Historical context of Toubadourism
In the previous post we highlighted Troubadourism and its historical context, dominated by theocentrism and feudalism. We also talk about Troubadourism in Portugal. Let us now deal with the troubadour songs and their most important authors.
The refined population of Provence was characterized by the ideals of bourgeois life, trying to live as pleasantly as possible, without even noticing a marked difference between the noble person and the bourgeoisie. To this end, the rational division of property and the loosening of feudal dependency ties contributed to this, which led to the emergence of strong individualism, meaning, in the Middle Ages, a clash with the principles of the Church, as it represented a conception of life opposed to the orthodox doctrines. Furthermore, it is worth adding that the clergy, in the South, did not have the same strength as the religious in the North, since they were subject to the feudal lords. Audemaro Taranto Goulart and Oscar Vieira da Silva.
Troubadour songs
Troubadour song is the denomination given to the poetic texts of the first medieval period and that were part of the literary movement of troubadourism. In general, they were songs sung in chorus and, therefore, received the name of cantigas.
Troubadour poetry has a lyrical-loving tendency and a satirical one. In the first, the themes of suffering in love and longing predominate. In the second, criticisms are made of people or customs, something quite daring in an era of repression of free thought.
Lyrical songs
We saw in the post literary genres and literary schools that the term lyrical received this name, by reference to the lyre, a musical instrument that accompanied the declamation of poetry in Antiquity. It includes sentimental poetic texts that reveal the author's emotions. It is characterized by the poetic function of language and the use of words in their connotative sense (meaning given to a word depending on its context, which does not correspond to its literal meaning) with a predominance of the first person singular (I).
They are brief texts because they do not have a plot, but the externalization of the poet's inner world, the lyrical self, also called the lyrical subject or poetic self, does not refer to the author of the text (real person) as it is a fictitious entity (female or male.). It is a creation of the poet, who plays the role of narrator or enunciator of the poem. The lyrical self represents the "voice of poetry".
The lyrical songs have two branches, the love songs, whose theme is the suffering of love, and the friend songs, which sing the longing for the loved one. Let us go to them!
Love songs
They are written in the first person singular (I). In them, the poetic self, that is, the fictional subject who gives voice to poetry, declares his love for a lady, against the background of the formalism of the palace environment. The love confession is direct, and the troubadour commonly addresses her, calling her “mia Senhor” or “mia Senhor Fremosa” (my lady or my beautiful lady). The lover, usually affected by the needy thing, the pain of love in the face of the beloved's indifference, is a servant and vassal of his beloved and expresses his love insistently and intensely.
It would be curtsy, sir, to offer you mercy on me, whom you saw on a serious day, and in a very serious love of yours, so serious that I can no longer suffer from this poor thing that I have suffered for a long time. But our Lord know well that I served you, since I saw you, always the best I could ever do; because you want to grieve for me, poor sinner. [...] |
D. Dinis, in Cantigas de D. Dinis, B 521b, V 124 Measure: "courtesy" Sir: "lady". Suffixes ending in "or" did not have feminine inflection. Amercear: "to feel compassion, to feel compassion". Grave: "difficult, unhappy |
Free translation - Rough translation since the song was written in old Galician, a mix of Portuguese and Spanish). |
In this song, the troubadour hopes that the lady will have the courtesy to feel compassion for him. Suffering, he says that the day he met her was unfortunate and even more unfortunate was the love he felt for her, so difficult that he can no longer suffer from this pain, since he has been suffering for a long time. God knows that he never deserved this suffering, God knows that he always offered the lady his best and says that she is the one who wants to see him suffer, poor sinner.
Love songs emerged between the 11th and 13th centuries, influenced by the art developed in the Provence region, in the south of France. The influence of Provencal lyricism was intensified with the arrival of French settlers in the Iberian Peninsula who fought against the Moors (Arabs) linked to Provence. Also noteworthy is the intense trade between France and the western region of the Iberian Peninsula, reaching the North Atlantic.
In this context, "courtly love" arises, based on an impossible love, where men suffer from love for desiring court women, usually married to nobles. This conception is more intense in the voice of the troubadours of Portugal and Galicia (an autonomous Spanish community located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, where Galicia and the Kingdom of Galicia were formerly located). These troubadours do not limit themselves to imitation, but to "suffer more sorely".
How, you may be wondering, did the troubadour assume this position of submission before women if in the Middle Ages, women still occupied a lower place on the social scale? The answer is given by Audemaro Taranto Goulart and Oscar Viera da Silva, Brazilian literature scholars:
In the South of France (Provence), however, the situation of women was different (from the situation of women in Northern France): the law conferred her legal equality with men, evidenced in the fact that she inherited, owned property, and power, after being married, to dispose of them without the husband's consent being necessary. As can be seen, the new civilization had a feminist ideal, which will be represented in love songs by the loving subjection of men, by the submission imposed by female desire and imposition.
Friend songs
They are written in the first person singular (I) and are approved in the form of a dialogue. Formal work is more accurate in relation to love songs. They originate from popular sentiment and in the Iberian Peninsula itself.
Oy me, poor woman, how I live in gran cared for by my friend who is estranged! It takes a long time for my friend in Guard. Oy me, poor woman, how I live in greate desire for my friend who arrives late and I don't see! Very late my friend in Guard. |
D. Sancho I ou Alfonso X - [authorship doubtful], Songbook of the National Library, B 456 |
Free translation - Rough translation since the song was written in old Galician, a mix of Portuguese and Spanish. |
In this song, we see that the maiden also suffers the painful pains of love, of the distance between her and her beloved, an officer of the guard, whom she has not seen for a long time. We notice, however, that the loving speech is more subtle, it is not addressed directly to the boy; it is a lament of longing.
In them, the poetic self is female, but their authors are men. It is the lady who exposes her feelings, always discreetly because, in the Provencal context, the most important value of a woman is discretion. The damsel sometimes turns to her mother, a sister or friend, or even to a shepherd or someone she meets along the way.
This is the main feature that differentiates them from love songs, where the lyrical self is male. The environment described in the friend songs is the countryside and no longer the court. The environments involve peasant women, a characteristic that reflects the relationship between nobles and commoners. This is undoubtedly one of the main marks of patriarchy in Portuguese society.
The seven sategories of friend songs
Albas - sing of the sunrise
Bailias - sing of the art of dance
Barcaroles - maritime theme
Pastoreias - bucolic theme
Romarias - religious celebration
Serenas - sing of the sunset
Of pure solitude - do not fit into any of the previous themes
Satirical songs
They present, in general, an indirect and ironic criticism. They tend to mock or defame a certain person. They also demonstrate the daring of the troubadour in criticizing the society of the time, in which free thought was opposed by the Church. There are two types of satirical songs: those of mockery and those of cursing.
Mocking songs
They are more ironic and work with puns and double meaning words, without mentioning names. They are indirect criticisms: it is a “bad word” in a covert, insinuated way.
Oh, ugly lady, you went to complain that I never praised you for my singing; but now I want to sing a song in which I will praise you however; and see how I want to praise you: ugly, old and crazy lady! |
Ugly lady, if God forgives me, because you have such a big heart that I praise you, so I want to praise you will be: ugly, old and crazy lady! |
Ugly lady, I never praised you in my song, but I sing very much; but now I will make a good song in wich I will praise you however; and I will tell you how I will praise you: ugly, old and crazy lady! |
João Garcia de Gilhade, Songbook of the National Library, B 1485 V 1097 |
Free translation - Rough translation since the song was written in old Galician, a mix of Portuguese and Spanish. |
In this mocking song, the troubadour responds to a lady who complained that she had never received any of his songs. Ironically, he says that he will then write a song to praise her, calling her "an ugly, old and crazy lady [sandia]".
Cursing songs
They are those in which the troubadours point directly and nominally at the target of their satire, in a purposely offensive way and using low-slang terms, such as profanity, as the intention is to verbally assault someone.
The beautiful lady of Soveral will give me money for the prize that came to me, a non-profit, a day delivered to Don Corral's house; and she is perjured because she did nothing andshe sold badly, so this piece of money will be seized if I double the deposit. |
If she believes me, I will take care of her, I will give her the best advice I know today: give me my possessions and I will thank her; if she doesn't, I will seize her: she forced me, with her elongated body, I will not suffer her; moreover, if I am willing, she will give me double the token I gave her. |
Song, The beautiful lady of Soveral, by Lopo Lias. |
Free translation - Rough translation since the song was written in old Galician, a mix of Portuguese and Spanish. |
Main authors of Troubadourism
Portugal
King D. Dinis (1261-1325) - he was a great supporter who gave prestige to poetic production in his court. He was himself one of the most talented medieval troubadours with a production of 140 lyrical and satirical songs.
Paio Soares Taveirós – he was a troubadour from the first half of the 13th century. Vineyard of noble origin, he is the author of the love song A ribeirinha (The Riverside Girl), which is considered the first work in the Galician-Portuguese language.
João Soares Paiva, João Garcia de Guilhade, Fernão Rodrigues de Calheiros, Pero Gonçalves Portocarreiro.
Spain
D. Afonso X – considered the great renovator of peninsular culture in the second half of the 13th century. He wrote many compositions in Galician-Portuguese that became known as Cantigas de Santa Maria (Songs of Saint Mary).
France
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