Guilhem Peire Cazals de Caortz
Encyclopedia
Guilhem Peire Cazals de Caortz or Guilhem Peire de Cazals was a troubadour
of the first half of the thirteenth century. He was born or lived in Cahors
, Quercy
, from which his name "de Caortz". Eleven of his works, including one tenso
, survive.
The only sure way to date Guilhem Peire's life and work is by his tenso with Bernart de la Barta
, who was alive in 1229, and by a sirventes
of Guilhem Figueira
, Un nou sirventes ai en cor que trameta, composed in 1240, which mirrors D'una leu chanso ai cor que m'entremeta, a canso
by Guilhem Peire, in metre and rhyme and therefore gives a terminus ante quem for the tensos composition.
Nine of Guilhem Peire's poems are dedicated to a certain friend and jongleur known only by the affectionate senhal
Ardit. Generally he wrote in the trobar ric
genre, and in his leu chanso (canso in the trobar leu
, referred to above) he mentions using words are opposite to the courtly norm
to describe the lover that abandoned him that. Guilhem Peire was also one of the earliest poets to adopt the sestina form of Arnaut Daniel
: his Eras, pus vey mon benastruc imitates the Arnaut's mots-refranh. In it the poet is rather optimistic because his lady has shown him favour.
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....
of the first half of the thirteenth century. He was born or lived in Cahors
Cahors
Cahors is the capital of the Lot department in south-western France.Its site is dramatic being contained on three sides within an udder shaped twist in the river Lot known as a 'presqu'île' or peninsula...
, Quercy
Quercy
Quercy is a former province of France located in the country's southwest, bounded on the north by Limousin, on the west by Périgord and Agenais, on the south by Gascony and Languedoc, and on the east by Rouergue and Auvergne....
, from which his name "de Caortz". Eleven of his works, including one 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...
, survive.
The only sure way to date Guilhem Peire's life and work is by his tenso with Bernart de la Barta
Bernart de la Barta
Bernart de la Barta , also spelled Bernarnz Delabarta or Benart de la Barda, was a troubadour from La Barthe, the location of which is unknown...
, who was alive in 1229, and by a sirventes
Sirventes
The sirventes or serventes is a genre of Occitan lyric poetry used by the troubadours. In early Catalan it became a sirventesch and was imported into that language in the fourteenth century, where it developed into a unique didactic/moralistic type...
of Guilhem Figueira
Guilhem Figueira
Guillem or Guilhem Figueira or Figera was a Languedocian jongleur and troubadour from Toulouse active at the court of the Emperor Frederick II in the 1230s. He was a close associate of both Aimery de Pégulhan and Guillem Augier Novella...
, Un nou sirventes ai en cor que trameta, composed in 1240, which mirrors D'una leu chanso ai cor que m'entremeta, a 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...
by Guilhem Peire, in metre and rhyme and therefore gives a terminus ante quem for the tensos composition.
Nine of Guilhem Peire's poems are dedicated to a certain friend and jongleur known only by the affectionate senhal
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Ardit. Generally he wrote in the trobar ric
Trobar ric
The trobar ric , or rich form of poetry, was a trobadour style.It was distinguished by its verbal gymnastics; its best exponent was Arnaut Daniel. Despite the fact that it outlasted trobar clus it always played a secondary role to trobar leu....
genre, and in his leu chanso (canso in the trobar leu
Trobar leu
The trobar leu , or light style of poetry, was the most popular style used by the troubadours. Its accessibility gave it a wide audience, though modern readers may find its somewhat formulaic nature tiresome after a while....
, referred to above) he mentions using words are opposite to the courtly norm
Courtly love
Courtly love was a medieval European conception of nobly and chivalrously expressing love and admiration. Generally, courtly love was secret and between members of the nobility. It was also generally not practiced between husband and wife....
to describe the lover that abandoned him that. Guilhem Peire was also one of the earliest poets to adopt the sestina form of Arnaut Daniel
Arnaut Daniel
Arnaut Daniel de Riberac was an Occitan troubadour of the 12th century, praised by Dante as "il miglior fabbro" and called "Grand Master of Love" by Petrarch...
: his Eras, pus vey mon benastruc imitates the Arnaut's mots-refranh. In it the poet is rather optimistic because his lady has shown him favour.
Sources
- Riquer, Martín de. Los trovadores: historia literaria y textos. 3 vol. Barcelona: Planeta, 1975.