Songs of the Troubadours

During XI century, a rich and vibrant cultural space formed in the southern part of what is now France. The pinnacle of its achievements was trob’art (troubadour art). This southern cultural area (comprising Limousin, Aquitaine, Languedoc, Auvergne and Provence) was linked by the Oc language, the first of Romance languages to be written. This language was used by troubadours for their poetry and song (the Oc word trobar stands for ‘find, invent’). The discovery that troubadours made was the ability to weave words into music, resulting in an alchemy of words and sound. The central topic of troubadour song was ‘pure love’ (fin amors). For the first time, attention centred on the woman (the Dame – Domina). In love lyrics the XII century masters were insuperable. Throughout the Middle Ages and later, troubadour song exerted an important influence on the French, German, Italian, Spanish and English poetry. Its rich, finely textured lyrics and improvisation-embellished melodies laid the foundation of Western-European secular poetry and music. Even now the troubadours’ nearly thousand-year old verse and melody retain their freshness.