The Music of the Troubadours - Paperback

by Elizabeth Aubrey (Author)

"[I]nvaluable for musicologists and troubadour scholars interested in knowing about the 'whole song', and it also provides an excellent introduction to troubadour music for the historian, philologist or, indeed, anyone with a passing interest." --David Cashman, Parergon

"It is a down-to-earth treatment of the discernible facts, ordered according to the type of evidence that survives. It is a book to sober up the discipline." --Daniel Leech-Wilkinson, Times Literary Supplement

"[A] welcome guide for the growing number of performers wishing to recreate these magical treaures from the medieval Midi." --Donna Mayer-Martin, Notes

The Music of the Troubadours is the first comprehensive critical study of the 315 extant melodies of the troubadours of Occitania. It begins with an overview of their social and political milieu in the 12th and 13th centuries, then provides brief biographies of the 42 troubadours whose music survives. The four manuscripts that transmit this music are described in detail, with attention to their genesis in the overlapping roles of composers, singers, and scribes.
To examine the poetic traditions within which the troubadours composed, Aubrey discusses genre, versification, and poetic style. An in-depth analysis of melodic forms and styles reveals traits of individual composers and offers a broad view of the chronological development of the music of the troubadours. Performance practice issues such as rhythm, ornamentation, chromatic inflections, and the use of instruments are explored, thus helping modern performers to bring these ancient treasures to life again.

Back Jacket

The Music of the Troubadours is the first comprehensive critical study of the 315 extant melodies of the troubadours of Occitania in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. It begins with an overview of the social and political milieu of the late medieval Mediterranean world, along with brief biographies of the 42 troubadours whose music survives. Elizabeth Aubrey then describes in detail the four manuscripts that transmit this music, and her analysis of scribal procedures shows the overlapping roles of composers, singers, and scribes. Music and poetry complemented each other. Aubrey examines the medieval poetic traditions within which the troubadours composed, including discussions of genre, versification, and poetic style. Through an in-depth analysis of the forms and styles of the melodies, she identifies musical traits of certain composers and offers a broad view of the chronological development of the music. She also discusses issues of performance practice, such as rhythm, the use of instruments, chromatic inflections, and ornamentation, to aid today's musicians in recreating these timeless and beautiful songs.

Author Biography

Elizabeth Aubrey is Head of Musicology at The University of Iowa and author of many articles on the troubadours and the trouvères--including articles in the Revised New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians and in A Performer's Guide to Medieval Music (also from Indiana University Press). She sings and plays medieval and Renaissance music in concert.