Eble or Ebles d'Ussel (also ''d'Ussèl'' or ''d'Uisel''; fl. c. 1200) was a
Limousin
Limousin (; oc, Lemosin ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. On 1 January 2016, it became part of the new administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienn ...
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 ...
, the eldest of three brothers,
castellan
A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...
s of the castle of
Ussel-sur-Sarzonne, northeast of
Ventadorn
Moustier-Ventadour (; oc, Mostier de Ventadorn) is a commune in the Corrèze department in central France.
Geography
The Luzège forms most of the commune's eastern boundary.
Population
Personalities
* Bernart de Ventadorn, medieval tro ...
. His younger brothers were
Peire and
Gui
The GUI ( "UI" by itself is still usually pronounced . or ), graphical user interface, is a form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and audio indicator such as primary notation, inste ...
and he also had a cousin named
Elias
Elias is the Greek equivalent of Elijah ( he, אֵלִיָּהוּ ''ʾĒlīyyāhū''; Syriac: ܐܠܝܐ ''Eliyā''; Arabic: الیاس Ilyās/Elyās), a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BC, mentioned in several holy ...
, all troubadours. Of his corpus only one ''
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 ...
'', one ''
partimen
The ''partimen'' (; ca, partiment ; also known as ''partia'' or ''joc partit'') is a cognate form of the French jeu-parti (plural ''jeux-partis''). It is a genre of Occitan lyric poetry composed between two troubadours, a subgenre of the ''tenso'' ...
'' (with
Guilhem Ademar
Guilhem Ademar (; also spelled Guillem, Adamar, or Azemar; fl. 1190/1195–1217) was a troubadour from the Gévaudan in France. He travelled between the courts of Albi, Toulouse, Narbonne, and Spain. He achieved fame enough during his life to b ...
), and a ''
cobla
The cobla (, plural ''cobles'') is a traditional music ensemble of Catalonia, and in Northern Catalonia in France. It is generally used to accompany the Sardana, a traditional Catalan folk dance, danced in a circle.
Structure
The modern Cobla no ...
'' survive. The only sources for his life, besides his own songs, are the ''
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 ...
'' of his brother Gui and a document recording the donation of land to the abbey of
Bonaigue by two brothers Guido and Eblo Usseli. According to Gui's ''vida'', Eble composed "bad ''tensos''".
[''The Vidas of the Troubadours'', ed. and trans. Margarita Egan (New York: Garland, 1984), p. 44. .]
The complete works of the four relations of Ussel, including Eble, were first compiled in one volume by J. Audiau as ''Les poésies des quatre troubadours d'Ussel'' (Paris, Delagrave, 1922). They are all available online a
trobar.org
Notes
{{Authority control
French troubadours
Year of death unknown
Year of birth unknown
People from Limousin