Although the word “troubadour” has become nearly synonymous with “singer”, scholarly opinion varies regarding the etymology of the word itself. Romanists hold that the noun derives from
trobar, the Occitan verb for “to compose, invent, devise” or from the Vulgar Latin
tropare“to say with tropes” or
tropatorem, “composer of tropes” (Topsfield). Arabists, on the other hand, cite the verb
caraba, “to sing” as the more probable source (Menocal). The question of etymologyas well as the importance of influences from Latin and Arabic, Celtic and liturgical songremain open to discussion.
The troubadours were composers of songs or poems who flourished from about 1100 to about 1300. Their literary activity covered a wide area, extending across France south of the Garonne
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Citation: M. Davis, Judith. "Troubadours". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 25 August 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1310, accessed 24 November 2024.]
