Pons d'Ortaffa/Ortafas or Ponç d'Ortafà (c. 1170–1246) was a

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

nobleman and

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 ''trobairi ...

. He was the

feudal lord An overlord in the English feudal system was a lord of a manor who had subinfeudated a particular manor, estate or fee, to a tenant. The tenant thenceforth owed to the overlord one of a variety of services, usually military service or se ...

of Ortafà, between Perpignan and Elne, in Roussillon. Only two pieces of his

lyric poetry Modern lyric poetry is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person. It is not equivalent to song lyrics, though song lyrics are often in the lyric mode, and it is also ''not'' equi ...

survive, both ''

cansos 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 a ...

'' on courtly love, one with a surviving melody. Pons was born into a minor noble family with a history of producing ecclesiastics for the local church. He was the son and successor of Grimau, who was alive as late as 1184, and Brunissenda. He was born around 1170. His younger brother Pere was the archdeacon of Elne. He died in 1247 and was buried in Elne Cathedral. Pons married Saurina de Tatzó, also of Roussillon, and had three children: his successor Pons II, Grimau, and Alisenda. Pons II was alive as late as 1251. Pons' name appears on a peace treaty between the lords of Roussillon and their count,

Nuño Sánchez Nuño Sánchez ( ca, Nunó, ''Nunyó'', or'' Nunyo Sanç'', french: Nuno Sanche) ( 1185 – 1242) was a nobleman and statesman in the Crown of Aragon. Nuño was the son of Sancho, Count of Provence, Roussillon, and Cerdagne, and Sancha Núñe ...

, in 1217. The last documentary record of Pons is his testament, dated 23 July 1240. A second draft was produced in 1246. He probably died soon thereafter. Pons first poems is ''Enaissi cum la naus en mar'' ("Thus like the ship on the sea"), dedicated to a ''Senher En Berenguier'' ("Lord Sir Berengar", possibly Berenguier de Palazol, with whom Pons may have had contact early in his life). The lady of the song was from the Narbonnais, a region in which Pons' father possessed land according to a document of 13 November 1171 now in the '' Liber Feudorum Maior'': ''de meridie in campo Caput Stagni de Burliano . . . in termino de Ortafano''. It is possible that Pons was travelling in the Narbonnais when he wrote the song, perhaps on family business. In this same song Pons contemplates entering the Cistercian monastery of Jau. The surviving melody of this poem is extremely simple and "frugal" in style. Pons second poem is ''Si ai perdut mon saber''. It is full of original ideas and some chansonniers assign it to

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 Troub ...

Pons de Capduelh Pons de Capduelh (fl. 1160–1220Chambers 1978, 140. or 1190–1237Aubrey 1996, 19–20.) was a troubadour from the Auvergne, probably from Chapteuil. His songs were known for their great gaiety. He was a popular poet and 27 of his songs are prese ...

, but the mention of Jau fixes its author as Pons d'Ortaffa, whose lordship was adjacent to Jau. Pons' verses garnered him prestige in Catalonia. The first verse of ''Si ai perdut'' appeared in the ''Passio Amoris'' of Jordi de Sant Jordi and in ''Tant mon voler'' by Pere Torroella.

Sources

*Aubrey, Elizabeth. ''The Music of the Troubadours''. Indiana University Press, 1996. . * Riquer, Martín de. ''Los trovadores: historia literaria y textos''. 3 vol. Barcelona: Planeta, 1975. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pons Dortaffa 1170s births 1246 deaths 12th-century Spanish troubadours Poets from Catalonia 13th-century Spanish troubadours Classical composers from Catalonia