Troubadours
A Troubadour is in every sense a composer, a poet of lyrical design and accompaniment. In the Middle Ages, a Troubadour was a composer of old Occitan lyric poetry. A traveling musician much like a bard, with the main difference being that bards would memorize whole narrative tales and songs, and were a respected class amongst their people, whereas Troubadours were the poets and singers attached to a specific Medieval school of literature and music, which started in the region of Provence and spread to most of Western Europe, being heavily respected by lords and kings of the time. Troubadours are directly influential to the entire Western Tradition of what we call poetry today, and surely our whole literary experience would look very, very different today without the Troubadours and their influence. The themes of the songs they would often sing and perform dealt with Chivalry and Courtly Love, romantic ideas that were very popular during the height of the Troubadours and their reach.
Study/History of Troubadours
The early studies of the troubadours focuses mainly on their origins, or lack thereof. There has never been an academic consensus that scholars could achieve and agree on to this day. There are a couple of theories, but no true definitive answer to their history and true origin. We do know that t archetype of the wild nomadic life of troubadours exists because it was conventional in the Provence to add a short biography of the different poets or Troubadours working on a piece. Them and many others would create"vidas" and "razos" and many of these were made to be entertaining, but the nature of the Troubadour lifestyle and work made it so that you sometimes got several different stories for the life behind the same set of poetry and the poet who made them. Razos were written to explain the set of circumstances behind a poet's composition, hence their barely surviving origins. In one Razo a a misogynist named Marcabrun is cast as the son of a destitute single mother. The other one has him grow up as the adopted child of a noble overlord. Both Razo's are attempting to explain the poetry and the poet and both are entertaining. 
Final Thoughts
Overall the Troubadours proved to be an extremely interesting and important part of our history and culture as writers and scholars. They would entertain and travel for most of their lives and their romantic nature still has not been forgotten to this day. The've influenced poets and writers of the past, and still today their work travels to the ears of others as they did once before.
Works Cited
1. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "troubadour". Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Jul. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/art/troubadour-lyric-artist. Accessed 12 September 2024.
2. Alchin, Linda. Troubadours, 2018, www.medieval-life-and-times.info/medieval-music/troubadours.htm.
3. Steel, Matthew . "Troubadours and Trouvères". In obo in Medieval Studies. 12 Sep. 2024. <https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195396584/obo-9780195396584-0148.xml>.
4. “Troubadour.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/troubadour. Accessed 12 Sep. 2024.
Admittedly, I didn't have a very clear understanding of what a troubadour was before reading your post, so a lot of this was very new to me! I appreciated your explanation of the distinction between a bard and a troubadour, it helped provide some context as to where these people could be found during the time period. I think it's interesting that we don't really have a clear understanding of the origins of the troubadour. It makes me think that humans have just always had a capacity and passion for the arts, and a need to share it with others. Great post, thank you!
ReplyDeleteI had heard the word troubadour before, but did not have an understanding of what they were until reading this. Despite being called the "Dark Ages" this time period was still filled with artistry in various forms. It seems to be the case in historical studies that a lack of information gains attention, like the lack of origins for the troubadours. Such origins might be lost to time. Enjoyed this post.
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