A ''tenso'' (; french: tençon) is a style of

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 ...

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

. 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 exist in which one of the parties is imaginary, including God (

Peire de Vic The (Lo) Monge de Montaudon (meaning "monk of Montaudon") ( fl. 1193–1210Gaunt and Kay, Appendix I, 287.), born Pèire de Vic, was a nobleman, monk, and troubadour from the Auvergne, born at the castle of Vic-sur-Cère near Aurillac, where h ...

), the poet's horse (

Gui de Cavalhon Gui de Cavalhon, Cavaillo, or Gavaillo (floruit, fl. 1200–1229) was a Provence, Provençal nobleman: a diplomat, warrior, and man of letters. He was probably also the Guionet who composed ''tensos'' and ''partimens'' with Cadenet (troubadour), Ca ...

) or his cloak (

Bertran Carbonel Bertran Carbonel ( fl. 1252–1265) was a Provençal troubadour from Marseille. He is a polarising figure among scholars and his reputation varies between authorities. Eighteen of his lyric works survive, as well as seventy-two (Gaunt and Kay) ...

). Closely related, and sometimes overlapping, genres include: * the ''

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'' ...

'', in which more than two voices discuss a subject * the ''

cobla esparsa A ''cobla esparsa'' ( literally meaning "scattered stanza") in Old Occitan is the name used for a single-stanza poem in troubadour poetry. They constitute about 15% of the troubadour output, and they are the dominant form among late (after 1220) au ...

'' or ''

cobla exchange A ''cobla esparsa'' ( literally meaning "scattered stanza") in Old Occitan is the name used for a single-stanza poem in troubadour poetry. They constitute about 15% of the troubadour output, and they are the dominant form among late (after 1220) au ...

'', a tenso of two stanzas only * the ''contenson'', where the matter is eventually judged by a third party.

Notable examples

Marcabru Marcabru (; floruit, fl. 1130–1150) is one of the earliest troubadours whose poems are known. There is no certain information about him; the two ''vida (Occitan literary form), vidas'' attached to his poems tell different stories, and both are e ...

and

Uc Catola Uc (or Ugo) Catola was a knight and early troubadour, possibly a participant in the Second Crusade and perhaps later a monk. Uc composed what is possibly the first ''tenso'' with his famous contemporary Marcabru: ''Amics Marchabrun'', which concern ...

''Amics Marchabrun, car digam''
possibly the earliest known example. *

Cercamon Cercamon (, fl. 1135-1145) was one of the earliest troubadours. His true name and other biographical data are unknown. He was apparently a Gascony-born jester of sorts who spent most of his career in the courts of William X of Aquitaine and perh ...

and Guilhalmi
''Car vei finir a tot dia''
another candidate for the earliest known example. *

Raimbaut d'Aurenga Raimbaut of Orange (c. 1147 – 1173) or, in his native Old Provençal, Raimbaut d'Aurenga, was the lord of Orange and Aumelas. His properties included the towns of Frontignan and Mireval. He was the only son of William of Aumelas and of Tibu ...

and

Giraut de Bornelh Giraut de Bornelh (; c. 1138 – 1215), whose first name is also spelled Guiraut and whose toponym is de Borneil or de Borneyll, was a troubadour connected to the castle of the viscount of Limoges. He is credited with the formalisation, if not the ...

''Ara·m platz, Giraut de Borneill''
where major exponents of the two styles extol

trobar clus ''Trobar clus'' (), or closed form, was a complex and obscure style of poetry used by troubadours for their more discerning audiences, and it was only truly appreciated by an elite few. It was developed extensively by Marcabru and Arnaut Daniel, bu ...

and

trobar leu The ''trobar leu'' (), or light style of poetry, was the most popular style used by the troubadours. Its accessibility gave it a wide audience. See also *''Trobar ric'' *''Trobar clus ''Trobar clus'' (), or closed form, was a complex and obscur ...

, respectively. *

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 ...

''Domna tan vos ai preiada''
where an (imaginary) Genoese lady answers the poet in her own dialect, is the only early document written in it. *Peire de Vic
''L’autrier fui en paradis''
a contrast with God *

Montan Montan (; it, Montagna ) is a municipality with 1,701 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2018) in the South of South Tyrol in northern Italy, about south of Bolzano. The name Montan comes from the Latin ''mons'' ("mountain"). Geography The munici ...

''Eu veing vas vos, Seingner, fauda levada''
considered the most obscene of Old Occitan lyrics. *Carenza and Iselda

about whether a lady should get married, between two trobairitz.

Legacy

Italian literature Italian literature is written in the Italian language, particularly within Italy. It may also refer to literature written by Italian people, Italians or in Languages of Italy, other languages spoken in Italy, often languages that are closely re ...

, the tenso was adapted as the ''tenzone''. In

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligib ...

, it became the ''tençon''. In the

Galician-Portuguese lyric In the Middle Ages, the Galician-Portuguese lyric, also known as ''trovadorismo'' in Portugal and ''trobadorismo'' in Galicia, was a lyric poetic school or movement. All told, there are around 1680 texts in the so-called secular lyric or ''lí ...

, it was called ''tençom''.

References

{{Medieval-music-stub Western medieval lyric forms Occitan literary genres