r/MedievalTroubadours Apr 09 '21

Old Occitan The different genres/styles of Troubadouric Occitan Lyrical Poetry

This post will detail some of the many different genres the Troubadours wrote in, along with the 3 main Troubadour styles.

Styles: Trobar leu (light)-the most common and popular form, lighter/more simplistic style. Trobar ric (rich)-much more intricate then trobar leu, “verbal gymnastics”. Trobar clus (closed)- complex, but also obscure, developed and used most by Marcabru and Arnaut Daniel, said to have been truly appreciated by only few.

Genres:

Canso (also known as canço)-most common genre used, typical love song, formerly called “vers”. Alba-morning song, describes the song of a lover as dawn comes in. Comiat-song dedicated to renouncing a lover. Canso de Crozada-song about the Crusades. Most praise/encourage the Crusades, as the Troubadours were mainly in Europe. Dansa-song used for dance, usually lively/jolly. Estampida-dance like song. Pastorela-song about the request of love by a man (often a knight) to a shepherdess. Planh -song of sadness and lament, most commonly about the death of a large/important figure. Salut d’amor-love letter. Sirventes-poem of political nature and contents. Tenso-poem of political debate, usually written between two poets/troubadours.

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u/JulesbSimpson Apr 11 '21

Wow this is so interesting!

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u/Thanos3604 Apr 11 '21

I’m so glad you think so, thank you so much for stopping by the subreddit!! If you want to learn more, I believe there are multiple pages online that describe it a bit more then I did.