Chanson de toile
Encyclopedia
The Chanson de toile was a genre
of narrative
Old French
lyric poetry
devised by the trouvère
s which flourished in the late twelfth and early thirteenth century. Some fifteen of them remain; five were written by Audefroi le Bastart, the others are anonymous. Typically, they are set to music (though only four chansons remain with musical annotation) and tell the story of a young, often married woman pining for a lover, with a happy ending. The genre's name derives from toile
; that is, they are supposed to have been sung by women who were weaving, and the female main characters also sew as they relate their stories.
The Harvard Dictionary of Music
says around 20 remain, but it includes several which were incorporated in larger works such as Jean Renart
's Guillaume de Dole
(which incorporates no fewer than six chansons de toile); it also suggests that since the woman's voice in the chanson de toile is so prominent some of them may have been composed by women. Musically some of them are quite ornate, considering the relatively simple narrative.
In most cases, the song begins with a brief and sympathetic history of a woman: she is either absent from her lover or married unhappily to an older nobleman and in love with a knight. All but one end happily--the one exception is Bele Doette, who learns that her lover has died and then founds a monastery
into which she retreats. The women sometimes appear careless, but their charm and demeanor are attractive. The chansons de toile are considered some of the most beautiful poems produced in Old French, and their importance was such that some of them were included in romances
, in which they were sung by the heroines.
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
of narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
Old French
Old French
Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
lyric poetry
Lyric poetry
Lyric poetry is a genre of poetry that expresses personal and emotional feelings. In the ancient world, lyric poems were those which were sung to the lyre. Lyric poems do not have to rhyme, and today do not need to be set to music or a beat...
devised by the trouvère
Trouvère
Trouvère , sometimes spelled trouveur , is the Northern French form of the word trobador . It refers to poet-composers who were roughly contemporary with and influenced by the troubadours but who composed their works in the northern dialects of France...
s which flourished in the late twelfth and early thirteenth century. Some fifteen of them remain; five were written by Audefroi le Bastart, the others are anonymous. Typically, they are set to music (though only four chansons remain with musical annotation) and tell the story of a young, often married woman pining for a lover, with a happy ending. The genre's name derives from toile
Toile
Toile is the name of a fabric that entered the English language around the 16th century from a French word meaning "linen cloth" or "canvas" — particularly cloth or canvas for painting on...
; that is, they are supposed to have been sung by women who were weaving, and the female main characters also sew as they relate their stories.
The Harvard Dictionary of Music
Harvard Dictionary of Music
The Harvard Dictionary of Music is a standard music reference book published by the Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.The first edition was published in 1944, and was edited by Willi Apel. The second edition, also edited by Apel, was published in 1969. A new editor, Don Michael Randel,...
says around 20 remain, but it includes several which were incorporated in larger works such as Jean Renart
Jean Renart
Jean Renart, also known as Jean Renaut, was a Norman trouvère or troubadour from the end of the 12th century and the first half of the 13th century to whom three works are ascribed. Nothing else is known of him or his life...
's Guillaume de Dole
Guillaume de Dole
Guillaume de Dole is an Old French narrative romance by Jean Renart. Composed in the early thirteenth century, the poem is 5656 lines long and is especially notable for the large number of chansons it contains, and for its active female protagonist...
(which incorporates no fewer than six chansons de toile); it also suggests that since the woman's voice in the chanson de toile is so prominent some of them may have been composed by women. Musically some of them are quite ornate, considering the relatively simple narrative.
In most cases, the song begins with a brief and sympathetic history of a woman: she is either absent from her lover or married unhappily to an older nobleman and in love with a knight. All but one end happily--the one exception is Bele Doette, who learns that her lover has died and then founds a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
into which she retreats. The women sometimes appear careless, but their charm and demeanor are attractive. The chansons de toile are considered some of the most beautiful poems produced in Old French, and their importance was such that some of them were included in romances
Romance (genre)
As a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a knight errant portrayed as...
, in which they were sung by the heroines.