Azalais d'Altier
Encyclopedia
Azalais or Azalaïs d'Altier was an early-13th-century trobairitz
. She was from Altier
in the Gévaudan
. She has sometimes been confused with Almucs de Castelnau
.
Azalais wrote "Tanz salutz e tantas amors", the only salut d'amor
by a woman. It comprises 101 verses of rhyming couplet
s. Its purpose was to reconcile two lovers, and it was addressed to a woman, possibly Clara d'Anduza
. Its similarity in tone to Clara's canso
"En greu esmay et en greu pessamen" gives the impression that it may have been written in response. Azalais was well known in troubadour
circles, for Uc de Saint-Circ addressed his "Anc mais non vi temps ni sazo" to her in its tornada
. Nonetheless the great troubadour ignored her when composing the vidas
.
Azalais herself was a woman of learning, and she must have been familiar with the Matter of Rome
through the Roman de Troie of Benoît de Sainte-Maure
, which she references in her salut:
There is today a street named "Rue Azalais d'Altier" in Montpellier
.
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...
. She was from Altier
Altier
Altier is a commune in the Lozère department in southern France....
in the Gévaudan
Gévaudan
Gévaudan is a historical area of France, nowadays situated in Lozère département. It took its name from the Gabali, a Gallic tribe subordinate to the Arverni.- History :...
. She has sometimes been confused with Almucs de Castelnau
Almucs de Castelnau
Almucs de Castelnau or Castelnou was a trobairitz, that is a female troubadour, from a town near Avignon in Provence. Her name is also spelled Almuc, Amucs, Almois, Almurs, or Almirs....
.
Azalais wrote "Tanz salutz e tantas amors", the only salut d'amor
Salut d'amor
A salut d'amor or pistola was an Occitan lyric poem of the troubadours, written as a letter from one lover to another in the tradition of courtly love...
by a woman. It comprises 101 verses of rhyming couplet
Couplet
A couplet is a pair of lines of meter in poetry. It usually consists of two lines that rhyme and have the same meter.While traditionally couplets rhyme, not all do. A poem may use white space to mark out couplets if they do not rhyme. Couplets with a meter of iambic pentameter are called heroic...
s. Its purpose was to reconcile two lovers, and it was addressed to a woman, possibly Clara d'Anduza
Clara d'Anduza
Clara d'Anduza was a trobairitz from the first third of the 13th century, probably born to the ruling family of Anduze. Her only surviving work is a canso beginning En greu esmay et en greu pessamen. She was mentioned in a long razo to a canso of Uc de Saint Circ and was probably the addressee of a...
. Its similarity in tone to Clara's canso
Canso (song)
The canso is a song style used by the troubadours. It consists of three parts. The first stanza is the exordium, where the composer explains his purpose. The main body of the song occurs in the following stanzas, and usually draw out a variety of relationships with the exordium. The canso can end...
"En greu esmay et en greu pessamen" gives the impression that it may have been written in response. Azalais was well known in 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....
circles, for Uc de Saint-Circ addressed his "Anc mais non vi temps ni sazo" to her in its tornada
Tornada (Occitan literary term)
In Occitan lyric poetry, a tornada refers to a final, shorter stanza which is addressed to a patron, lady, or friend. They often contain useful information about the piece's composition and the troubadour's circle....
. Nonetheless the great troubadour ignored her when composing the vidas
Vida (Occitan literary form)
Vida is the usual term for a brief prose biography, written in Old Occitan, of a troubadour or trobairitz.The word vida means "life" in Occitan languages. In the chansonniers, the manuscript collections of medieval troubadour poetry, the works of a particular author are often accompanied by a...
.
Azalais herself was a woman of learning, and she must have been familiar with the Matter of Rome
Matter of Rome
According to the medieval poet Jean Bodel, the Matter of Rome was the literary cycle made up of Greek and Roman mythology, together with episodes from the history of classical antiquity, focusing on military heroes like Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar...
through the Roman de Troie of Benoît de Sainte-Maure
Benoît de Sainte-Maure
Benoît de Sainte-Maure was a 12th century French poet, most probably from Sainte-Maure de Touraine near Tours, France. The Plantagenets' administrative center was located in Chinon - west of Tours....
, which she references in her salut:
|
Cressida Cressida is a character who appears in many Medieval and Renaissance retellings of the story of the Trojan War. She is a Trojan woman, the daughter of Calchas a priestly defector to the Greeks... , because she was inconstant Troilus Troilus is a legendary character associated with the story of the Trojan War... Tydeus In Greek mythology, Tydeus was an Aeolian hero of the generation before the Trojan War. He was one of the Seven Against Thebes and was mortally wounded by Melanippus before the walls of the city. The goddess Athena had planned to make him immortal but refused after Tydeus in a rage devoured the... son. |
There is today a street named "Rue Azalais d'Altier" in Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
.