Arnaut Plagues
Encyclopedia
Arnaut Plagues or Plages (fl. c. 1230–1245) was a troubadour
probably from Provence
.
Only one song of his survives, a tenso
with the trobairitz
Felipa, Ben volgra midons saub(r)es. Though this song has also been attributed to Peirol
and Peire Rogier
, textual evidence and the bulk of manuscripts seem to point to Arnaut. A line that reads hom plagues ("one would be pleased") seems to be a play on Arnaut's name. Intertextually the dialogue has some commonalities with the work of Falquet de Romans
(1212–1220), who travelled in Provence and Lombardy
. The exchange between Arnaut and the trobairitz is difficult to follow, however, because the chansonnier
s do not clearly mark the beginning and end of stanzas.
Uc de Saint Circ
composed a song, Messonget, un sirventes, that acknowledges that it is written to el son d'en Arnaut Plagues ("the melody of lord Arnaut Plauges [from Ben volgra]"). When Uc composed this (1226 or 1245) would provide the only concrete date for Arnaut's life. Arnaut's melody was also used by other troubadours but despite its popularity, it has been lost to us.
Arnaut Plagues has sometimes been confused with Arnaut Catalan
, who composed a humorous bilingual tenso
with Alfonso X of Castile
while entertaining at his court.
Troubadour
A troubadour was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages . Since the word "troubadour" is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a trobairitz....
probably from Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
.
Only one song of his survives, a tenso
Tenso
A tenso is a style of Occitan song favoured by the troubadours. It takes the form of a debate in which each voice defends a position on a topic relating to love or ethics. Closely related genres include the partimen and the cobla exchange...
with the trobairitz
Trobairitz
The trobairitz were Occitan female troubadours of the 12th and 13th centuries, active from around 1170 to approximately 1260. The word trobairitz was first used in the 13th-century romance Flamenca. It comes from the Provençal word trobar, the literal meaning of which is "to find", and the...
Felipa, Ben volgra midons saub(r)es. Though this song has also been attributed to Peirol
Peirol
Peirol or PeiròlIn Occitan, peir means "stone" and -ol is a diminutive suffix, the name Peirol being understood as the equivalent of "Little Stone" but also "Petit Pierre" or "Pierrot" ; however, "peiròl" also meant a cauldron or a stove...
and Peire Rogier
Peire Rogier
Peire Rogier or Rotgiers was a twelfth-century Auvergnat troubadour and cathedral canon from Clermont. He left his cathedral to become a travelling minstrel before settling down for a time in Narbonne at the court of the Viscountess Ermengard...
, textual evidence and the bulk of manuscripts seem to point to Arnaut. A line that reads hom plagues ("one would be pleased") seems to be a play on Arnaut's name. Intertextually the dialogue has some commonalities with the work of Falquet de Romans
Falquet de Romans
Falquet de Romans was the most famous troubadour attached to the court of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, where he garnered a high reputation despite the fact that his career began as a jongleur...
(1212–1220), who travelled in Provence and Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
. The exchange between Arnaut and the trobairitz is difficult to follow, however, because the chansonnier
Chansonnier
A chansonnier is a manuscript or printed book which contains a collection of chansons, or polyphonic and monophonic settings of songs, hence literally "song-books," although some manuscripts are so called even though they preserve the text but not the music A chansonnier is a manuscript or...
s do not clearly mark the beginning and end of stanzas.
Uc de Saint Circ
Uc de Saint Circ
Uc de Saint Circ or Hugues de Saint Circq was a troubadour from Quercy. Uc is perhaps most significant to modern historians as the probable author of several vidas and razos of other troubadours, though only one of Bernart de Ventadorn exists under his name...
composed a song, Messonget, un sirventes, that acknowledges that it is written to el son d'en Arnaut Plagues ("the melody of lord Arnaut Plauges [from Ben volgra]"). When Uc composed this (1226 or 1245) would provide the only concrete date for Arnaut's life. Arnaut's melody was also used by other troubadours but despite its popularity, it has been lost to us.
Arnaut Plagues has sometimes been confused with Arnaut Catalan
Arnaut Catalan
Arnaut Catalan was a troubadour active in the Languedoc, Catalonia, and Castile. He left behind five cansos, three tensos, and one religious song....
, who composed a humorous bilingual tenso
Tenso
A tenso is a style of Occitan song favoured by the troubadours. It takes the form of a debate in which each voice defends a position on a topic relating to love or ethics. Closely related genres include the partimen and the cobla exchange...
with Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X was a Castilian monarch who ruled as the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1252 until his death...
while entertaining at his court.