Uc Catola
Encyclopedia
Uc Catola was a knight
and early troubadour
, possibly a participant in the Second Crusade
and perhaps later a monk
.
Uc composed what is possibly the first tenso
with his famous contemporary Marcabru
: Amics Marchabrun, which concerned the nature of love. Uc argued that it was good and noble, while Marcabru railed against the decline of courtly standards. Uc employs the device of ironia (irony
) to ridicule Marcabru's position, borrowing a page from Marcabru's own extensive work. Though the opinions of the poets were real, the composition arose out of friendly collaboration and the jongleuresque insults are playful. It has been suggested that the tenso is in fact the sole work of Marcabru, but more likely Uc is deliberately imitating the master's style. According to Meneghetti, the debating style may be influenced by Pierre Abelard's Sic et non
.
Roncaglia identified Uc with the charissimo amico nostro domno Hugoni Catulae, recipient of a letter from Peter the Venerable
in 1134/5. Peter urged Uc to keep his vow to enter a monastery instead of merely taking a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Based on Uc's apparent attitude at the time of Peter's letter, which he dated to 1134/5, Roncaglia hypothesised that the tenso, which has a different tenor, must have been written some time before, c. 1133. However, the dating of the letter is far from certain (it may correspond to the Second Crusade) and therefore Uc's tensos place as the first of the genre is unsure. Cercamon
composed a tenso datable to 1137.
Besides his work with Marcabru, Uc may be the author of two surviving coblas
of a comjat preserved in troubadour MS D, dated to 1254 and now in the Biblioteca Estense
in Modena
, Italy
.
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
and early troubadour
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....
, possibly a participant in the Second Crusade
Second Crusade
The Second Crusade was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa the previous year to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crusade by Baldwin of Boulogne in 1098...
and perhaps later a monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
.
Uc composed what is possibly the first 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 his famous contemporary Marcabru
Marcabru
Marcabru is one of the earliest troubadours whose poems are known. There is no certain information about him; the two vidas attached to his poems tell different stories, and both are evidently built on hints in the poems, not on independent information.According to the brief life in MS...
: Amics Marchabrun, which concerned the nature of love. Uc argued that it was good and noble, while Marcabru railed against the decline of courtly standards. Uc employs the device of ironia (irony
Irony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
) to ridicule Marcabru's position, borrowing a page from Marcabru's own extensive work. Though the opinions of the poets were real, the composition arose out of friendly collaboration and the jongleuresque insults are playful. It has been suggested that the tenso is in fact the sole work of Marcabru, but more likely Uc is deliberately imitating the master's style. According to Meneghetti, the debating style may be influenced by Pierre Abelard's Sic et non
Sic et Non
Sic et Non, an early scholastic text whose title translates from Medieval Latin as "Yes and No," was written by Pierre Abélard. In the work, Abélard juxtaposes apparently contradictory quotations from the Church Fathers on many of the traditional topics of Christian theology...
.
Roncaglia identified Uc with the charissimo amico nostro domno Hugoni Catulae, recipient of a letter from Peter the Venerable
Peter the Venerable
Peter the Venerable , also known as Peter of Montboissier, abbot of the Benedictine abbey of Cluny, born to Blessed Raingarde in Auvergne, France. He has been honored as a saint but has never been formally canonized.-Life:Peter was "Dedicated to God" at birth and given to the monastery at...
in 1134/5. Peter urged Uc to keep his vow to enter a monastery instead of merely taking a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Based on Uc's apparent attitude at the time of Peter's letter, which he dated to 1134/5, Roncaglia hypothesised that the tenso, which has a different tenor, must have been written some time before, c. 1133. However, the dating of the letter is far from certain (it may correspond to the Second Crusade) and therefore Uc's tensos place as the first of the genre is unsure. Cercamon
Cercamon
Cercamon , whose real name, as well as any actual biographical data, is unknown, was one of the earliest troubadours. He was apparently a jester of sorts, born in Gascony, who spent most of his career in the courts of William X of Aquitaine and perhaps of Eble III of Ventadorn...
composed a tenso datable to 1137.
Besides his work with Marcabru, Uc may be the author of two surviving coblas
Cobla (Occitan literary term)
A cobla is a stanza in Occitan lyric poetry, the art form of the troubadours. Though not usually standalone work in itself, in many instances a cobla or two is all that survives of what was once a complete poem. Each cobla of a song was usually played to the same melody, but a few songs were...
of a comjat preserved in troubadour MS D, dated to 1254 and now in the Biblioteca Estense
Biblioteca Estense
The Biblioteca Estense , established in Modena in the seventeenth century, is one of the most important libraries in Italy. The library is located in the Palazzo del Musei, Off Via Emilia, at Piazza Sant'Agostino 48.- Collection :...
in Modena
Modena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.