Gontier de Soignies was a medieval

trouvère ''Trouvère'' (, ), sometimes spelled ''trouveur'' (, ), is the Northern French ('' langue d'oïl'') form of the '' langue d'oc'' (Occitan) word ''trobador'', the precursor of the modern French word ''troubadour''. ''Trouvère'' refers to poet ...

and composer who was active from around 1180 to 1220.

Biography

Gontier was from the region of

Soignies Soignies (; nl, Zinnik, ; pcd, Sougniye; wa, Sougniye) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It consists of the following districts: Casteau, Chaussée-Notre-Dame-Louvignies, Horrues, Naast, Neufvilles, ...

in the County of Hainaut, a region that was then a state of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

. His life is mostly unknown, although in his works he alludes to travels in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and Burgundy, as well as the protection of the

Count Palatine A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an or ...

. One of his works is mentioned in '' Le Roman de la rose ou de Guillaume de Dole'' by

Jean Renart Jean Renart, also known as Jean Renaut, was a Norman trouvère from the end of the 12th century and the first half of the 13th to whom three works are firmly ascribed: two metrical chivalric romances, ''L'Escoufle'' ("The Kite") and ''Guillaume de ...

Works

Thirty-four love songs have been ascribed to Gontier, all of which have been preserved in several manuscripts, although only twenty-seven are generally considered to be his. His poetry is lyrics in the high style of the ''grand chant''. ;List of the main songs * A la joie des oiseaus * L'an ke li dous chans retentist * Au tens gent que raverdoie * Biau m'est quant voi verdir les chans * Douce amours, ki m'atalente * Doulerousement comence * Merci, amors, ore ai mestier * El mois d'esté que li tens rassoage * Quant oi el bruel * Quant oi tentir et bas et haut * Quant li tens torne a verdure * Se li oisiel baisent lor chans * Li tans noveaus et la douçors * Tant ai mon chant entrelaissié * Chanter m'estuet de recomens

References

Trouvères French classical composers French male classical composers 13th-century French poets French male poets 12th-century French composers 13th-century French composers 12th-century French poets Medieval male composers {{France-poet-stub