Ffra Johan Basset (, modernised as ''Fra Joan Basset'') was a
Catalan author of twenty verses and a prose ''Letovari''. His work is preserved in the
Cançoner Vega-Aguiló The Cançoner Vega-Aguiló (, ) is a chansonnier predominantly carrying Catalan and Occitan pieces, but also some Castilian and Middle French
Middle French (french: moyen français) is a historical division of the French language that covers t ...
(1420–30). He was probably active in the early years (1416–21) of the reign of
Alfonso V. His religious title, ''fra'' ("brother"), has led to speculation that he was a
knight of the
Order of Saint John of Jerusalem
The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headqu ...
(based on an unsourced assertion of Jordi Rubió). Basset preached at
Cervera during
Lent
Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...
in 1424. It is recorded that he was a member of the "Order of Santa Anna". This is probably a reference to the convent of Santa Anna at
Barcelona, which was originally a house of the
Order of the Holy Sepulchre under the guidance of the
Patriarch of Jerusalem. Cohabitating at Santa Anna was a group of
Brothers of Penitence and some
Augustinian canons of
Santa Eulàlia del Camp (since 1293). In 1420 the friars and canons passed into the Casa del Sant Sepulcre de Santa Anna.
Basset was a competent and original poet; his poetry diverse in form and style, his themes both religious and amorous. Besides his religious and amorous poetry, Basset wrote three unique pieces: a ''
planh'', a piece entitled ', and another called '. Basset's ''Letovari'' (
electuarium
An electuary is a medicine consisting of a powder or other ingredient mixed with something sweet such as honey to make it more palatable. ) is a manual for curing the love-sick, dedicated to
Guerau de Massanet. It has much in common with the ''Consolació'' of
Luys Ycart
Luys Ycart (Floruit, fl. 1396–1433), or Lluís Icart () in modern orthography, was a Catalan people, Catalan poet. He left behind fourteen lyric poems and a long poem called ''Consolació i Avís d'amor'' ("Consolation and Advice of Love"). A ...
and the ''Medicina'' of
Bernat Metge
Bernat Metge (; ( 1350 – 1410) was a Catalan writer and humanist, best known as the author of '' Lo Somni'', which he wrote from prison (c. 1398), in which Metge discusses the immortality of the soul.
He was a courtier and Secretary for Joan I o ...
.
[* Martín de Riquer (1964), ''Història de la Literatura Catalana'', vol. 1 (Barcelona: Edicions Ariel), 635–41, provides a poem-by-poem overview of Basset's literary achievement.]
Basset's religious verse consists in four poems about the
Virgin Mary. His ' was his first published work: it was edited by
Manuel Milà i Fontanals and published in his ' (1886–93). Its
incipit
The incipit () of a text is the first few words of the text, employed as an identifying label. In a musical composition, an incipit is an initial sequence of notes, having the same purpose. The word ''incipit'' comes from Latin and means "it beg ...
is ' and it was addressed to an anonymous lady ''de Sant Climent'' (from
Sant Climent de Taüll
Sant may refer to:
People
* Alfred Sant (born 1948), Maltese politician
* Andrew Sant (born 1950), English-born Australian poet
* David Sant (born 1968), Catalan director, actor and writer
* Indira Sant (1914–2000), Indian poet
* James Sant ( ...
). A similarly titled piece, the ', has the form of a typical love song (''
cançó
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 ...
''); only its title betrays its religious purpose. It incipit is '.
Basset's ' and ' are also addressed to Mary. In the latter, each stanza begins with a line introducing the ''Mayres de Dieu'' followed by six lines beginning ' ("is certainly more worthy") and ending with the refrain ' ("and nothing is worth as much as your court"). The structure of this piece and its contents suggest it is a religious ''
plazer'', a genre introduced to Catalonia by
Cerverí de Girona over a century earlier and Catalanised by
Pere March within Basset's lifetime.
Basset's love poetry fits within the tradition 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 ...
and of the troubadours. This is obvious when he refers to himself as a "prisoner" of his lady and in his use of feudal and military terminology to describe their relationship.
List of poems
*' (or ''belha'')
*'
*'
*'
*'
*'
*' (or ') '
*'
*'
*' (or ')
*'
*'
*'
*'
*'
*'
*'
*'
*'
*'
*'
*'
*'
*'
Notes
External links
Incipitario di Fra Joan Basset with links to edited original-language texts of his twenty pieces
{{DEFAULTSORT:Basset, Johan
Poets from Catalonia
Medieval Catalan-language writers
15th-century Catalan people