This book offers an overview of issues related to the regulated, formal organization of sound and speech in verse intended for singing. Particularly, it is concerned with the structural properties and underlying mechanisms involved in the association of lyrics and music. While in spoken verse the underlying metrical scheme is grounded in the prosody of the language in which it is composed, in sung verse the structure is created by the mapping of specific prosodic units of the text (syllables, moras, tones, etc.) onto the rhythmic-melodic structure provided by the tune. Studying how this mapping procedure takes place across different musical genres and styles is valuable for what it can add to our knowledge of language and music in general, and also for what it can teach us about individual languages and poetic traditions. In terms of empirical coverage, the collection includes a wide variety of (Western) languages and metrical/musical forms, ranging from the Latin hexameter to the Norwegian stev, from the French chant courtois to the Sardinian mutetu longu. Readers interested in formal analyses of vocal music, or in metrics and linguistics, will find useful insights here.

This study investigates the influence of medieval liturgy on the literary work of Occitan poets during the 12th and 13th centuries. It focuses on the diverse effects emanating from metrical hymn structure, sacraments, prayers, and the veneration of the saints, and additionally explores the specific impact of liturgical metaphors on the language of the troubadours.

Nei secoli XII e XIII la liturgia rivestì un ruolo chiave nella vita di ogni persona. A partire da questa premessa, il presente lavoro indaga l’influenza della liturgia sui componimenti dei trovatori occitani; in particolare, viene mostrato come un ampio numero di canzoni provenzali celi, dietro la lettera del testo, il ricorso – non necessariamente volontario – a fonti di tipo liturgico.

Lo studio è diviso in sezioni che mirano a proporre una panoramica esaustiva tanto della liturgia medievale, quanto del fenomeno della fin’amors. Nello specifico, l’analisi mostra: l’influsso su Guglielmo IX della struttura metrico-melodica di inni e prosule, nonché del culto dei santi nel limosino; il riuso di formule liturgiche, preghiere e letture bibliche in Marcabru e Peire d’Alvernhe; la sovrapposizione fra la gestualità del fedele a messa e quella di Gaucelm Faidit nell’atto di pregare la domna; l’influsso dei sacramenti, e in particolare la penitenza, su alcuni dei principali trovatori; infine, il ricorrente impiego in ambito cortese di metafore di origine liturgica, come quella del ‘fuoco d’amore’.

This book offers an overview of issues related to the regulated, formal organization of sound and speech in verse intended for singing. Particularly, it is concerned with the structural properties and underlying mechanisms involved in the association of lyrics and music. While in spoken verse the underlying metrical scheme is grounded in the prosody of the language in which it is composed, in sung verse the structure is created by the mapping of specific prosodic units of the text (syllables, moras, tones, etc.) onto the rhythmic-melodic structure provided by the tune. Studying how this mapping procedure takes place across different musical genres and styles is valuable for what it can add to our knowledge of language and music in general, and also for what it can teach us about individual languages and poetic traditions. In terms of empirical coverage, the collection includes a wide variety of (Western) languages and metrical/musical forms, ranging from the Latin hexameter to the Norwegian stev, from the French chant courtois to the Sardinian mutetu longu. Readers interested in formal analyses of vocal music, or in metrics and linguistics, will find useful insights here.

This study investigates the influence of medieval liturgy on the literary work of Occitan poets during the 12th and 13th centuries. It focuses on the diverse effects emanating from metrical hymn structure, sacraments, prayers, and the veneration of the saints, and additionally explores the specific impact of liturgical metaphors on the language of the troubadours.

Nei secoli XII e XIII la liturgia rivestì un ruolo chiave nella vita di ogni persona. A partire da questa premessa, il presente lavoro indaga l’influenza della liturgia sui componimenti dei trovatori occitani; in particolare, viene mostrato come un ampio numero di canzoni provenzali celi, dietro la lettera del testo, il ricorso – non necessariamente volontario – a fonti di tipo liturgico.

Lo studio è diviso in sezioni che mirano a proporre una panoramica esaustiva tanto della liturgia medievale, quanto del fenomeno della fin’amors. Nello specifico, l’analisi mostra: l’influsso su Guglielmo IX della struttura metrico-melodica di inni e prosule, nonché del culto dei santi nel limosino; il riuso di formule liturgiche, preghiere e letture bibliche in Marcabru e Peire d’Alvernhe; la sovrapposizione fra la gestualità del fedele a messa e quella di Gaucelm Faidit nell’atto di pregare la domna; l’influsso dei sacramenti, e in particolare la penitenza, su alcuni dei principali trovatori; infine, il ricorrente impiego in ambito cortese di metafore di origine liturgica, come quella del ‘fuoco d’amore’.