Berenguier de Palazol, Palol, or Palou ( fl. 1160–1209)Aubrey, 10–11. was a

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a ''trobairit ...

from Palol in the

County of Roussillon The County of Roussillon ( ca, Comtat de Rosselló, , la, Comitatus Ruscinonensis) was one of the Catalan counties in the Marca Hispanica during the Middle Ages. The rulers of the county were the counts of Roussillon, whose interests lay both no ...

. Of his total output twelve ''

cansos The ''canso'' or ''canson'' or ''canzo'' () was a song style used by the troubadours. It was, by far, the most common genre used, especially by early troubadours, and only in the second half of the 13th century was its dominance challenged by a ...

'' survive, and a relatively high proportion—eight—with melodies. Only some sketchy details of Berenguier's life can be gleaned from surviving records. According to his ''

vida Vida means “life” in Spanish and Portuguese. It may refer to: Geography * Vida (Gradačac), village in Bosnia and Herzegovina * Lake Vida, Victoria Valley, Antarctica * U.S. settled places: ** Vida, Montana ** Vida, Oregon ** Vida, Missour ...

'' he was a poor

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

, but well-trained and skilled in arms.Egan, 11. Other evidence suggests that his family was well-off. He appears in five documents of Roussillon between 1196 and 1209, all under the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

name ''Berengarius de Palatiolo'' (or ''Palaciolo''). The earliest dates of his career are determined by the fact that he was a vassal of

Gausfred III of Roussillon Gausfred III (died 1164) was the count of Roussillon from 1113 until his death. He was the son and successor of Girard I, who was assassinated, leaving Gausfred a child. Arnold Gausfred, the young count's uncle, acted as regent until 1121. Gaus ...

, who died in 1164 and receives mention in several of Berenguier's works. It is quite possible that Berenguier was one of the earliest troubadours, and the poems that mention ''Jaufres'' (Gausfred) may date as early as 1150. Berenguier does not seem to have had much contact with his fellow troubadours.Aubrey, 216–217. He may have met

Pons d'Ortaffa Pons d'Ortaffa/Ortafas or Ponç d'Ortafà (c. 1170–1246) was a Catalan nobleman and troubadour. He was the feudal lord of Ortafà, between Perpignan and Elne, in Roussillon. Only two pieces of his lyric poetry survive, both ''cansos'' on ...

late in life, and the latter may address him in one of his songs as ''Senher En Berenguier''. All of Berenguier's surviving works deal with the theme of

courtly love Courtly love ( oc, fin'amor ; french: amour courtois ) was a medieval European literary conception of love that emphasized nobility and chivalry. Medieval literature is filled with examples of knights setting out on adventures and performing vari ...

. One of his ''cansos'' was a model for a ''

sirventes The ''sirventes'' or ''serventes'' (), sometimes translated as "service song", was a genre of Old Occitan lyric poetry practiced by the troubadours. The name comes from ''sirvent'' ('serviceman'), from whose perspective the song is allegedly wr ...

'' by his contemporary

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 Trou ...

, who may have set it to the same tune, Berenguier's most "florid". The chief object of the love of his songs is Ermessen d'Avinyo, wife of Arnaut d'Avinyo.Egan, 11.

Avinyó Avinyó is a Catalan municipality in Spain. It is located in the province of Barcelona Barcelona (, ) is a province of eastern Spain, in the center of the autonomous community of Catalonia. The province is bordered by the provinces of Tar ...

is located in the

County of Besalú The County of Besalú ( ca, Comtat de Besalú, ; la, Comitatus Bisuldunensis) was one of the landlocked medieval Catalan counties near the Mediterranean coastline. It was roughly coterminous with the modern ''comarca'' of Garrotxa and at various t ...

. According to Berenguier's ''vida'', Arnaut was a son of Maria de Peiralada, but this is probably a confusion with ''Maria domina de Petralata'', the mother of Soremonda, the lover of

Guillem de Cabestany Guillem de Cabestany (; 1162–1212) was a Catalan troubadour from Cabestany in the County of Roussillon. He is often known by his Old Occitan name, Guilhem de Cabestaing, Cabestang, Cabestan, or Cabestanh (pronounced ). Life Not much relia ...

. Berenguier's well-preserved music is generally

syllabic Syllabic may refer to: *Syllable, a unit of speech sound, considered the building block of words **Syllabic consonant, a consonant that forms the nucleus of a syllable *Syllabary, writing system using symbols for syllables *Abugida, writing system ...

with a few

melisma Melisma ( grc-gre, μέλισμα, , ; from grc, , melos, song, melody, label=none, plural: ''melismata'') is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. Music sung in this style is referr ...

tic phrase endings; conservative, generally staying within an

octave In music, an octave ( la, octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been refer ...

; and motivically structured, having something in common with that of

Bernart de Ventadorn Bernart de Ventadorn (also Bernard de Ventadour or Bernat del Ventadorn; – ) was a French poet-composer troubadour of the classical age of troubadour poetry. Generally regarded as the most important troubadour in both poetry and music, his 1 ...

Works

Berenguier's works cannot be chronologically ordered with any confidence, but they have been ordered in a scheme which seeks to present some "logical" development of a theme. The theme which runs through these works cannot be connected to events in Berenguier's life, nor can it be shown that the lady (''dompna'') of every song is the same person.Newcombe, 58. Nonetheless, the developing of the theme corresponds to stages in the life of a lover. *''Aital dona cum ieu sai'' ::In this work Berenguier praises the perfection of his lady. She is proud and has many suitors. She does, however, lend him ear. *''Dona, si totz temps vivia'' ::Berenguier pledges to seek no other lover, even though his lady seems out of reach. *''Dona, la genser qu'om veya'' ::Berenguier resolves to be patient. *''Aissi quon hom que senhor ochaizona'' ::Berenguier is at the lady's mercy, yet she is not faithful to him as he is to her. *''S'eu anc per fola entendensa'' ::Berenguier wishes his lady would spare him this torment. *''S'ieu sabi' aver guiardo'' ::Berenguier has failed, but he expresses hope that this song may yet get her attention. *''Tant m'abelis joys et amors e chans'' ::Finally Berenguier is rewarded for his persistence by his lady's attention. In her absence she gives him strength and in the cold warmth; she encourages his singing. *''Mais ai de talan que no suelh'' ::Berenguier is joyful. He only wishes he could see his lady every moment. *''Bona dona, cuy ricx pretz fai valer'' ::The lady withdraws from Berenguier. He should leave her, but he could not endure it, nor find any woman better. *''De la gensor qu'om vey', al mieu semblan'' ::The dilemma: remain faithful or leave. *''Totz temoros e doptans'' ::Berenguier blames himself for his loss, yet renews his pledge to his lady. *''Ab la fresca clardat'' ::Summertime incites this song and Berenguier determines to seek his lady's favour again.

Notes

Sources

*Aubrey, Elizabeth. ''The Music of the Troubadours''. Indiana University Press, 1996. . *Egan, Margarita, ed. and trans. ''The Vidas of the Troubadours''. New York: Garland, 1984. . *Newcombe, Terence. "The Troubadour Berenger de Palazol: A Critical Edition of His Poems." ''Nottingham Mediaeval Studies'', 15 (1971), pp. 54–96. * Riquer, Martín de. ''Los trovadores: historia literaria y textos''. 3 vol. Barcelona: Planeta, 1975. {{Authority control 12th-century births 1209 deaths 12th-century French troubadours Poets from Catalonia Year of birth unknown 13th-century French troubadours