Salh d'Escola
Encyclopedia
Salh, Sail, or Saill d'Escola (fl.
1195) was a troubadour
from Bergerac
in the Périgord
, a former province of France
.
The meaning of his name is disputed. It may be his actual name or a family name or a nickname. It could mean "defector from school" (transfuge de l'école) or "escapee from the cloister" (Saute-de-Cloître) or just pedant
.
The details of Salh's life are provided by two main sources, one contemporaneous and one late. The first source is the 1195 poem Pos Peire d'Alvernh' a chantat of the Monge de Montaudon
. He presents a gallery of troubadours and good-naturedly criticises each in turn, usually humorously. One of the poets criticised is Salh d'Escola. According to the Monge, he was a jongleur who went to Bergerac and became a merchant
. The later source is Salh's vida
, which probably relied on the Monge to piece together its story. According to his biographer, Salh was the son of a merchant and became a jongleur. He then went to Narbonne
and stayed for a long time at the court of Ainermada de Narbona. Upon her death (1197) he entered the cloister at Bergerac and abandoned his "inventing and singing".
Salh has left one canso
behind: Gran esfortz fai qui chanta ni.s deporta. It is an amorous confession to his lady for telling her to "die" in a moment of desperation or irritation.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1195) was a 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....
from Bergerac
Bergerac, Dordogne
Bergerac is a commune and a sub-prefecture of the Dordogne department in southwestern France.-Population:-Economy:The region is primarily known for wine and tobacco...
in the Périgord
Périgord
The Périgord is a former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne département, now forming the northern part of the Aquitaine région. It is divided into four regions, the Périgord Noir , the Périgord Blanc , the Périgord Vert and the Périgord Pourpre...
, a former province of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The meaning of his name is disputed. It may be his actual name or a family name or a nickname. It could mean "defector from school" (transfuge de l'école) or "escapee from the cloister" (Saute-de-Cloître) or just pedant
Pedant
A pedant is a person who is excessively concerned with formalism and precision, or who makes a show of his or her learning.-Etymology:The English language word "pedant" comes from the French pédant or its older mid-15th Century Italian source pedante, "teacher, schoolmaster"...
.
The details of Salh's life are provided by two main sources, one contemporaneous and one late. The first source is the 1195 poem Pos Peire d'Alvernh' a chantat of the Monge de Montaudon
Monge de Montaudon
The Monge de Montaudon , born Pèire de Vic, was a nobleman, monk, and troubadour from the Auvergne, born at the castle of Vic-sur-Cère near Aurillac, where he became a Benedictine monk around 1180...
. He presents a gallery of troubadours and good-naturedly criticises each in turn, usually humorously. One of the poets criticised is Salh d'Escola. According to the Monge, he was a jongleur who went to Bergerac and became a merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
. The later source is Salh's 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...
, which probably relied on the Monge to piece together its story. According to his biographer, Salh was the son of a merchant and became a jongleur. He then went to Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
and stayed for a long time at the court of Ainermada de Narbona. Upon her death (1197) he entered the cloister at Bergerac and abandoned his "inventing and singing".
Salh has left one 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...
behind: Gran esfortz fai qui chanta ni.s deporta. It is an amorous confession to his lady for telling her to "die" in a moment of desperation or irritation.