Zum Verhältnis zwischen Poesie und Musik bei den Troubadours

Abstract

In his analysis of the structural relations between poetry and music in the case of Provencal Troubadours, the author (who has also translated their poetry into Slovenian) points out that dance is the third – or maybe even the first – dimension of this primordial art synthesis (Mozarabic zéjel, Italian ballata, Troubadour balada or dansa). He has come to the conclusion that the basic common denominator between the text and music in the Troubadour art is the stanza – Occitan cobla: the inner organisation of the cobla and of the melody is completely isomorphic; every cobla brings a turn of the melody which is repeated as many times as there are coblas. The repetition of elements (for example in refrains) points to the musical origin of poetic forms where it appears. The initial simplicity of rhymes is developed into complex rhyming structures which follow the musical principle enabling an utter semantic complexity; here, the love poem (canso) functions as an equivalent of love since rhymes are experienced as an embrace of words. The problem of the utterly different rhythmical interpretations of the medieval notations (neume) usually containing just the height of tones, could be solved out on the basis of the verse rhythm et vice versa. The author compares the textual and musical procedures in different genres and forms (the undifferentiated vers, love poems canso and alba) and the liberation of the poetic text from music in the sonnet.