Minnesang

Minnesang(German:[ˈmɪnəzaŋ]^ⓘ;"love song" ) was a tradition of German lyric- and song-writing that flourished in theMiddle High German period(12th to 14th centuries). The name derives fromminne,theMiddle High Germanword for love, as that wasMinnesang's main subject. People who wrote and performedMinnesangwere known asMinnesänger(German:[ˈmɪnəˌzɛŋɐ]^ⓘ), and a single song was called aMinnelied(German:[ˈmɪnəˌliːt]^ⓘ). TheMinnesängerare comparable to theOccitan troubadoursand northernFrenchtrouvères,but they are "an original German contribution to courtly lyric."^[1]

Social status

In the absence of reliable biographical information, there has been debate about the social status of theMinnesänger.Some clearly belonged to the highernobility– the 14th-centuryCodex Manesseincludes songs by dukes, counts, kings, and the EmperorHenry VI.SomeMinnesänger,as indicated by the titleMeister(master), were clearly educated commoners, such as MeisterKonrad von Würzburg.It is thought that many wereministeriales,that is, members of a class of lower nobility,vassalsof the great lords. Broadly speaking, theMinnesängerwere writing and performing for their own social class at court, and should be thought of ascourtiersrather than professional hired musicians.Friedrich von Hausen,for example, was part of the entourage ofFriedrich Barbarossa,and died oncrusade.As a reward for his service,Walther von der Vogelweidewas given afiefby the EmperorFrederick II.

Several of the best-knownMinnesängerare also noted for their epic poetry, among themHeinrich von Veldeke,Wolfram von EschenbachandHartmann von Aue.^[1]

History

The earliest texts date from perhaps 1150, and the earliest namedMinnesängerareDer von KürenbergandDietmar von Aist,clearly writing in a native German tradition in the third quarter of the 12th century. This is referred to as the Danubian tradition.

From around 1170, German lyric poets came under the influence of the Provençaltroubadoursand the Frenchtrouvères.This is most obvious in the adoption of thestrophic formof thecanzone,at its most basic a seven-line strophe with the rhyme scheme AB AB CXC, and an AABmusical structure(denoting the repetition of large segments), but capable of many variations.

A number of songs from this period matchtrouvèreoriginals exactly in form, indicating that the German text could have been sung to an originally French tune. For example,Friedrich von Hausen's "Ich denke underwilen" is regarded as a contrafactum ofGuiot de Provins's "Ma joie premeraine".^[2]

By around 1190, the German poets began to break free of Franco-Provençal influence. This period is regarded as the period of ClassicalMinnesangwithAlbrecht von Johansdorf,Heinrich von Morungen,Reinmar von Hagenaudeveloping new themes and forms, reaching its culmination inWalther von der Vogelweide,regarded both in the Middle Ages and in the present day as the greatest of theMinnesänger.^[3]

The laterMinnesang,from around 1230, is marked by a partial turning away from the refined ethos of classicalMinnesangand by increasingly elaborate formal developments. The most notable of these laterMinnesänger,Neidhart von Reuentalintroduces characters from lower social classes and often aims for humorous effects.

Melodies

Melody and text of Neidhart von Reuental, "Der schwarze dorn" (MS c)

Only a small number ofMinneliedmelodies have survived to the present day, mainly in manuscripts dating from the 15th century or later, which may present the songs in a form other than the original one. Additionally, it is often rather difficult to interpret themusical notationused to write them down. Although the contour of themelodycan usually be made out, therhythmof the song is frequently hard to fathom.

Later developments

In the 15th century,Minnesangdeveloped into and gave way to the tradition of theMeistersänger.The two traditions are quite different, however;Minnesängerwere mainly aristocrats, while Meistersänger usually were commoners.

At least twooperashave been written about theMinnesangtradition:Richard Wagner'sTannhäuserandRichard Strauss'Guntram.

List ofMinnesänger

Otto von BotenlaubenFountain

Danubian lyric

Early courtly lyric

ClassicalMinnesang

LaterMinnesang

Reinmar von Brennenberg
Regenbogen
Friedrich von Sonnenburg
Gottfried von Neifen
Heinrich von Meissen (Frauenlob)(1250/1260–1318)
Hugo von Montfort
Konrad von Würzburg(1220/1230–1287)
Neidhart(1st half of the 13th century)
Otto von Botenlauben(1177 – before 1245)
Reinmar von Zweter(1200 – after 1247)
Hawart
Süßkind von Trimberg
Tannhäuser
Ulrich von Liechtenstein(ca. 1200–1275)
Walther von Klingen(1240–1286)
Johannes Hadlaub(d. 1340)
Muskatblüt
Der von Wissenlo
Oswald von Wolkenstein

Example of aMinnelied

The following love poem, of unknown authorship, is found in a Latincodexof the 12th century from theTegernsee Abbey.

Middle High German	Modern German	English
Dû bist mîn, ich bin dîn: des solt dû gewis sîn. dû bist beslozzen in mînem herzen. verlorn ist das slüzzelîn: dû muost immer drinne sîn!	Du bist mein, ich bin dein: des(sen) sollst du gewiss sein. Du bist verschlossen in meinem Herzen. Verloren ist das Schlüsselein: du musst immer darin sein!	You are mine, I am yours, Thereof you may be certain. You're locked away within my heart. Lost is the key And you must ever be therein!

Editions

The standard collections are

12th and early 13th century(up to Reinmar von Hagenau):

H. Moser, H. Tervooren,Des Minnesangs Frühling.
- Vol. I: Texts, 38th edn (Hirzel, 1988)ISBN 3-7776-0448-8
- Vol II: Editorial Principles, Melodies, Manuscripts, Notes, 36th edn (Hirzel, 1977)ISBN 3-7776-0331-7
- Vol III: Commentaries (Hirzel, 2000)ISBN 3-7776-0368-6
- Earlier edition:Vogt, Friedrich, ed. (1920).Des Minnesangs Frühling(3 ed.). Leipzig: Hirzel.

13th century(after Walther von der Vogelweide):

von Kraus, Carl; Kornrumpf, Gisela, eds. (1978).Deutsche Liederdichter des 13. Jahrhunderts(2 ed.). Tübingen: Niemeyer.ISBN 3-484-10284-5..(=KLD)
Bartsch, Karl, ed. (1886).Die schweizer Minnesänger.Frauenfeld: Huber.(=SM)

14th and 15th centuries

Thomas Cramer,Die kleineren Liederdichter des 14. und 15. Jhs.,4 Vols (Fink 1979-1985)

There are many published selections with Modern German translation, such as

Klein, Dorothea, ed. (2010).Minnesang. Mittelhochdeutsche Liebeslieder. Eine Auswahl.Stuttgart: Reclam.ISBN 978-3-15-018781-4.(German translation)
Schweikle, Gönther, ed. (1977).Die mittelhochdeutsche Minnelyrik: Die frühe Minnelyrik.Darmstadt: Wissenschafliche Buchgesellschaft.ISBN 3-534-04746-X.(With introduction, translation and commentary)
Wachinger, Burghart, ed. (2006).Deutsche Lyrik des späten Mittelalters.Frankfurt am Main: Deutsche Klassiker Verlag.ISBN 3-618-66220-3.Retrieved30 April2021.(German translation and commentary.)

Individual Minnesänger

The twoMinnesängerwith the largest repertoires, Walther and Neidhart, are not represented in the standard collections, but have editions devoted solely to their works, such as:

Lachmann, Karl; Cormeau, Christoph; Bein, Thomas, eds. (2013).Walther von der Vogelweide. Leich, Lieder, Sangsprüche(15th ed.). De Gruyter.ISBN 978-3-11-017657-5.
Wießner, Edmund; Fischer, Hanns; Sappler, Paul, eds. (1999).Die Lieder Neidharts.Altdeutsche Textbibliothek. Vol. 44. mit einem Melodienanhang von Helmut Lomnitzer (5 ed.). Tübingen.ISBN 3-484-20144-4.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

For these and some other major Minnesänger (e.g. Morungen, Reinmar, Oswald von Wolkenstein) there are editions with parallel Modern German translation.

Introductory works for an English-speaking readership

Sayce, Olive (1967).Poets of the Minnesang.Oxford: Oxford University Press.(Selection of songs with English introduction and commentary.)
Edwards, Cyril, ed. (2022).Minnesang - An Anthology of Medieval German Love-Lyrics.de Gruyter.ISBN 978-3-11-021418-5.(Selection of songs with English introduction and translation.)
Goldin, Frederick (1973).German and Italian lyrics of the Middle Ages: an anthology and a history.Garden City, NY: Anchor.ISBN 9780385046176.Retrieved11 April2021.

Sources

Bumke, Joachim (2005).Höfische Kultur: Literatur und Gesellschaft im hohen Mittelalter(11 ed.). München: dtv.ISBN 978-3423301701.Published in English as:Bumke, Joachim (1991).Courtly Culture Literature and Society in the High Middle Ages.Translated by Dunlap, Thomas. Berkeley: University of California.ISBN 0520066340.
Classen, Albrecht (2002). "Courtly Love Lyric". In Gentry, Francis (ed.).A Companion to Middle High German Literature to the 14th Century.Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill. pp. 117–150.ISBN 978-9004120945.
Gibbs, Marion; Johnson, Sidney, eds. (2002).Medieval German Literature: A Companion.New York, London: Routledge.ISBN 0-203-90660-8.
Hasty, Will, ed. (2006).German Literature of the High Middle Ages.The Camden House History of German Literature. Vol. 3. New York, Woodbridge: Camden House.ISBN 978-1571131737.
Jammers, Ewald (1963).Ausgewählte Melodien des Minnesangs.Tübingen: Niemeyer.
Jones, Howard; Jones, Martin (2019).The Oxford Guide to Middle High German.Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN 9780199654611.
Kellner, Beate; Reichlin, Susanne; Rudolph, Alexander, eds. (2021).Handbuch Minnesang(PDF).Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter.doi:10.1515/9783110351859.ISBN 978-3-11-035181-1.S2CID 243658982.
Palmer, Nigel F (1997). "The high and later Middle Ages (1100-1450)". In Watanabe-O'Kelly, H (ed.).The Cambridge History of German Literature.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 40–91.doi:10.1017/CHOL9780521434171.003.ISBN 978-0521785730.

Sayce, Olive (1982).The medieval German lyric, 1150-1300: the development of its themes and forms in their European context.Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN 0-19-815772-X.
Schweikle, Günther (1995).Minnesang.Sammlung Metzler. Vol. 244 (2nd ed.). Stuttgart, Weimar: Metzler.ISBN 978-3-476-12244-5.
Taylor, Ronald J. (1968).The Art of the Minnesinger. Songs of the thirteenth century transcribed and edited with textual and musical commentaries.Vol. 2. Cardiff: University of Wales Press.

External links

Media related toMinnesangat Wikimedia Commons
1857 edition of Karl Lachmann
Adolph Ernst KroegerThe Minnesinger of Germany1873
"Minnesinger".New International Encyclopedia.1905.
"Minnesinger".The New Student's Reference Work.1914.
"Minnesingers".Collier's New Encyclopedia.1921.

References

^^a ^bPelnar-Zaiko, Ivana (1982). "Minnesingers". In Strayer, Joseph Reese (ed.).Dictionary of the Middle Ages.New York: C. Scribner's Sons. p. 414.ISBN 978-0-684-19073-0.
^Cramer, Thomas (1998-01-01).Waz hilfet âne sinne kunst?: Lyrik im 13. Jahrhundert: Studien zu ihrer Ästhetik(in German). Erich Schmidt Verlag GmbH & Co KG. p. 45.ISBN 978-3-503-03791-9.
^Nicholas, David (1973).The Medieval West, 400-1450: A Preindustrial Civilization.Dorsey Press. p. 173.ISBN 978-0-256-01420-4.

[:0-1] Pelnar-Zaiko, Ivana (1982). "Minnesingers". In Strayer, Joseph Reese (ed.).Dictionary of the Middle Ages.New York: C. Scribner's Sons. p. 414.ISBN 978-0-684-19073-0.

[2] Cramer, Thomas (1998-01-01).Waz hilfet âne sinne kunst?: Lyrik im 13. Jahrhundert: Studien zu ihrer Ästhetik(in German). Erich Schmidt Verlag GmbH & Co KG. p. 45.ISBN 978-3-503-03791-9.

[3] Nicholas, David (1973).The Medieval West, 400-1450: A Preindustrial Civilization.Dorsey Press. p. 173.ISBN 978-0-256-01420-4.

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