The Troubadours (Medieval Lives)

by: Linda M. Paterson (Author)

Publisher: Reaktion Books

Publication Date: 2024/9/24

Language: English

Print Length: 256 pages

ISBN-10: 1789149193

ISBN-13: 9781789149197

Book Description

An engaging and accessible introduction to the music, poetry, and lives of the medieval singer-songwriters.   Composing songs of love and war in medieval Weste and Southe Europe, troubadours spanned the social spectrum from powerful nobles to penniless minstrels. This book delves into the everyday worlds of these remarkable poet-musicians, famed for their innovative use of language and music as well as the lasting impact of their work on audiences then and now. The troubadours’ songs explored ideas about courtly love as well as medieval perceptions of gender, class, war, and chivalry. Linda M. Paterson examines the troubadours’ music, performance, and legacy, pairing fresh translations with the original texts to highlight the enduring beauty of their songs and poetry.

About the Author

An engaging and accessible introduction to the music, poetry, and lives of the medieval singer-songwriters.   Composing songs of love and war in medieval Weste and Southe Europe, troubadours spanned the social spectrum from powerful nobles to penniless minstrels. This book delves into the everyday worlds of these remarkable poet-musicians, famed for their innovative use of language and music as well as the lasting impact of their work on audiences then and now. The troubadours’ songs explored ideas about courtly love as well as medieval perceptions of gender, class, war, and chivalry. Linda M. Paterson examines the troubadours’ music, performance, and legacy, pairing fresh translations with the original texts to highlight the enduring beauty of their songs and poetry.