Sirventes

The Sirventes (from prov sirven " servant, soldier ", as " servant poem ."; Nordfrz also Serventois and Italian Serventese ) is one of the most important genres of the Old French Trobadordichtung the Middle Ages. It was originally neither content nor defined by a verse form - the form of the canzone often happened, but was not absolutely necessary - and is so named from the fact that it was written as a commission seal. In addition to simple stanzas of three or four lines with linked rhymes the Sirventes later adopted the artful Canso form. It can be seen as a precursor to Dante's terza rima. The term Sirventes was used from the mid-12th century, only for the facetious, satirical or moral- political scold and Rügelieder the minstrel poetry.

The Sirventes were first, especially, strictly separated from the courtly poetry of the troubadours from the Provencal minstrelsy. The first examples date back to the songs of the juggler ( prov Joglars ). This tradition was later maintained by Guiraut de Bornelh, Dalfin d' Alvernhe and Raimon de Miraval as Sirventes joglaresc. From the mid-12th century to the Sirventes were increasingly integrated into the courtly lyric. Since Bertran de Born, they are a recognized art form. The variety of topics to be developed

• Moral- time-critical Sirventes who lamented the decline of chivalry, for example; many songs are attributable to Planhs.
• Political Sirventes who complained rival princes or clerics and criticized the political situation; among the war and crusade critical poets is especially Bertran mentioned.
• Literary critical Sirventes, which dealt with contemporary poetry and poetics of courtly love; they often overlap with the Ensenhamen.
• Subjective Sirventes, which also exceed the boundaries of the genre and themed personal struggles the singer with the work of other troubadours; next Guilhem de Berguedan was also here Bertran one of the leading poets.

Due to the critical function of the Trobardordichtung was given a new direction, as she could in contrast to the Canso blame all the contradictions of real life to the ideals of art and society. This tradition has also been included in the Middle High German literature, eg, in Walther von der Vogelweide political epigrammatic poetry or in Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival defense at the end of the second book.

Under the influence of European Marie seal the Sirventes attacked in the 14th century on religious topics.