Courtly Love Songs of Medieval France: Transmission and Style in Trouv?re Repertoire

Overview

This book is the first full-length study of the courtly love songs of the trouvere to address the central musical problems of the repertoire as a whole, embracing source studies, interpretation, historiography, and analysis. The argument of the book revolves around three axes, each of which is essential to the appreciation of the others: problems concerning the extant manuscript tradition; the crucial role of orality; and stylistic changes and plurality in the reperotire.

For the first time, a full overview of the sources and notation is undertaken. This reveals the idiosyncrasies of individual manuscripts but, more importantly, it identifies two basic phases in the manuscript tradition. The study of melodic variants reveals the performance art that lies at the heart of the courtly grand chant ; processes and techniques of variation are examined, bringing us to a closer understanding of the tenets of the melodic art of the early trouveres. A close study of select trouveres reveals stylistic change and plurality, particularly in the melodic art which in some respects was less prescribed than the poetic texts. Consequently the courtly songs of the trouveres truly come alive in this book.

Editorial Reviews

Editorial Reviews for this product are not available at this time.

Author Information

Bio of Mary O'Neill

No bio available for Mary O'Neill.

Customer Reviews

There are no customer reviews available at this time. To add your review, Register or Sign In to your account using our free Reader Library software.

Additional Info

Imprint

Oxford University Press, Incorporated

Filesize

7.40 MB

Number of Pages

242

eBook ISBN

9780191513251