Among the most famous troubadours from the first generations, Bernard de Ventadorna, whose creations (45 poems and 18 melodies) were preserved at once in several sources, is often often mentioned at first. This poet bard praised love, above all in his music and poetry, and all his works are deeply permeated with this passion, sincerity and enthusiasm.
Who are the troubadours
The troubadours were wandering minstrels from the south of France, who are believed to have composed poems and music for them themselves and sang. Central to the work were the ideals of court love. Their topics also included political and moral issues, complaints, satire, literary and social debate. Troubadours often used dialects and the so-called fixed forms of French medieval poetry.
The etymology of the word “troubadour” is contradictory and reflects the historical origin of not only the word, but also the poets themselves. Novelists claim that the root of the word “troubadour” can be found either in the Occitan verb trobar (“compose, invent”) or in Latin tropare (“speak with the tropes”). Proponents of another theory point to Arabic origin (from the word taraba - “to sing”).
Unlike the performers of medieval church music, the names of many secular minstrels of that time are known. Their lyrics were compiled, and stories from their personal lives were immortalized in mini-biographies known as vidas (“lives”).
The troubadours flourished during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, until many of them were dispersed by the efforts of the Catholic Church to eliminate the Qatari movement with the help of the Albiguian Crusade (1202-1229).
Date, Place of Birth and Origin
There are several variations of the minstrel name mentioned in the sources: Bernart de Ventadorn, Bernard de Ventadour or Bernat del Ventadorn. This author of lyric poetry is also known as a master singer.
Little is known about the biography of Bernard de Ventadorn. Born in 1135 and died in 1194. According to the works of the troubadour Uc de Saint Circ, Bernart may have been the son of a baker in the castle of Ventadour (Ventadorn) in today's Correse (France). Another source, a satirical poem written by a young contemporary of Peire d'Alvernha in 1170, indicates that he could be the son of a servant, and his mother was a baker:
Bernard de Ventadorn on a span
Borneyle should become lower.
His father was a servant
To carry a hunting bow,
And in the castle the mother will flood the stove -
Carry her brushwood and woodcutter.
This verse was often used as evidence of Bernard's humble origin, although it should not. Peyre's poem is an analogue of thorns directed at other troubadours, each verse discusses a singer, but do not take it for truth.
From the life of the poet-bard
According to data from Bernart's early poem, Lo temps vai e ven e vire, he most likely learned the art of singing and writing from his patron, Viscount Eble III of Ventadorn. He claims to be committed to the standards of the Eblon School. Bernart de Ventadorn wrote and dedicated his first poems to the wife of his patron Margaret de Turenne.
Forced to leave Ventadur after falling in love with Margarita, the author went to Montlucon and Toulouse. In the end, he followed Alienora of Aquitaine to England and to the Plantagenet court, evidence of this communication and travel takes place mainly in the lines of his poems. Bernard later returned to Toulouse, where he was hired by Raymond V, Count of Toulouse; Then he went to Dordogne, where he led monastic life in a local monastery. Most likely, he died there, in the abbey of Dalon.
Songs of Bernard de Ventadorn
The typical style of the songs of his contemporaries was the canton, and he perfected the performance, allowing sudden bends to arise in a melody or story. De Ventadorn helped define the genre and establish the “classical” form of the court poetry of love, which will be emulated and reproduced by subsequent generations of troubadours.
Bernart was one of the first to write love songs in a folk language. Like other troubadours, he always composed both music and lyrics.
Melody sonorous tunes
The translator is faced with many problems trying to reproduce songs in eight centuries. The original language was Occitan, also known as Provencal, and Koine, which was used in the courts of medieval southern France. When translations of verses are created that correspond to existing (zotirovannoy) music, two serious difficulties arise.
First: determine what the melody should be. The tracks left by Bernart's music are really weak. We know little about rhythms, the speed of the melody, the correctness of sound reproduction, jewelry or instruments of that period. Therefore, translation from notes involves the adoption of sometimes unreasonable sound decisions.
Second: the limitation in the form of music when choosing words and line lengths often forces the translator to disregard the author’s acuteness and ambiguity. These two aspects of Bernard de Ventadorn’s lyrics are generally ignored by most translators of both English and Russian versions. And vice versa, the verbal gain that could be obtained by ignoring the music and turning the work into a free verse is achieved due to a fundamental violation of the basic principle of lyric poetry - it is intended for singing.
Another strategy is to compose a modern melody for the translated texts - and this entails another set of gains and losses in presenting medieval sensuality to a modern audience.
Description of the poet
Bernart is unique among twelfth-century minstrels in terms of the number of works that have been preserved. Of his forty-five poems, eighteen have intact music - an unusual circumstance for works that survived the Crusade, which destroyed many sources. His work probably dates from the period between 1147 and 1180. Bernard is often credited with the most powerful influence on the development of the troubadour community of Northern France: he was well known, his tunes were widespread, and early composers imitated him.
The minstrel was able to portray his woman as a divine messenger at one moment, and then, in a sudden turn, as Eve - the cause of man's original sin. This dichotomy in his work is displayed gracefully, witty and reasonably thought out.
Footprints in history
Bernarte's influence also spread to Latin literature. In 1215, the Bologna professor Boncompagno wrote in his ancient rhetoric: “How is the name of the troubadour Bernard de Ventadorn known, and how splendidly he writes songs (canso) and creates delicate melodies, this is recognized by the whole of Provence.”
In the last fragment (Canto CXX) of his epic poem "Cantos", the American expatriate poet Ezra Pound, who was fascinated by the troubadours of Provence and Southern France, twice cites Bernart's work "Can vei la lauzeta mover".
On-screen Bernard was portrayed by actor Paul Blake in the BBC TV series "The Devil's Crown" (1978).
Can vei la lauzeta mover
This song is one of the most popular works in Occitan literature. One of Bernard's best works, even known to Dante, who paraphrased its beginning for his Paradise.
Occitan translates as “When I See a Lark”. The central theme of this poem was the fall: the lark falls because the sun has blinded his eyes. This theme is repeated twice in the work.
During the fall, modern listeners again and again hear how the descent of the bird is reflected in the downward movement of the melody. Musical aesthetics are far from nineteenth-century music. Melody rises and falls, which more accurately and better reflects the music of the medieval monastery. Simply put, singing consists of a formula of upward intonation and recitation.
New, based on the old
The adaptation of a new text created on the basis of an already known melody is an everyday practice in medieval music. A vivid example is the song "Canveilalauzetamover", its melody was borrowed for seven other texts. Some of the creations, including the most famous Quan vei l'aloete, show the melodic influence of Gregorian chants.
The fame of Quan vei l'aloete is what caused the song to change dramatically and distort more than time could have done. But these variations, which modern scientists can determine, suggest how the source would sound. We know that the original was written in Occitan, and there was also a version in Old French. Another generation listened to a song with this melody, but with a different text - "Plaine d'ire et de desconfort".
The original melodic style was used to start “Lord have mercy” (Kyrie, Vatican IX Mass Cum Jubilo). Later Philippe le Chancelier wrote Latin words on it, and the name changed to "Quisquis cordis et oculi". The text has been modified to show a well-known debate between what we feel and what we see. This Latin version was performed in monasteries throughout Europe.
There was also a French translation of the Latin text "Li cuers se vait de l'uiel" and a church version in The Secret of Agnes.