Bernard de Ventadour

David Murray (Universite Paris X Nanterre)
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The twelfth-century troubadour (fl.…1147-70…) Bernart de Ventadorn composed one of the most distinguished

oeuvres

of Occitan lyric poetry, a shining example of

trobar leu,

the so-called “open style”. One of the leading early exponents of the courtly love lyric, Bernart was a major figure in his generation and continued to influence subsequent generations of troubadours.

The historical sources for the life of Bernart are few. Bernart’s vida, or poetic biography, our main source of information, however unreliable, is transmitted in two distinct forms. The version in seven troubadour manuscripts (ABEIKRSg—for sigla see Gaunt and Kay 1999, 303-305) calls him a poor man, brought up at the court of Eble de Ventadorn, who was delighted by his song. His song also pleased Eble’s wife,

1740 words

Citation: Murray, David. "Bernard de Ventadour". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 November 2017 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5487, accessed 09 October 2024.]

5487 Bernard de Ventadour 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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