The most common image of a troubadour in the Middle Ages is probably exclusively masculine, depicting male troubadours writing and performing courtly love songs that address, praise, and celebrate their suffering and devotion to noblewomen. A deeper dive into musicology, literature, and art history, though, reveals active and passionate noblewomen. These women had the liberty to take on roles equal to those of men, such as owning land, exercising authority within the family, participating in politics, and both creating and sponsoring art and music

This blog briefly describes the figures of medieval women troubadours and their poetry, with a special focus on Comtessa de Dia and her song “A chantar,” which we recorded recently!

Women Troubadours

Women poets, musicians, composers and performers, known as trobairitz in Occitan, were recognized in their time for their songs and poems that emerged between 1150 and 1250 and spread across the region of Southern France, now known as Provence. Their biographies, contained in the razos or vidas—composed largely of hearsay—started circulating in the thirteenth century among jongleurs, alongside their poetry and music. However, these works were not published in the original Occitan until the nineteenth century, by which time interest had shifted to the male troubadours. The rediscovery of the trobairitz begun with Robert Briffault’s “Les Troubadours” in 1945, initiating a revival of interest in the lyrical poetry of that era, and reflecting the freedoms and creativity of the time. Meg Bogin emerged as a pioneer in this rediscovery, publishing the first study of women troubadours in 1976.

The number of studies increased in the following decades, shedding light to twenty identified women poets alongside anonymous domnas, whose names and voices emerged from poems, rubrics, vidas (biographies), and razos (commentaries) found in manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries. Each biography locates the lady in a place, gives her a lover (often named) and sometimes a husband. These women poets represent an exceptional and exceptionally large group of literary women within medieval tradition.

Poetry

Courtly love poetry creates a network with links between men and women, loved and loving, troubadours and trobairitz, patrons and patronesses, husbands and wives, rivals, friends, and relatives.

Ultimately, the trobairitz emerge as individual, independent women who want to be acknowledged as such, involved in real human experiences of love. Trobairitz’s poetry is characterised by innovative forms, meters, rhymes and patterns. However, the content of a canso (love song) is distinctly outlined through the typical scenarios of fin ‘amor (courtly love), where the poet/lover pleads for the affection of his often silent and unresponsive beloved.

“The poems of the trobairitz are often more intimate and direct, less elaborately conventional than those of the men”

W. S. Merwin, Songs of the Women Troubadours

Women poets do not respond directly to the male poets’ requests for love. Instead, they initiate their own parallel requests, concerning infidelity, faithfulness, and offense. They delve into the complexities of relationships, exploring the intricacies of trust and betrayal.

Comtessa de Dia

The Comtessa de Dia (the Countess of Die) is most probably Beatrice, wife of William II of Poitiers, and contemporary of troubadour Raimbaut d’Aurenga, for who she loves and sings. Her vida survives in four manuscripts. She appears to be a passionate lady who speaks of her intelligence and physical charm, her longings and desires.

In her poems, she expresses her loyalty and the pain she feels in the intensity of desiring her absent lover. Her great desire is to hold her lover in her husband’s place as long as he promises to do everything she desires. Comtessa de Dia defends women’s right to express their own true feelings and expect respect from the listeners.

The compositions of the Comtessa de Dia are different; they take an independent position on love service. In these poems, the female speaker defines herself more through love than through society or through a man. When she declares love to be the highest virtue, she carves out a free space for subjectivity in which she can develop a sense of self-respect that does not necessarily need confirmation by society or by the beloved. The poems by the Comtessa de Dia suggest a critical counter-argument to the troubadour’s love service, a counter-argument based more on their demand for an active female role in love, a role equal to that of the man’s, than in their assertion that the woman is superior to the man at the moment of failure.

Ingrid Kasten, Medieval Woman’s Song

A chantar

A chantar is unique in the history of Western music, as it’s the only trobairitz song that survived accompanied by its music. Found in fifteen different manuscripts, it has been attributed to the Comtessa de Dia in most of them.

In this canso, the Comtessa expresses her deep pain and frustration over loving someone who does not reciprocate her feelings and betrays her with another woman. She draws attention to her own qualities and beauty, hoping to win his love back.

The poetess repeats the same rhyme scheme in each stanza strophe with a technique called coblas singulars, following the structure of ABABCDB. She laments the betrayal and arrogance of her lover. It is a love song but also a reminder to a man of his duty to remain faithful and devoted to his lord, who may be female. It offers a lesson about the fidelity of lovers, which aligns with the ideals of courtly behavior—respect and loyalty toward one’s lord, lady, and fellow knights.

Last July, we had the amazing opportunity to record this song with NPO Klassiek in a late-night session that felt truly magical. We gathered in a greenhouse, near a crackling fire, creating an unforgettable atmosphere. Many thanks to NPO Klassiek and AVROTROS for their support. We are grateful to Jana Houben for the invitation, whose vision brought us together, Hanna Grout for the video recording, and Rob Heerschop for the sound.

Here is the translation of the stanzas Kristia sang on the recording:

I must sing of what I’d rather not,
I’m so angry about him whose friend I am,
for I love him more than anything;
mercy and courtliness don’t help me with him,
nor does my beauty, or my rank, or my mind;
for I am every bit as betrayed and wronged
as I’d deserve to be if I were ugly

It amazes me how prideful your heart is
toward me, friend, for which I’m right to grieve;
it isn’t fair that another love take you away
because of any word or welcome she might give you.
And remember how it was at the beginning
of our love; may the Lord God not allow
our parting to be any fault of mine.

I especially want you, messenger, to tell him
that too much pride brings harm to many people.

Ingrid Kasten, Aristocratic Women in Medieval France

Conclusion

Women troubadours occupied a special place in the history of Western music and the Middle Ages. Comtessa de Dia is one of the many examples of female medieval figures that introduced a different perspective of the medieval norms and communal artistic life. We understand that at least women of nobility had the power and right for creative development and self-expression.

Bibliography

Zholobova, K. A., Filippova, V. V., Zholobova, N. A., & Azarenkova, L. A. (2020). Women musicians from the Middle Ages to the present: The transformation of the image. Amazonia Investiga, 9(28), 408–416. https://amazoniainvestiga.info/index.php/amazonia/article/view/2080/2840

Bruckner, M. T., Shepard, L., & White, S. (Eds.). (2004). Songs of the women troubadours. Garland Publishing.

Klinck, A. L., & Rasmussen, A. M. (Eds.). (2002). Medieval woman’s song: Cross-cultural approaches. University of Pennsylvania Press.

Evergates, T. (Ed.). (1999). Aristocratic women in medieval France. University of Pennsylvania Press.