The Comtessa de Dia (Countess of
Die), possibly named Beatritz or Isoarda (fl. c. 1175 or c. 1212), was a
trobairitz
The ''trobairitz'' () were Occitan female troubadours of the 12th and 13th centuries, active from around 1170 to approximately 1260. ''Trobairitz'' is both singular and plural.
The word ''trobairitz'' is first attested in the 13th-century ro ...
(female troubadour).
She is only known as the ''comtessa de Dia'' in contemporary documents, but was most likely the daughter of Count Isoard II of
Diá (a town northeast of
Montelimar now known as
Die in southern France). According to her ''
vida'', she was married to William of Poitiers, but was in love with and sang about
Raimbaut of Orange
Raimbaut of Orange (c. 1147 – 1173) or, in his native Old Provençal, Raimbaut d'Aurenga, was the lord of Orange and Aumelas. His properties included the towns of Frontignan and Mireval. He was the only son of William of Aumelas and of Tib ...
(1146-1173).
[Bruckner, Matilda Tomaryn. (1995). Songs of the Women Troubadours.] Bruckner, Shepard, and White cite Angela Rieger's analysis of the songs, which associates them, through intertextual evidence, with the circle of poets composed of
Raimbaut d'Aurenga
Raimbaut of Orange (c. 1147 – 1173) or, in his native Old Provençal, Raimbaut d'Aurenga, was the lord of Orange and Aumelas. His properties included the towns of Frontignan and Mireval. He was the only son of William of Aumelas and of Tib ...
,
Bernart de Ventadorn, and
Azalais de Porcairagues.
Marcelle Thiébaux, and Claude Marks have associated her not with
Raimbaut d'Aurenga
Raimbaut of Orange (c. 1147 – 1173) or, in his native Old Provençal, Raimbaut d'Aurenga, was the lord of Orange and Aumelas. His properties included the towns of Frontignan and Mireval. He was the only son of William of Aumelas and of Tib ...
but with his nephew or great nephew of the same name.
[Thiébaux , Marcelle. (1994). The Writings of Medieval Women.][Marks, Claude. (1975). Pilgrims, Heretics, and Lovers.] If her songs are addressed to Raimbaut d'Aurenga's nephew Raimbaut IV, the ''Comtessa de Dia'' may have been urging the latter to support
Raymond V
Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...
of Toulouse.
It has been hypothesised that the ''Comtessa de Dia'' was in fact married to Guillem's son,
Ademar de Peiteus, whose wife's name was Philippa de Fay, and that her real lover was
Raimbaut de Vaqueiras
__NOTOC__
Raimbaut de Vaqueiras or Vaqueyras (fl. 1180 – 1207) was a Provençal troubadour and, later in his life, knight. His life was spent mainly in Italian courtsAmelia E. Van Vleck, ''The Lyric Texts'' p. 33, in ''Handbook of the Troub ...
.
Five of the Comtessa's works survive, including 4 cansos and 1 tenson.
[Troubadour Music at the Music Encyclopedia.] Scholars have debated whether or not the Comtessa authored ', a
tenso
A ''tenso'' (; french: tençon) is a style of troubadour song. It takes the form of a debate in which each voice defends a position; common topics relate to love or ethics. Usually, the tenso is written by two different poets, but several examples ...
typically attributed to
Raimbaut d'Aurenga
Raimbaut of Orange (c. 1147 – 1173) or, in his native Old Provençal, Raimbaut d'Aurenga, was the lord of Orange and Aumelas. His properties included the towns of Frontignan and Mireval. He was the only son of William of Aumelas and of Tib ...
. One reason for this is the similarities between this composition and her own '. A second reason references the words in her ''vida'', ' ("And she fell in love with Sir Raimbaut d'Aurenga, and made about him many good ''cansos''").
[Paden, William D. The Voice of the Trobairitz.]
A tenso between
Giraut de Bornelh
Giraut de Bornelh (; c. 1138 – 1215), whose first name is also spelled Guiraut and whose toponym is de Borneil or de Borneyll, was a troubadour connected to the castle of the viscount of Limoges. He is credited with the formalisation, if not the ...
and
Alamanda de Castelnau
Alamanda was a trobairitz whose only surviving work is a ''tenso'' with Giraut de Bornelh called '.Alamanda de Castelnau (1160–1223) ''S'ie us qier conseill, bella amia Alamanda'' Classical music online. In the past she was usually considered fic ...
closely matches the structure of ' ("I must sing a song I'd rather not"). The phrase in it, ' ("dressed nor nude") echoes ' ("in bed and when I am dressed") in ' ("I dwell in sorrow"). The tenso may have been composed as a response to these songs.
Her song ' in the
Occitan language
Occitan (; oc, occitan, link=no ), also known as ''lenga d'òc'' (; french: langue d'oc) by its native speakers, and sometimes also referred to as ''Provençal'', is a Romance language spoken in Southern France, Monaco, Italy's Occitan Vall ...
is the only ''
canso'' by a ''
trobairitz
The ''trobairitz'' () were Occitan female troubadours of the 12th and 13th centuries, active from around 1170 to approximately 1260. ''Trobairitz'' is both singular and plural.
The word ''trobairitz'' is first attested in the 13th-century ro ...
'' to survive with its music intact. The music to ''A chantar'' is found only in ''Le manuscript di roi,'' a collection of songs copied around 1270 for
Charles of Anjou
Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou, was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the second House of Anjou. He was Count of Provence (1246–85) and Forcalquier (1246–48, 1256–85) ...
, the brother of
Louis IX
Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the Direct Capetians. He was crowned in Reims at the age of 12, following the d ...
.
[Pendle, Karin. Women and Music: A History.]
Her extant poems are:
:*'
:*'
:*'
:*'
Typical subject matter used by Comtessa de Dia in her lyrics includes optimism, praise of herself and her love, as well as betrayal. In ', Comtessa plays the part of a betrayed lover, and although she has been betrayed, continues to defend and praise herself. In ', however, the Comtessa makes fun of the , a person known for gossiping, comparing those who gossip to a "cloud that obscures the sun."
[Earnshaw, Doris. The Female Voice in Medieval Romance Lyric] In writing style, Comtessa uses a process known as ' in ', repeating the same rhyme scheme in each strophe, but changing the ''a'' rhyme each time. ', on the other hand, uses ', with a rhyme scheme of ab' ab' b' aab'.
' uses some of the motifs of Idyll II of
Theocritus
Theocritus (; grc-gre, Θεόκριτος, ''Theokritos''; born c. 300 BC, died after 260 BC) was a Greek poet from Sicily and the creator of Ancient Greek pastoral poetry.
Life
Little is known of Theocritus beyond what can be inferred from h ...
.
In popular culture
She is the subject of a series of historical novels by the East German author
Irmtraud Morgner
Irmtraud Morgner, (22 August 19336 May 1990), was a German writer, best known for works of magical realism concerned predominantly with the role of gender in East German society.
Life
Irmtraud Morgner was born in 1933 in Chemnitz, the daughter o ...
.
[Irmtraud Morgner's Trobadora Beatrice by Elizabeth Morier]
Notes
References
Troubadour Musicat the Music Encyclopedia. Accessed February 2008.
Irmtraud Morgner's Trobadora Beatrice by Elizabeth Morier. The Complete Review, Volume II, Issue 2- May, 2001. Accessed February 2008.
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Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dia, Comtessa de
12th-century troubadours
12th-century women writers
12th-century women composers
Trobairitz
1140s births
Date of death unknown
Year of death unknown
Medieval women musicians
Medieval women poets
12th-century women artists
13th-century women artists