Most studies and anthologies of the genre are by literary historians, who show little interest in the music that accompanies the lyrics, but this is compiled, edited, annotated, and commented
on by musicologists and as well as philologists. They present 144 songs by the Provencal troubadours and their northern French counterpart trouvTres from the 12th and 13th centuries. Most are
accompanied by scores and all have English translations paralleling the original French or Occitan. They range from the high style of the cansos to women's ballad- like weaving songs and the
first motets. On the accompanying CD, baritone Peter Becker and Robert Eisenstein on medieval fiddle render 12 of the songs in the versions described; it is also available separately.
Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
