The descort (Old Occitan [desˈkɔɾt]) was a form and genre of Old Occitan lyric poetry used by troubadours. It was heavily discordant in verse form and/or feeling and often used to express disagreement. It was possibly invented by Garin d'Apchier when he wrote Quan foill'e flors reverdezis (only the first two lines survive); the invention is credited to him by a vida, and these are unreliable. Gautier de Dargies imported the descort into Old French and wrote and composed three.

Unlike the canso, the most common open poetic form of the troubadours and the template upon which most genres were built, the descort is made of stanzas with a variable number of lines, and of lines with a variable number of syllables. Whereas the different stanzas of a canso usually share at least some of the rhymes, the rhymes of a descort are usually used within a single stanza and then discarded. Raimbaut de Vaqueiras brings this to the extreme by actually using different languages in each stanza.[1] This made the descort a more challenging piece to write, as its irregular nature forced the troubadour to always write a new melody.[2]

List of descorts

30 descorts survive[3]

Troubadour Incipit Notes
Albertet de Sestaro Bel m'es oimais
Aimeric de Belenoi S'a midons plazia
Aimeric de Peguillan Qui la vi, en ditz Sometimes classed as a canso
Cerveri de Girona Pus amors vol que faça sa comanda
Cerveri de Girona Estrayreˑm volia / De mi dons amar
Cerveri de Girona De Pala a Torosela Called a recepta dexarob in the rubric
Elias de Barjols Una valenta
Elias de Barjols Si.l bela.m tengues per seu
Elias Cairel Quan la freidors / irais / l'aura doussana
Garin d'Apchier Quan foill'e flors reverdis Only the incipit is known, perhaps a canso
Guillem Augier Novella Quan vei lo dous temps venir
Guillem Augier Novella Ses alegratge
Guillem Augier Novella Erransa
Guillem de la Tor En vos ai meza
Guiraut de Calanso Bel semblan
Guiraut de Calanso Ab la verdura
Guiraut Riquier Pos aman
Giraut de Salaignac Per solatz e per deport / Me conort / E.m don alegransa
Peire Raimon de Toloza Ab so gai, plan e car
Pons de Capdoill Un gai descort tramet leis cui dezir
Raimbaut de Vaqueiras Eras quan vei verdejar A multilingual poem
Raimbaut de Vaqueiras Engles, un novel descort
Anonymous Bella domna cara Also called an acort
Anonymous Poi qe neve ni glazi Sometimes classed as a canso
Anonymous Pos la douza sasons gaja
Anonymous Lai un fis prez nais e floris e grana
Anonymous Joi e chanç e solaç / E amors certana
Anonymous En aquest son gai e leugier
Anonymous Sill qu'es caps e guitz Sometimes classed as a canso
Anonymous Tot aissi soi desconsellatz Sometimes classed as a sirventes
Anonymous Amors, / dousors, / mi assaja
Anonymous A chantar m'er un discort
Anonymous Com plus fin'amors mi destreng

References

  1. Linskill, J. (1964). The Poems of the Troubadour Raimbaut de Vaqueiras. The Hague: Mouton & Co.
  2. Aubrey, Elizabeth (1996). The Music of the Troubadours. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. p. 86. ISBN 0-253-33207-9.
  3. Frank, Istvan (1953). Répertoire métrique de la Poésie des Troubadours. Paris: Edouard Champion. pp. 183–195.
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