THE Language of Troubadourism it is musical, poetic, popular, dialogic, critical, lyrical and satirical.
The troubadours were the authors of the songs, while the jesters were the singers.
The minstrels, in turn, in addition to singing, played the songs, which were accompanied by lutes, violas and flutes.
Historical context
It is worth remembering that the troubadourism was a literary movement developed in Europe during the medieval period (12th to 14th century).
Amidst the context of feudalism, theocentrism (God as the center of the world) was its main characteristic.
In Portugal, troubadour began in 1189 (or 1198) with the publication of riverside song, by Paio Soares de Taveirós. This literary movement goes back to 1434, when humanism begins.
Medieval Literary Production
The poetic productions of troubadours were accompanied by musical instruments and, therefore, they are called songs.
Songbooks are collections that bring together the troubadour songs, which are classified as:
- Lyric Songs: love songs and friend songs.
- satirical songs: mocking songs and cursing songs.
Literary manifestations in prose, on the other hand, are subdivided into:
- Cavalry novels or Chivalry Novels: reports of heroes and their knights.
- Nobiliary or Lineage Books: family trees of nobles.
- hagiographies: biographies of saints.
- Chronicles: historical narratives.
Main Troubadours
The main troubadours of medieval times were:
- Paio Soares de Taveirós
- João Soares Paiva
- João Garcia de Guilhade
- Martin Codax
- Don Dinis
- D. Alfonso X
- Dom Duarte
- Friar João Álvares
- Gomes Eanes de Zurara
Characteristics of Troubadourism
The main characteristics of troubadour they are:
- Union of poetry and music
- popular traditions
- knightly ideal
- Profane and loving themes
- social criticism
Read too:
- Troubadourism
- Exercises on Troubadourism
- General Portuguese Songbook
- Troubadour Songs
- Medieval Literature
- Medieval Prose
Examples
To better understand the language of troubadour, here are two examples:
Cantiga da Ribeirinha, by Paio Soares Taveirós
In the world I don't know a match,
lie me as you do;
ca ja moiro for you, oh!,
my white and red sir,
do you want me to withdraw
when did i see you in skirt?
Ma day I got up,
that entomnom saw you ugly!And, my lord, look bad,
it was me very bad di' ai!
And you, daughter of Dom Pai
Moniz, you look good
d'I have for you boastfulvaia?
Well I, my lord, of the implement
never of you there was nor I
worth of his belt!
The Short Chronicles of Santa Cruz de Coimbra
This is the remembrance of the Kings who left these Regnos de Portugal and the place from the beginning of Count Dom anrriqui ataa present It was now running from the birth of our senor Jeshu christo of one thousand four hundred and uynte e new years. Which remembers serves the purpose because many people show before ElRey oursn senor and before their judges some donations and other deeds, which make in danger of the rights and things of the crown of the Regnos, making such letters of donations and deeds mentioning that they were granted by huum Rey, which according to the date of this deed was already dead; And wait to take these duuidas very useful these eras. Because in them they mention when each huum Rey began to ripen, and when he died, and where he lies buried. And these ages were certainly written knowing first the truth of what is contained in them. The quaes here are written in the following manner. And for them one can soon learn the script that is not true.
