Troubadour, << TROO buh dawr, >> was one of a large group of poet-musicians who flourished in southern France in the 1100’s and 1200’s. The word comes from the Latin tropare (to compose). Many scholars believe the troubadours may have modeled their lyric verse on the works of Spanish Arab poets and classical Roman poets such as Ovid. In turn, non-Arab poets in Spain and elsewhere in Europe imitated the troubadours.
Troubadours composed poetry in a Romance language called Provençal, or langue d’oc. The canso d’amor (love song) was one of the rich and varied poetic forms used by troubadours. In the canso, the poet imagines the lady of his desires as the model of virtue, and dedicates his talents to singing her praises. The troubadours’ praise of physical love stood in direct contrast to traditional Christian morality. Their ideal of love and their praise of women influenced many writers, including Dante and Petrarch.
