Catalan Troubadours: History and Influence
Weighing Troubadour Influence: From Latin to Catalan
Factors Influencing the Evolution of Catalan:
- The influence of pre-Roman languages (substrate): This left a mark on the lexicon and phonetics, such as palatalization of the initial ‘l’ cluster.
- The intensity of Romanization: Stronger in coastal areas and weaker inland.
- The influence of superstrate: The languages of invading peoples favored linguistic evolution. For example, Germanic semantics in different fields.
- Adstrate: Influence in words and ways of constructing sentences.
Lyric Poetry
Popular Lyric
Diverse in content and transmitted only orally, making it difficult to study. It was cultivated for simplicity and therefore was only Catalan.
Cultured Lyric
Following the model of Occitan troubadours, it reflected the feudal mentality through two crucial themes: love and war. Troubadour poetry was written in Occitan or Provençal in the Catalan territories.
Occitan: A Language of Prestige
The reasons why Occitan was adopted in the Catalan territories are:
- Troubadour poetry was a huge hit across Western Europe and even in Palestine, where the Crusaders had founded the so-called Latin countries.
- Proximity favored political, cultural, and economic relations between the Catalan counties and Occitania. This strong link was broken following the crusade against the Cathars (Albigensians), in which France defeated the army of King Peter the Catholic in the Battle of Muret (1213) and annexed Occitania.
- The similarity between Catalan and Occitan favored the use of the latter by Catalan troubadours.
Feudal Poetry
It was the first exhibition of poetry in a Romance language with a secular theme: talking about love, war, joys, and sorrows of that era.
Courtly Poetry
This term designates the ideology characteristic of troubadour love poetry. The troubadour transferred feudal vassalage relations to the realm of love: the lover became an elm (vassal) who starches for the lady, who had to be noble and married. Other characters include the Gilos (the lady’s husband when courtesy between his wife and the troubadour is accepted) and the lausengiers (sycophants or spies who interfere between two lovers, revealing the existence of the gallant game).
Troubadours and Minstrels
- Troubadours: Authors of poems in Occitan. They could be of upper or lower class. In the latter case, they became professionals and lived from their art. For noble troubadours, it was a recreation, a complement to their personality.
- Minstrels: Recited poems composed by troubadours in public. They were of low social class and also engaged professionally. Minstrels danced, juggled, or performed domestic tasks. Minstrels who specialized in reciting troubadour lyric poetry were called troubadour minstrels and served one or more troubadours. Other minstrels recited epic songs.
Love Poetry Subgenres
- Song: Poetic and subtle language that praises a woman following the guidelines of courtly love. Each song requires a proper melody, appropriate to the feelings of the bard.
- Pastorela: Represents the dialogue between a knight and a shepherdess whom he tries to woo.
- Alba: Depicts the arrival of day and the sadness of lovers who, after spending the night together, must separate to avoid being discovered.
Poetry of War or Personal Attack
The other axis is represented by Sirventes, a genre that spreads poetic facts. There are many types:
- Moralist: Criticizes bad habits and gives advice.
- Custom: Addressed to a hated or esteemed person, lord, or troubadour.
- Literature: Reflections on aspects of poetry.
- Socio-political: To defend or attack the attitude of a country or a lord.
Other Topics
- Cry: A composition in which the troubadour laments the death of a character.
- Tenco: Debate or argument between two troubadours who advocate different opinions.
The Catalan Troubadours
The main Catalan troubadours are: Berenguer de Palol, King Alfonso I, William of Berguedà, Ramon Vidal of Besalú, William of Cabestany, and Cerverí de Girona.