Enjoyment of Music; Ess. Listening Ed. 4th ed. Chapter 14 Storytelling through Song: Troubadours and Medieval Court Culture

1. CHAPTER 14
Storytelling Through Song:
Troubadours and Medieval
Court Culture
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2. • Not much is known about this non-religious music because
little of it was written down.
• What was written was monophonic, but it is believed it was
accompanied by instruments (homophonic).
• We know it existed because of paintings and illustrated
manuscripts from the period.
• Castles = most important secular structures of the Middle Ages
• Reflected importance of secular and worldly power for
royalty/aristocracy
• Created opportunities for musical performances
• Demonstrated power to subjects and each other.
• Rulers competed for services of best composers, artists, and
musicians.
• Songs for Medieval entertainment sung in language of people.
• Music for dancing served an important social function.
Middle Ages: Music for Entertainment

3. • 13th century dance in triple meter
• Anonymous composer
• Clear, fast tempo
• No instrumentation specified
• Estampie
• This recording
• Rebec
• Pipe
Estampie

4. • Harps
• Lutes (like a guitar)
• Flutes (end blown,
called recorders)
• Shawns (like oboes)
• Early violins
• Trumpets and drums
Instruments of the Middle Ages

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Medieval Instruments

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Medieval Minstrels and Court Musicians, Part 1(Europe)
I. Medieval Minstrels and Court Musicians
A. Popular repertoire of songs and dances
1. reflect aspects of medieval life
B. Minstrels
1. wandering, versatile entertainers
2. musicians on the fringe of society descriptive accounts; music not
notated

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Middle Ages: Secular Musicians of the Period
Minstrels: professional poet-musicians who traveled the
countryside
Their music was the “news” of the day: gossip, recent
events, legends.
They were the original “vaudeville” performers.
They performed a variety of acts: juggling, magic,
acrobatics.
They were itinerant and didn’t write their songs down.
They were outcasts in society.

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Medieval Minstrels and Court Musicians, Part 2

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Medieval Minstrels and Court Musicians, Part 3 (France)
C. Troubadours and trouvères
1. French poet-musicians, flourished at various aristocratic courts of
Europe
a. troubadour (feminine, trobairitz): Occitania, southern France
b. trouvère: northern France
2. sometimes members of aristocracy and royalty (e.g., King Richard the
Lionheart)
3. dancing, banquets, ceremonies, tournaments, civic processions, military
campaigns
4. poems: idealized love, chivalry, laments, political and moral ditties,
chronicles of the Crusades, war songs

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Middle Ages: Secular Musicians of the Period (Germany)
Minnesingers: German knights who composed and sang
their own songs about the approach of dawn (“watchers’”
songs), and the beauty of nature and of women
Meistersingers: c. 14th-16th centuries, middle class
performers who built on tradition of Minnesingers
Formed guilds (the first musical unions)
Developed rules for songwriting
Tested composers for knowledge of rules before
admitting them to the guild

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Alfonso el Sabio
Ruled the Kingdom of Castile and León (in modern
central and northwestern Spain) during the 13th century.
May not be the real composer; probably attributed to
him, but really by an anonymous person.
Possibly a monk, priest, or nun
Could have been a court musician or a traveling musician
(called a troubadour, trouvère, or minnesinger).
Cantigas de Santa Maria
A collection of more than 400 songs

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“Aquel que de volontade” (He Who Gladly Serves)
He Who Gladly Serves

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Medieval Minstrels and Court Musicians, Part 4

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Raimbaut de Vaqueiras and the Troubadour Tradition, Part 1
II. Raimbaut de Vaqueiras and the Troubadour Tradition
A. Raimbaut de Vaqueiras (c. 1155–1207)
1. humble origin, son of a “poor knight,” southern France
2. service of Marquis Boniface I of Montferrat, northwestern Italy
3. later knighted
4. output: 35 poems survive; seven preserved in music

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Raimbaut de Vaqueiras and the Troubadour Tradition, Part 2

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Raimbaut de Vaqueiras and the Troubadour Tradition, Part 3

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Raimbaut de Vaqueiras and the Troubadour Tradition, Part 4
B. Kalenda maya (The First of May)
1. estampie: troubadour dance song
2. love song to Beatrice, daughter of Marquis of Montferrat
3. 6-strophe poem in Provençal
a. celebrates return of spring; courtly love
b. compares devotion to Eric and Enide (ancient epic poem)
4. style and structure echo Middle Eastern music
5. original notation: no indication of instruments, ambiguous indications of
rhythm

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Raimbaut de Vaqueiras and the Troubadour Tradition, Part 5
C. Listening Guide 3: Raimbaut de Vaqueiras: Kalenda maya (The First of May),
(late 12th century)
1. instrumental introduction: (A-A-B-B-C-C)
a. solo rebec, guitarra moresca, nakers, pipe
b. dance-like triple meter
c. mostly conjunct melody, wavelike, narrow range
2. solo singer, stanzas 1–3, 6 (stanzas 4 and 5 not recorded)
a. strophic form: same melody for each stanza
b. upward phrases at beginning, downward phrases at closing

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Raimbaut de Vaqueiras and the Troubadour Tradition, Part 6

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Raimbaut de Vaqueiras and the Troubadour Tradition, Part 7

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Credits
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Through Song: Troubadours and Medieval Court Culture”
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