Medieval era music ranges from the years 450 to 1400. Notable composers during this time period include Guillaume de Machaut, Bernart de Ventadorn, as well as Comtessa de Dia. Although all were brilliant composers in their own ways, Comtessa de Dia has both a tremendous social and religious impact with the way
Comtessa de Dia was a troubadour, later known as “trobairitz,” in the late 12th and early
13th century. Not much is known about her personal life except scholars speculate that she was the daughter of Count Isoard II of Dia, which was “a town on the Drôme in the marquisate of
Provence” (Aubrey 2004). Luckily, however, five of her works survived, the most notable one being “A chantar m'er de so qu'eu no volria.” “A Chantar” does not have …show more content…
“A Chantar” was written and sung in Occitan, the language of Southern France at the time. The poem’s central theme concerns a lover of de Dia’s who scorned her. As a listener, …show more content…
The lyrics “Esta chansson que me sia messatges” roughly translate to “This song, that it may be my messenger,” which is what I believe de Dia wished to express in her lyrics. It was a way to convey her troubled emotions. It was not uncommon to write about courtly love in secular music.
Thus the song, like all other medieval songs, has a monophonic texture, another common aspect with troubadour music.
This piece is significant because it was claimed that Comtessa de Dia had “composed one tenso and four cansos” and with that, “A Chantar” was the “only... song [that] survive[d]” out of the five pieces (Aubrey 2004, Stevens 2008), much less the only piece from a “woman troubadour” (Aubrey 2004). Sadly, the majority of the work written in the Medieval Era is extinct, making “A Chantar” special because it survived. There is not much historical evidence during this time period in order to piece information together, which gives the majority of discovered work an approximation instead of a precise
Comtessa de Dia was a troubadour, later known as “trobairitz,” in the late 12th and early
13th century. Not much is known about her personal life except scholars speculate that she was the daughter of Count Isoard II of Dia, which was “a town on the Drôme in the marquisate of
Provence” (Aubrey 2004). Luckily, however, five of her works survived, the most notable one being “A chantar m'er de so qu'eu no volria.” “A Chantar” does not have …show more content…
“A Chantar” was written and sung in Occitan, the language of Southern France at the time. The poem’s central theme concerns a lover of de Dia’s who scorned her. As a listener, …show more content…
The lyrics “Esta chansson que me sia messatges” roughly translate to “This song, that it may be my messenger,” which is what I believe de Dia wished to express in her lyrics. It was a way to convey her troubled emotions. It was not uncommon to write about courtly love in secular music.
Thus the song, like all other medieval songs, has a monophonic texture, another common aspect with troubadour music.
This piece is significant because it was claimed that Comtessa de Dia had “composed one tenso and four cansos” and with that, “A Chantar” was the “only... song [that] survive[d]” out of the five pieces (Aubrey 2004, Stevens 2008), much less the only piece from a “woman troubadour” (Aubrey 2004). Sadly, the majority of the work written in the Medieval Era is extinct, making “A Chantar” special because it survived. There is not much historical evidence during this time period in order to piece information together, which gives the majority of discovered work an approximation instead of a precise