Another Melody by a Trobairitz?
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
"EL SON DE N' ALAMANDA": ANOTHER MELODY BY A TROBAIRITZ? A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Billee Ann Bonse, B.A. * * * * * The Ohio State University 1997 Master's Examination Committee: Dr. Charles Atkinson, Adviser Dr. Lois Rosow I Adviser Dr. Karen Winstead School of Music ABSTRACT The literary contributions of the trobairitz, or women troubadours to medieval courtly lyric have been well documented. Far less can be determined regarding their musical contributions, for, despite several references within the trobairitz corpus suggesting sung performances, only one melody has been attributed with some certainty to a trobairitz: "A chantar m'er de so que no volria" by the Comtessa de Dia. In this thesis, I explore the possibility of ascribing a second melody to a trobairitz. The tune in question accompanies the tenso "S'ie.us qier cosseill, bell'ami'Alamanda," a poem of debate ostensibly composed between the troubadour Giraut de Borneil and a donzella, or demoisel Alamanda. Both the melody and the text of the tenso have been transmitted in the troubadour chansonniers solely under Giraut's name. Yet the earliest chansonniers were not compiled until the mid-thirteenth century, an era when Giraut's status as a troubadour had reached legendary proportions. It is therefore not inconceivable that the prestige of Alamanda's literary partner might have eclipsed her contributions to the tenso. Nevertheless, it is the attribution of the tenso solely to Giraut that has persisted in the standard modern anthologies of troubadour lyric. By reconstructing a viable context for the conception and reception of "S'ie. us qier cosseill," an alternate scenario of the legends passed down in the ii chansonniers emerges. There is, in fact, compelling evidence to suggest that Alamanda was the composer of the melody, namely, the presence of two contrafactathat are easily performed to the tune of the tenso and that recognize their indebtedness to Alamanda. The allusions that these poets make to the "son de n'Alamanda" imply an early transmission of the melody in Alamanda's rather than Giraut's name. This complex of borrowing is further strengthened by medieval theorists' observations that a tenso be composed to a borrowed rather than a newly-composed melody. The implication is that when Giraut initiated the tenso, he did not create a new melody, but rather borrowed a tune composed by Alamanda. My research culminates in a comparative analysis of the melody for "S'ie.us qier cosseill, bell'ami'Alamanda" with the other songs attributed to Giraut de Borneil, a necessary consideration for understanding the full implications of Alamanda's possible contributions and a step that has not been taken elsewhere. Through melodic analysis, I do not claim to uncover a "feminine" voice. Instead, I intend to determine the degree to which Alamanda's hypothesized compositional voice might be distinguished from that of Giraut. My reevaluation of the evidence provides a compelling argument for admitting the possibility of a second melody by a trobairitz into the realm of probability. Furthermore, by challenging the systematic exclusion of Alamanda from discussions of troubadour melody, I hope to encourage new hearings and informed performances of the "son de n'Alamanda" as well as stimulate further inquiry into the contributions made by medieval women composers. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to thank my adviser, Charles Atkinson, for his enthusiasm and support throughout the course of my research. The insights that he provided have greatly enriched this document. I thank Lois Rosow and Karen Winstead for their valuable contributions and suggestions during my research and writing. I also thank Hans-Erich Keller for his enthusiasm and patience in teaching me Occitan. I am especially grateful to Margaret Switten for sharing her materials and her enthusiasm for the subject matter with me. 1 also wish to thank my family and my friends for their constant love and encouragement throughout this project. iv VITA March 1, 1970 ................ Born - Sioux Falls, South Dakota 1993 ......................... B.A. French and Music History University of Wisconsin - Madison 1994-1995 ................... University Fellow, The Ohio State University 1995 - present ................ Graduate Teaching Associate, The Ohio State University FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Music Specialization: Music History v TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract .......................................................... ii i\cknowledgments ................................................ iv Vita ............................................................. v List of Figures .................................................... vii List of Musical Examples ........................................... viii introduction ..................................................... 1 Investigation into the "Son den' Alamanda" ......................... 8 Conclusion ....................................................... 54 Select Bibliography . 56 Appendices: A. Sigla and Shelfmarks of the Manuscripts Transmitting "S'ie·us qier cosseill, bell' ami' Alamanda" ........................... 61 B. Text and Translation of "S'ie·us qier cosseill, bell' ami' Alamanda". 62 C Text and Translation of the Exchange of Coblas between Bernart Arnaut and Na Lombarda .......................... 66 D. The Razo of "S' ie·us qi er cosseill, bell' ami' Alamanda" .......... 69 E. Translation of the Razo ..................................... 70 F. Translations of the First Strophes of "Leu chansonet'e vii," "Non puesc sofrir," and "Reis glorios" ............................... 71 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 The melody of "S'ie·us qier cosseill, bell'ami' Alamanda" as notated on folio 8 of Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale, fonds fran~is 22543 ......................................... 4 2 Map of Occitania: Comte of Toulouse ......................... 12 3 Map of Chateaux in Gascogne ................................ 17 4 Melodic transcription of "Leu chansonet' e vii" as notated on folio 9v of manuscript R .................................. 33 5 Melodic transcription of "Non puesc sofrir c' a la dolor'' as notated on folio 82 of manuscript R . 34 6 Melodic transcription of "Reis glorios, verais lums e clardatz" as notated on folio 8v of manuscript R ............... 40 7 Melodic transcription of "S'ie.us qier cosseill, bell' ami Alamanda" as notated on folio 8 of manuscript R .............. 47 8 Comparative Table of the Melodies Attributed to Giraut de Borneil . 52 vii LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES Example 1 Phrases A of "Leu chansonet' e" and D of "Non puesc sofrir". 36 2 Phrases B of "Leu chansonet'e" and B' of "Non puesc sofrir'' ..... 37 3 Phrases H of "Leu chansonet' e" and F of "Non puesc sofrir" ..... 38 4 Text Setting of the Opening Lines in "Leu chansonet'e," "Non puesc sofrir," and "Reis glorios" ........................ .41 5 Phrases C of "Reis glorios" and B of "Leu chansonet' e" .......... 44 6 Phrases D and E of "Reis glorios" and Phrases B, C, and D of "Leu chansonet' e" .........................................45 7 Phrases D of "S'ie·us qier cosseill" and F and G of "Leu chansonet' e" ................................................ 48 8 Phrases A of "S'ie·us qier cosseill" and C of "Non puesc sofrir'' .. .49 9 Phrase E of "S'ie·us qier cosseill" .............................. 50 viii INTRODUCTION The trobairitz corpus, comprising the works of twenty named women troubadours as well as several anonymous voices, has been established at around forty texts.1 Despite this relative wealth of poems by women, only one melody has been ascribed with some certainty to a trobairitz: "A chantar m'er de so que no volria" ("I must sing about that which I'd rather not") by the Comtessa de Dia.2 The circumstances surrounding the transmission of the tune to "A chantar m' er" are representative of issues underlying authorship in the troubadour repertoire as a whole. As is true of most troubadour melodies, the tune to "A chantar m' er'' is found in only one chansonnier, making it impossible to establish concordances with other sources. Furthermore, "not unusual" for the Chansonnier du roi (Paris, Bibliotheque nationale, fonds fran~ais 844), where the melody for "A chantar m' er'' is preserved on folio 204r I 204v, the piece is transmitted without 1 For a brief overview of the trobairitz corpus, see William D. Paden's editorial introduction to The Voice of the Trobairitz (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1989) 1-28. A comprehensive study of the trobairitz--a "maximal corpus" that is expanded to admit a total of forty six texts--can be found in Angelica Rieger, Trobairitz: Der Beitrag der Frau in der altokzitanischen hOfischen Lyrik. Edition des Gesamtkorpus, Zeitschrift fOr romanische Philologie 233 (TObingen: Max Niemeyer Verlag, 1991). 2 The resulting ratio of melody to text (1 :40) within the trobairitz corpus is considerably lower than that for the troubadour repertoire as a whole, with approximately 260 of 2500 troubadour texts notated with melodies (1 :9.6). The latter statistics are taken from Elizabeth Aubrey, "Forme et Formule dans les Melodies des Troubadours," Actes du premier congres international de !'Association internationale d'etudes occitanes, ed. Peter T. Ricketts (London: L'Association internationale d'etudes occitanes, 1987) 70. 1 attribution.3 The melody is set with a "Frenchified"4 and gender-modified version of the first