Up to now we have only looked at church music, also called sacred music. In this post I would like to take a look at the opposite of sacred music: medieval secular music. We will also take a look at these four types of musicians from the 12th and 13th centuries: troubadour, minstrel, trouvère, and minnesinger.
It’s best to think of early classical music as being of two types: sacred music and secular music.
Sacred music being music for worshipping in church and secular music being music for town squares and taverns, or music for dances and plays. But also songs about love, social commentary and politics, often performed by traveling musicians.
Sacred music is created for religious purposes, often for worship and spiritual reflection, while secular music is created for entertainment, expression, or other non-religious functions.
Although there isn’t much secular music from the Middle Ages left, it was probably performed more often than religious music. It also important to notice that is an other important distinction.
There is secular music of the nobility and music of the common people.
The music of the nobility was composed by knights. They told stories of distant holy wars, stories of honor and courage, and most importantly, stories of courtly love. They turned these stories into artistic poems and songs. It was music for the upper classes.
Music for the common people was music created by travellers and wanderers. They traveled from town to town, playing music, showing off various arts, and reporting the latest news (newspapers were not invented yet). They were active in a wide range of fields. Unlike the upper class musicians mentioned above, these musicians were from the lower classes of society.
Troubadour
The oldest surviving secular music is the music of the troubadours of southern France in the 12th century.
Southern France was once called “Occitania.” European countries like France, Germany, and Italy didn’t exist back then. By the way, Occitania is the same name as the popular cosmetics brand L’Occitane. It’s a region in southern France. Even today, there are people who are working hard to preserve the culture and language.
Troubadours were poets, composers, singers, and musicians. They sang in Occitan, the language of Occitan (a dialect of French). Troubadours were originally noble knights. They sang about holy wars and love affairs in particular. Courtly love is an important theme.
Courtly love refers to impossible love. Romantic lyrics express unrequited love for a woman of a higher social class, or feelings of love and lust for a woman who is already married. It is love that is out of reach. It is an eternal theme for artists.
The term “troubadour” itself comes from the Occitan word “trobar,” which means “to find” – trouver in modern French.
The first troubadour was William IX, Duke of Aquitaine (1071-1127), known in Occitan as Guilhèm de Peitieu. Listen to one of his songs:
Since I feel like singing,
I’ll write a verse I grieve over:
I shall never be a vassal anymore
in Poitiers nor in LimogesFor now I shall be exiled:
in a dreadful fright, in great peril,
in war, shall I leave my son,
and his neighbours shall turn on him.
https://lyricstranslate.com/en/pos-de-chantar-mes-pres-talenz-i-feel-singing.html
Minstrel
Minstrels were professional entertainers at the royal court. They were also called jongleurs. They were artisans who performed music created by troubadours, as well as their own compositions and various other music within the court. At the time, there was no distinction between musicians and entertainers (such as dancers and jugglers), so minstrels were responsible for entertainment at court meals, parties, etc.
The most famous minstrel was Bernard de Ventadorn (1140-1200),
the son of a baker, but a great musician. Thanks to his wonderful music, he rose through the ranks to become a troubadour. A very impressive career. However, he was originally a minstrel, so I put him in the category of Minstrels. He left us 45 poems, 18 of which have been used to create melodies. Let
‘s listen to one of his beautiful songs:
Bernard de Ventadorn, “When I see the skylark take flight, Can vei la lauzeta mover”
When I see the lark beating
Its wings in joy against the rays of the sun
That it forgets itself and lets itself fall
Because of the sweetness that comes to its heart,
Alas! Such great envy then overwhelms me
Of all those whom I see rejoicing,
I wonder that my heart, at that moment,
Does not melt from desire.Alas! How much I thought I knew
About love, and how little I know,
Because I cannot keep myself from loving
The one from whom I will gain nothing.
She has all my heart, and my soul,
And herself and the whole world;
And when she left, nothing remained
But desire and a longing heart.
https://lyricstranslate.com/en/can-vei-la-lauzeta-skylark.html#songtranslation
Trouvère and Minnesinger
12th-13th Century
Trouvères: Troubadour culture gradually spread from southern France to northern France. In northern France, troubadours are called trouvères. Trouvères are basically the same as troubadours, but the language of their poetry and songs is different. They are in French, not Occitan. Many musical styles created by the trouvères still remain today. For example, rondeaux and ballads are styles created by the trouvères.
A famous trouvère of the late Middle Ages in France was Adam de la Halle (1245-1306).
He was the author of the first operetta, a play of drama and music. One play that is still frequently performed today is “The Play of Robin and Marion” (1282).
The story of this the play: A knight falls in love at first sight with Marion, a shepherd’s daughter, and attempts to steal her from her lover, Robin, a farmer, in an attempt to make her his own. However, Marion stubbornly refuses to bow to the knight. Marion is released, and her friends celebrate by throwing a party.
Minnesinger: Minnesingers were troubadours from what is now Germany. They composed the same music, but the main difference was the language.
The most famous Minnesinger was Walther von der Vogelweide (1170-1230).
Listen to his song about the Holy War: