence today. The works of a troubadour were also designed to be accompanied by music, played by the troubadour or by an assistant known as a jongleur or minstrel. Many troubadours composed their own works, while others drew on ex
“You have been the first among my joys, and you shall be the last, so long as there is life in me” A verse sung by Bernart de Ventadorn, a famous troubadour said to be in love with Eleanor of Aquitaine. A Troubadour was a composer and performer of songs in the Middle Ages in Europe. Troubadour songs tended to deal with themes of chivalry and courtly love. The tradition began in the 11th Century in South West France in Languedoc and Aquitaine. William, Duke of Aquitaine, was considered to represent the summit of troubadour achievements with the flowering of culture in the region. His daughter, Eleanor of Aquitaine, was Queen of France and then Queen of England and mother of Richard the Lionheart. The Troubadour tradition arrived in England with Eleanor and survived the savage oppression of Occitan culture by the Church of Rome in the Albegensian or Cathar Crusade. The tradition of romantic love was resurrected by the troubadours and spread in Western European culture until today when lo
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- What is a Troubadour?
