Guillem Augier Novella
Encyclopedia
Guillem Augier Novella was a troubadour
from Vienne
in the Dauphinois
who lived most of his adulthood in Lombardy
and was active as a minstrel in the early or mid thirteenth century. According to his late thirteenth-century vida
, "he composed good descartz and sirventes
in the manner of jongleurs, in which he praised some and blamed others."
Augier spent his early career at the court of the Emperor Frederick II, and was there associated with such figures as Guilhem Figueira
and Aimery de Pégulhan, until 1230. Among Augier's most famous works is his sirventes (a planh
or lament) now entitled A People Grieving for the Death of their Lord, which commemorates either the murder of Raymond I Trencavel
in 1167 or, as is more preferred, of Raymond Roger Trencavel in 1209. It has been described as a "funeral oration", but its contemporaneousness with the death of Raymond Roger has been called into question recently. It was probably written at a much later date. The chief purpose of the sirventes may be to mourn the lost culture of Languedoc
before the Albigensian Crusade
and the "lord" of the story is probably a stereotype meant to represent that culture. It can therefore be viewed as representative of a genre of anti-Crusading verse prevalent in the trovatore traditions of Italy at the time. On the other hand, it is said to convey a "sense of personal loss" and not "opposition to the expedition".
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....
from Vienne
Vienne, Isère
Vienne is a commune in south-eastern France, located south of Lyon, on the Rhône River. It is the second largest city after Grenoble in the Isère department, of which it is a subprefecture. The city's population was of 29,400 as of the 2001 census....
in the Dauphinois
Dauphinois
Dauphinois is a dialect of the Arpitan language, which is spoken in Isère département, roughly formerly Bas-Dauphiné, in France. The extreme South of the Dauphiné is within the area of the Occitan language....
who lived most of his adulthood in Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
and was active as a minstrel in the early or mid thirteenth century. According to his late thirteenth-century vida
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...
, "he composed good descartz and 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...
in the manner of jongleurs, in which he praised some and blamed others."
Augier spent his early career at the court of the Emperor Frederick II, and was there associated with such figures as 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...
and Aimery de Pégulhan, until 1230. Among Augier's most famous works is his sirventes (a planh
Planh
The planh or plaing is a funeral lament used by the troubadours, modeled on the medieval Latin planctus. It differed from the planctus in that it was intended for a secular audience...
or lament) now entitled A People Grieving for the Death of their Lord, which commemorates either the murder of Raymond I Trencavel
Raymond I Trencavel
Raymond I Trencavel was the Viscount of Agde and Béziers from 1130 and Viscount of Albi, Carcassonne, and Razès from 1150. He was a member of the Trencavel family, ruling the lands of the elder branch....
in 1167 or, as is more preferred, of Raymond Roger Trencavel in 1209. It has been described as a "funeral oration", but its contemporaneousness with the death of Raymond Roger has been called into question recently. It was probably written at a much later date. The chief purpose of the sirventes may be to mourn the lost culture of Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
before the Albigensian Crusade
Albigensian Crusade
The Albigensian Crusade or Cathar Crusade was a 20-year military campaign initiated by the Catholic Church to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc...
and the "lord" of the story is probably a stereotype meant to represent that culture. It can therefore be viewed as representative of a genre of anti-Crusading verse prevalent in the trovatore traditions of Italy at the time. On the other hand, it is said to convey a "sense of personal loss" and not "opposition to the expedition".