A ''gab'' or ''gap'' (, "boast") is a
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 ...
boasting song. It is often considered related to the ''
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 ...
'' and ''
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'' ...
'', two types of debate poem. Sometimes the ''gab'' is not considered a separate genre of poetry but simply a boast found within another genre, commonly the ''
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 ...
''.
[Veronica M. Fraser (2006), ''The Songs of Peire Vidal: Translation and Commentary'' (New York: Peter Lang, ), 153.]
The Occitan word ''gab'' means "boast" and comes from the verb ''gabar'' (to open the mouth wide, i.e. gape).
[ The song is innately competitive and the boast is often presented as a challenge, which may generate poetical responses. The boasting, however, is made in good fun and typically follows a formula ensuring it will be well-received (unlike a real boast). Often it is heavily ironic, and the boasts are intended specifically to entertain the audience that knows better.
The first ''gab'' was "Ben vuelh", composed by ]William IX of Aquitaine
William IX ( oc, Guilhèm de Peitieus; ''Guilhem de Poitou'' french: Guillaume de Poitiers) (22 October 1071 – 10 February 1126), called the Troubadour, was the Duke of Aquitaine and Gascony and Count of Poitou (as William VII) between 1086 and ...
(died 1126).[Don A. Monson (1999), "The Troubadours at Play: Irony, Parody and Burlesque", ''The Troubadours: An Introduction'', Simon Gaunt and Sarah Kay, edd. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ), 199. For text of the poem, se]
here
/ref> The ''sirventes'' "De mots ricos no tem Peire Vidal" by Uc de Lescura Uc de Lescura or de l'Escura (fl. 1190–1204) was a minor troubadour. The ''Lescura'' of his birth is unknown. There is a Lescurre in Ariège, Aveyron, and Tarn. Based on references in his work, historian Alfred Adler placed him at the court ...
[For text of the poem, se]
here
/ref> begins with a ''gab'' proclaiming the composer's superiority to eight of his contemporary troubadours, including the man of the title, Peire Vidal
Peire Vidal ( fl. 12th century) was an Old Occitan troubadour. Forty-five of his songs are extant. The twelve that still have melodies bear testament to the deserved nature of his musical reputation.
There is no contemporary reference to Peire o ...
, who was himself a famous composer of ''gabs''. One of his works opens:
References
{{Western medieval lyric forms
Western medieval lyric forms
Occitan literary genres