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

troubadour A troubadour (, ; ) 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 equivalent is usually called a ''trobairitz''. The tr ...

. 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 s ...

of Ortafà, between

Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ; ) is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales departments of France, department in Southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the Me ...

and

Elne Elne (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. It lies in the former province of Roussillon, of which it was the first capital, being later replaced by Perpignan. Its inhabitants are still called ''Illibéri ...

, in

Roussillon Roussillon ( , , ; , ; ) was a historical province of France that largely corresponded to the County of Roussillon and French Cerdagne, part of the County of Cerdagne of the former Principality of Catalonia. It is part of the region of ' ...

. 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. The term for both modern lyric poetry and modern song lyrics derives from a form of Ancient Greek literature, t ...

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 Courtly love ( ; ) 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 various deeds or services for ladies b ...

, 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 An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...

of Elne. He died in 1247 and was buried in

Elne Cathedral Elne Cathedral (, ) is a Roman Catholic church architecture, church and former cathedral located in the town of Elne in the County of Roussillon, France. It was the seat of the former Bishopric of Elne, which was transferred to the Bishopric of P ...

. 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 (, ''Nunyó'', or'' Nunyo Sanç'', ) ( 1185 – 1242) was a nobleman and statesman in the Crown of Aragon. Nuño was the son of Sancho, Count of Provence, Sancho, Count of Provence, County of Roussillon, Roussillon, and County of ...

, 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 The ''Liber feudorum maior'' (or ''LFM'', medieval Latin for "great book of fiefs"), originally called the ''Liber domini regis'' ("book of the lord king"), is a late twelfth-century Illuminated manuscript, illuminated cartulary of the Crown of A ...

'': ''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 The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

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

chansonnier A chansonnier (, , Galician and , or ''canzoniéro'', ) is a manuscript or printed book which contains a collection of chansons, or polyphonic and monophonic settings of songs, hence literally " song-books"; however, some manuscripts are call ...

s 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 Catalan troubadours 13th-century Catalan troubadours Classical composers from Catalonia Musicians from Pyrénées-Orientales