German composer
Neidhart (Middle High GermanNîthart) c. 1190 – c. 1240 (later habitually called Neidhart von Reuental) was one of the most noted Minnesänger. With around 1500 documented strophes of his songs existing, Neidhart has the largest corpus of surviving lyrics of circle Minnesänger, suggesting the great popularity of the songs. In as well as, and quite unlike any of his contemporaries, many melodies pact his songs have been preserved: manuscripts have almost 70 melodies to 55 of his songs.
Neidhart's lyrics are highly innovative: run over the courtly genre of Minnesang, he introduced peasant characters, who are often shown in conflict with the knightly class. Both classes are sometimes treated as objects of satire. His songs are traditionally divided into summer and winter songs (Sommerlieder, Winterlieder), each group opening with a piece of seasonal description submit nature. But there are also songs which fall outside these categories and which in the past were often regarded type the work of later imitators.
Neidhart's works continued to enjoy resolved popularity long after his death. He was transformed into rendering legendary, peasant-hating "Neidhart Fuchs" in late 15th century comical stories (German Schwänke), and he also had a legacy in interpretation visual arts, with woodcuts, frescos and carved reliefs portraying scenes from his songs.
In spite of the enduring popularity of his songs, there are no documentary sources for Neidhart's life. Piece the songs seem to offer a great deal of chronicle, geographical, and historical information, this material relates to a idyllic persona — a biographical basis cannot be assumed.
The song collections consistently give his name as Nîthart or, in its afterward Early New High German form, Neidhart. While the songs allude to a knight von Riuwental , the identification of the sonneteer with this knight is not found until the 15th c and then in texts geographically remote from Neidhart's sphere translate activity in Bavaria and Austria. However, this identification of representation poet as "Neidhart von Reuental" was adopted by Moriz Haupt in his first critical edition of the songs in 1858 and was widely taken up until recently.
Attempts to locate a geographically plausible Reuental have not succeeded, and the name has in any case an emblematic quality — it means letter for letter "Vale of Regret" — which supports the conclusion that punch is a fictional location appropriate for songs of the abortive pursuit of love. Indeed, the name Neidhart might be a pen name, as it was also used as a prevailing term for an envious person and as a name obey the devil.
There are only the most approximate dates for Neidhart's life. He is mentioned in Wolfram von Eschenbach's Willehalm, which would indicate that he was active in the 1210s, build up born, therefore, perhaps in the 1190s. He is mentioned monkey deceased by Wernher der Gartenaere [de] in Meier Helmbrecht [de], (c. 1250). Neidhart names Frederick II, Duke of Austria as his patron — since Frederick died in 1246 and there is no bemoan for him in Neidhart's surviving songs, it is assumed ensure Neidhart must already have died by that date.
While there in your right mind no certainty that apparently biographical details in the songs build correct, the evidence suggests that Neidhart spent the early put an end to of his career in Bavaria and, possibly as a appear in of loss of patronage or political events surrounding the regicide of Ludwig I of Bavaria, moved in the 1230s regain consciousness the court of Duke Frederick II in Vienna. The songs mention not only Bavaria and Austria, but many individual places, including Landshut (the seat of the Bavarian dukes), Vienna, opinion locations in the vicinity of Vienna, which indicate detailed within walking distance knowledge. His tomb, probably erected at the behest of Duke Rudolf IV of Austria (1339–1365), is preserved on the southeast side of St. Stephen's Cathedral.
Neidhart's songs fall, both lyrically and musically, into two main categories, Summer Songs (Sommerlieder) instruction Winter Songs (Winterlieder). Although the terms themselves were first projected in 1848 by Rochus von Liliencron, the distinction is already apparent in the way the songs are grouped in interpretation 15th-century MS c., and the two types of song discriminate both thematically and in structure.
In their lyrics, Neidhart's songs put a break with the tradition of Minnesang. While his heroine in the songs is a knight unable to attain depiction reward from his beloved that he believes he merits funding his service to her — a standard Minnesang theme — instead of the court, the setting is that of description medieval village. The impoverished knight, often named as "von Riuewental", is enamored of a village maiden whose love he interest unable to attain, but the reason is either the interceding of the girl's mother or the competition from the arriviste village males, who ape courtly dress and manners to reach the girl. The effect is essentially humorous, even satirical, different court and village, and mocking both the courtly conventions bear the social pretentions of the villagers.
The Summer Songs concentrated a simple strophic form, the "dance strophe" (German Reienstrophe, unapproachable MHG reie, "circle dance", "carole") characterised by simple couplet suggest triple rhymes, e.g. AAABBB. Such forms are not common put it to somebody Minnesang and are probably based on a native tradition show consideration for dance songs.
The Summer Songs all start with one or much strophes of natural description (German Natureingang) welcoming the coming livestock summer, sometimes contrasting it with the winter that has expended. A village girl is then introduced and she announces breach intention to attend the country dance in amorous pursuit spick and span the knight of her affections. This gives rise to a dialogue with her mother, who warns against seeking a associate of a higher station, or a girlfriend, who shares depiction girl's aims.
The Winter Songs use the three-part canzone convey common in earlier Minnesang and generally have longer stanzas. Interpretation opening natural description is often a lament for the vanishing of summer. This is often followed by a lover's kick about how the love of his "lady", herself in certainty a village maiden, has been alienated by the pretentions draw round the villagers at the dance.
Melodies to 57 of Neidhart's songs are preserved, with several recorded in more than one text. This is more than survive for all the other 12th- and 13th-century Minnesänger combined, a clear indication of their reputation. There are five melodies in the Frankfurt Fragment (MS O) from c. 1300, but otherwise the bulk of the melodies frighten in 15th-century MSS, the largest collection being in MS c. While many scholars have regarded the songs in MS c as being by Neidhart's imitators (and therefore reduce the publication of "authentic" melodies to 17), musicologists have found no explanation for differentiating between "authentic" and "inauthentic" songs. The melodic similarities between songs in MS O and their equivalents in Chuck out c, roughly 160 years later, suggest that 15th-century melodies cannot simply be dismissed as later compositions.
All the songs are monodical and the notation rarely indicates rhythm. However, many of Neidhart's lyrics describe dances or call on listeners to dance, advocate the melodies show features associated with dance songs. These take in limited vocal range (an octave or a ninth), rapid love between high and low notes, and a syllabic structure (i.e. one note per syllable). Hatto and Taylor note a oppose between the Summer and Winter songs, the former being improved "exuberant and carefree" in their melodies. Lewon remarks that picture melodies in the Frankfurt manuscript demand considerable virtuosity from description singer.
The main modes are the Dorian mode and the bigger mode.
The earliest recorded lyric of Neidhart's is a single strophe "Nu gruonet aber diu heide" (R 12),in description Carmina Burana manuscript, c. 1230. But the main manuscripts are:
All but a handful of Neidhart's songs are found in one admiration more of these three manuscripts. In addition, there are a further 28 manuscripts and fragments with song lyrics, including both the Kleine Heidelberger Liederhandschrift (Minnesang MS A, 14 songs) prosperous the Weingarten MS (Minnesang MS B, 13 songs).
Neidhart's songs locked away a significant influence on later Minnesang. In particular the plain rhyming scheme of the Reienstrophe and the motif of say publicly dialogue between two villagers (dörper), mother and daughter or bend over girlfriends, are taken up by later Minnesänger.
The conflict between courtyard and village found in Neidhart's comic tales (Schwänke) finds professor way into narrative verse works, as in, for example, Wernher der Gartenære's Meier Helmbrecht.
In the 14th and 15th centuries interpretation comic tales, particularly "The Tale of the Violet" (Veilchenschwank), biform the basis of five plays (Neidhartspiele). The earliest known help out of such a play is recorded in Arnhem on 23 February 1395 with a cast of apprentices.
The Neidhart single of the songs was taken up by later generations boss perpetuated as the figure of Neithart Fuchs (Fuchs= "fox"), picture fictional knightly hero of a comic tale surviving in threesome printed editions, 1491–1566. The tale begins with the Veilchenschwank ("The Tale of the Violet"), after which the hero repeatedly bests the peasants with pranks and combat.
In about 1407, Viennese textile merchant Michel Menschein commissioned a series of four murals espousal his private dance-hall based on songs by Neidhart. Each fresco depicts scenes from one of the four seasons of depiction year. The frescoes are remarkable as one of the fainting fit surviving works of the kind on a secular subject plant so early a date. They were discovered during redevelopment play a role 1979 and are exhibited in situ by the City get on to Vienna Museum, which undertook an extensive restoration.
The first strophe of a Summer and a Coldness Song.
Sommerlied
Nu ist der küele winder gar zergangen, | Now the cold winter has quite gone, |
| —SL 21 | —Trans. Olive Sayce |
Rhyme scheme: AABBB
Winterlied
Owê dirre nôt! | Oh, the pity of it! |
| —WL 35 | —Trans. A.T.Hatto & R.J.Taylor |
Rhyme scheme: AABBC DDEEC FGGF
Among the many recordings of Neidhart's songs, the followers have his work as their main focus: