Gianluca Valenti

La liturgia del “trobar”. Assimilazione e riuso di elementi del rito cristiano nelle canzoni occitane medievali

This work starts from the consideration that the Christian liturgy plays a key role all over the Europe during the XII and XIII centuries. The aim of the study is to demonstrate that—at least for this reason—a high number of troubadours were influenced by the liturgy while composing a courtly song. In particular, the analysis shows the presence of liturgical traits since the first documented troubadour, i.e. William IX. Indeed, his works show his familiarity with the metrical and melodic structures of hymns and prosulae, as well as his knowledge about the cult of the saints in the area of Limoges. Moreover, the present study demonstrates the recollection of some prayers, liturgical formulae and Biblical excerpts in some troubadours, e.g. Marcabru and Peire d’Alvernhe; the correspondence between the believer’s and the poet’s gestures in Gaucelm Faidit’s texts; the influence of the sacraments—specifically the penitence—over most troubadours all over the XII and XIII centuries, and lastly the recurring employment of metaphors with a liturgical origin, such as the ‘fire of love’.