Sign-In
Cart
The Natural World of Troubadour Song: Materiality, Craft, Philosophy
Hardcover
Series: Exeter Studies in Medieval Europe
Medieval & Renaissance HistoryLiterary CriticismMusic Reference
ISBN13: 9781807810382
Publisher: Liverpool University Press
Published: Nov 13 2026
Pages: 240
Language: English
Nature and the natural world were of central importance to the troubadours. Their songs feature flora, fauna, metals and minerals, and the seasons, and closely link the actions of loving and singing to springtime. The Natural World of Troubadour Song offers a unique approach to the study of nature in troubadour song by reading the corpus in the context of conceptions of the natural world circulating in the twelfth century, and using this analytic frame to employ new methods for the analysis of medieval monophonic song.
The book analyses the use of craft methods and terminologies, descriptions of animal voices and songs, and discussions of the physics of sound, placing songs by Jaufre Rudel, Marcabru, Raimon de Miraval, Peire Vidal, Arnaut Daniel, Peirol, and others in dialogue with artisan craft treatises, works of natural philosophy, and the parapoetic texts of the troubadour corpus to better understand how the troubadours conceived of their project of music-making. The use of specific language and concepts from these areas of the natural world sheds light on how the troubadours defined the idea of song, as well as demonstrating distinct effects on musical composition and sonic output.
Also in
Music Reference
Designed for Hi-Fi Living: The Vinyl LP in Midcentury America
Borgerson, Janet
Schroeder, Jonathan
Paperback
Time's Echo: The Second World War, the Holocaust, and the Music of Remembrance
Eichler, Jeremy
Hardcover
Must-See Sci-Fi: 50 Movies That Are Out of This World
de Forest, Sloan
Turner Classic Movies
Paperback
Nothing But Love in God's Water: Volume 1: Black Sacred Music from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement
Darden, Robert
Hardcover
Smash!: Green Day, the Offspring, Bad Religion, Nofx, and the '90s Punk Explosion
Winwood, Ian
Hardcover
Days of Miracle and Wonder: Paul Simon and the Trials and Triumphs of Graceland
Kahn, Ashley
Hardcover
With a Little Help from Their Friends: The Beatles and the People Who Made Them
Maconie, Stuart
Hardcover
Emo Revival: Community, Diy, and Rebirth in Post-Hardcore and Emo (2008-2018)
Sacher, Andrew
Paperback
Punk in 50 Pieces: Punk Rock, Post-Punk, New Wave, and the Five Years That Changed Pop Music Forever
Dettmar, Kevin
Hardcover
Here Beside the Rising Tide: Jerry Garcia, the Grateful Dead, and an American Awakening
Newton, Jim
Hardcover
Bust a Move: Matt Dike, Delicious Vinyl, and the Hip-Hop Hits That First Conquered Pop
Relic, Peter
Hardcover
Such Great Heights: The Complete Cultural History of the Indie Rock Explosion
Deville, Chris
Hardcover
Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles
Emerick, Geoff
Massey, Howard
Paperback
Raised on Radio: Power Ballads, Cocaine & Payola - The Aor Glory Years 1976-1986
Rees, Paul
Hardcover
The Cello Who Loved Me: An accidental pilgrimage to master the world's most beautiful instrument
Sorensen, George
Paperback
Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001-2011
Goodman, Lizzy
Paperback
Where Are Your Boys Tonight?: The Oral History of Emo's Mainstream Explosion 1999-2008
Payne, Chris
Paperback
Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991
Azerrad, Michael
Paperback
Stradivari's Genius: Five Violins, One Cello, and Three Centuries of Enduring Perfection
Faber, Toby
Paperback
This Is What It Sounds Like: A Legendary Producer Turned Neuroscientist on Finding Yourself Through Music
Rogers, Susan
Ogas, Ogi
Paperback
Raps of Resistance: How Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole Reignited a Hip-Hop Tradition
McCool, Jeremy C.
Hopkins, Earl
Hardcover
Burning Down the House: Talking Heads and the New York Scene That Transformed Rock
Gould, Jonathan
Hardcover
Quadrivium: The Four Classical Liberal Arts of Number, Geometry, Music, & Cosmology
Ashton, Anthony
Sutton, Daud
Lundy, Miranda
Hardcover
Dolly Parton: The Stories Behind the Songs: The Very Best Tracks, Explored and Explained
Zaleski, Annie
Hardcover
Made on Earth for Rising Stars: The Electro-Harmonix Story
Scott, Josh
Danger, Daniel
Epstein, Dan
Paperback
Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey
Brewster, Bill
Broughton, Frank
Paperback
Altamont: The Rolling Stones, the Hells Angels, and the Inside Story of Rock's Darkest Day
Selvin, Joel
Paperback
Beethoven's Hair: An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved
Martin, Russell
Paperback
Positively Fourth and Mercer: The Inside Story of New York's Iconic Music Club, the Bottom Line
Altman, Billy
Pepper, Allan
Hardcover
Let's Spend the Night Together: Backstage Secrets of Rock Muses and Supergroupies
Des Barres, Pamela
Paperback
Mystery Train, 50th Anniversary Edition: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll Music
Marcus, Greil
Paperback
Good Rockin' Tonight: Sun Records and the Birth of Rock 'n' Roll
Escott, Colin
Hawkins, Martin
Paperback
Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us about the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves
Riva, Chris Dalla
Hardcover
Deliver Me from Nowhere (Movie Tie-In): The Making of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska
Zanes, Warren
Paperback
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years 1962-1970
Lewisohn, Mark
Paperback
Ocean of Sound: Ambient Sound and Radical Listening in the Age of Communication
Toop, David
Paperback
Love Goes to Buildings on Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever
Hermes, Will
Paperback
The Jazz Barn: Music Inn, the Berkshires, and the Place of Jazz in American Life
Gennari, John
Hardcover
Pink Floyd All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track
Guesdon, Jean-Michel
Margotin, Philippe
Hardcover
Verdi With a Vengeance: An Energetic Guide to the Life and Complete Works of the King of Opera
Berger, William
Paperback
A Whole Lotta History: One Direction and the Sound That Shaped a Generation
Lipshutz, Jason
Hardcover
Are We Still Rolling? Studios, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll - One Man's Journey Recording Classic Albums
Brown, Phill
Paperback
Dylan Goes Electric!: Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night That Split the Sixties
Wald, Elijah
Paperback
Resident Punk: How I Smoked, Drank, and Stumbled My Way Through the '70s Punk Scene (and Beyond)
McNeil, Legs
Hardcover
Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four's Instruments from Stage to Studio, the Ultimate Edition
Babiuk, Andy
Hardcover
The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band
Neil, Vince
Sixx, Nikki
Lee, Tommy
Paperback
How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History from NPR Music
National Public Radio Inc
Fensterstock, Alison
Hardcover
A Century of Music Under the Stars: A History of the Mann Center for the Performing Arts and Robin Hood Dell
McCarthy, Jack
The Mann Center for the Performing Arts
Hardcover
Willie, Waylon, and the Boys: How Nashville Outsiders Changed Country Music Forever
Fairbanks, Brian
Hardcover
Making Rumours: The Inside Story of the Classic Fleetwood Mac Album
Caillat, Ken
Stiefel, Steve
Paperback