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Laura, the immortal Laura, amongft her various ac complishments, is celebrated by her adorer for the sweetnefs of her voice, which the difplayed in warbling fongs; fome of them, not improbably, written for her by hisfelf. His fonnets are not, indeed, perfect fongs, but that they were originally fung to certain melodies, is, by a learned writer, reprefented as an indubitable fact (53).

The party, defcribed by Boccace as amusing theirfelves in the neighbourhood of Florence, during the great plague in 1348, with relating pleasant ftories, chant, at the beginning and end of each day, a canzonet, accompanied by the lute or fome other inftrument; to both of which fome of them likewife dance. Of these fongs many are inferted in the Decameron, and others are faid to be still extant (54). While this little fociety were thus agreeably employed in the country, large parties within the city thought the beft method of fortifying theirfelves against the disease was by drinking and finging from morning to night.

The Italians ftill preferve a number of fongs upon love and pleasure, of great antiquity. Thefe were originally defigned to excite and accompany the dance in Carnival time, and at public feftivals, and thence denominated Canzone a ballo. The celebrated, the magnificent Lorenzo de' Medici, the great patron and encourager of poetry, and letters, the Pulcis, Politian, Giambullari, and other first rate poets of the fifteenth century, are numbered among the compofers, and even fingers of thefe fongs; fome of which, it is faid, are not over and above remarkable for delicacy or morals. Italy, however, though the refidence of the mufes, and nurfery of the fine arts, does not boaft of the number and excellence of thefe smaller lyrics. Devoted to the ottava rima, or eight-line verfe, which is ftill compofed by even the moft illiterate Improvifatori, with a rapidity and eafe altogether furprising, and is chanted by all ranks to an ancient melody or tune, it is lefs to be wondered that the Italians have neglected

(53) Burhey, II. 339.

(54) Idem, II. 339.

Song.

Song. Their operas, which are mere vehicles to convey the laboured efforts of the profeffed mufician, cannot be looked upon as any proof to the contrary.

§4. We shall now take a view of the progrefs of Song amongst our Gallic neighbours; and here, at least, we shall have no reafon to complain of afcarcity of materials.

The ancient language of France was Latin, eftablished by the long refidence of the Roman armies, and corrupted by Tudefque, the jargon of the Franks, and other Gothic barbarians, who fettled among or had commerce with the old inhabitants. This dialect was called Romanse rufrique, or ruftic Latin. The natives seem to have poffeffed a great affection for finging from the earliest times. Charlemagne was wont to collect and get by heart the ancient and barbarous fongs made to perpetuate the memory of the wars and acts of the kings his predeceffors (55). Of these the following may feem to have been one. In the fixth century, Clotaire II. having obtained a capital victory over the Saxons, his fubjects expreffed their joy by a rimed fong of two verses, in vulgar Latin, which is ftill preferved (56). French have likewife other fongs in Latin rime of a very great age (57). This language appears to have been much used for the purpose of fong-writing fo late as the thirteenth century, when, as the ingenious author cited in the margin obferves, it was obliged to acknowlege the natural right of the vulgar tongue to prefide over pieces of amusement and pleasure (58). Not but that the French poets had employed their native language upon fome occafions at a much more early period. The Chanfon de Roland, fo famous as well in the Gallic hiftory, as in

The

(55) Barbara et antiquiffima carmina, quibus veterum regum altus et bella canebantur fcripfit, memoriæque mandavit. Eginhar, c. 29.

(56) Nouveau Recueil des Hiftoires de la France, t. 3. 505. M. l'Eveque de la Ravailliere, Revolutions de la langue Fran. p. 81. L'ancienneté des Chanfons, p. 195.

(57) M. l'Eveque de la Ravailliere, L'ancienneté, &c. p. 195. (58) M. l'Eveque de la Ravailliere.

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our own (59), is fuppofed, and with the greatest probability, to have been in French rime. This celebrated compofition, whatever it was, continued to be known fo late as the fourteenth century, but is imagined to be, at prefent, entirely loft. The ingenious dr. Burney has, indeed, printed certain ftanzas under this title, as collected and adjusted from various fragments by the Marquis de Paulmy, which he has accompanied with an excellent tranflation, and mufical notes; but this is evidently a modern performance, and contains a great deal too much pleasantry for the would be referred to (60).

age it

St. Bernard, in his youth, is faid to have compofed buffoon and other fongs to popular airs for the amusement of the vulgar: but even these are supposed to have been in Latin.

Abelard, fo famous for his love, his abilities, and his misfortunes, was an accomplished poet and popular fongwriter; it was principally by his talent for fong that he obtained the affections of Heloife. "Two things," fays fhe, "gained you the hearts of all, a happy ease in writing the fineft verfes in the world, and an incomparable grace in finging them. Ah, what charms had thofe tender fongs which love dictated to you! what sweet"nefs in the words, and in the airs! They were fought "after by all the world; their beauties were felt by the dulleft; there was not a woman unenchanted with them; how many rivals have they procured me (61) !"

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(59) Taillefer, a hero who attended the Conqueror, having obtained leave to make the onfet at the battle of Haftings, advanced before the army finging aloud the Chanfon de Roland, and, gallantly breaking into the Saxon hoft, was overpowered and flain,

Taillefer qi mlt bien chantout

Sor un cheual qi toft alout
Deuant le duc alout chantant
De Karlemaigne & de Rollant
& doliuer & def uaffals

Qi morurent en renceuals.

ROMAN DE Rou.

(60) See Burney, II. 276. There are feveral metrical romances on the fubject of Charlemagne of confiderable antiquity ftill extant: and fome one of thefe may, poffibly, be the Chanson de Roland. (61) M. de Querlon.

Again:

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Again: "You left many fongs compofed in amourous metre, or rime, which, for their exceeding fweet"nefs, both of diction and air, kept my name in the "mouths of all. . . . You put your Heloife in the "mouths of all by your repeated fongs. Me all the "streets, me every house refounded (62)."

Whether these celebrated compofitions were in Latin or French, we are no where certified. We may, therefor, conjecture them to have been in both.

The affection for fongs in the vulgar tongue began first to fhew itsfelf in the provinces. It was fome time before they prevailed in the capital, which continued devoted to Latin much longer than any other part of the kingdom. The firft fongs were thofe of Normandy, the most celebrated were thole of Provence (63).

The most ancient French fongs were called Lais; from the plaintive, or elegiac nature, it is fuppofed, of the compofition. The word being conjecturally derived from the Latin Leffus, which fignifies complaints and lamentations. All the old Lais were not, however, of this caft, nor, indeed, is the etymology itsfelf to be haftily admitted, the term being frequently applied to fongs on the most light and joyous fubjects. The principal of these old Lais now extant are those which are introduced into fome of the ancient romances, where they are chanted by heroes or damfels (64).

About the beginning of the twelfth century, or perhaps earlier, one may date the origin of the Gay Science, and the establishment of the Singing School of Provence. Many reasons are affigned for the preeminence which the natives of this province enjoyed over their neighbours. The purity of the air, the beauty of the fky, the delightfulness of the country, the natural fire of the men, the tender fpriteliness of the women, and the neighbourhood of the courts scattered over the fouth of France, are enume

(62) Abelar. Opera. Epif. II. M. l'Eveque de la Ravailliere. Revolutions de la langue Fran. 206. (64) Idem. M. de Querlon. rated

(63) M. l'E, de la Ravailliere.

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rated among the caufes which contributed to render the fongfters of Provence the admiration of mankind.

Under the name of La Jonglerie is comprehended whatever belongs to the Provençal school. And of this body three forts of talents (exclufive of the Conteurs, or ftory-tellers, with whom we have at prefent nothing to do) form the conftituent parts. The Troubadours, the Chanteres, and the Jongleurs. The Troubadours, a name fynonimous with Trouveres, or inventors, imagined and compofed the verfes which the Chanteres fung; except when the Trouvere was likewise an Improvisateur, in which cafe he frequently condefcended to fing his own compofitions. The Jongleurs (65), who were as much fuperior to the other orders in number, as they were inferior to them in reputation, were the players on certain mufical inftruments, with which they usually accompa nied the Chantere: not but that the Jongleur hisfelf frequently united with his own profeffion the peculiar arts of the other two. The individuals of each of thefe claffes founded their reputation and fortune on their particular fkill and merit in the science they profeffed; and to the feasts and tournaments given by the fovereign princes or great lords, they flocked from all parts, every where re ceiving the greatest attention, and the richest rewards(66).

The Troubadours, in point of number, were a confi derable body. We have the lives of a great many, and the names of fome hundreds. Among them are enumerated two emperors, four kings, one duke, fix earls, and feveral other noble and celebrated characters, who enrolled theirfelves members of this illuftrious order. Our Richard I. is a Troubadour of the highest eminence. Many of his compofitions both in the Provençal, and in the Romance, or old French, are ftill preferved. He was bountiful to thefe poets to excefs, and had generally a number of them in his court (67).

In

(65) Not (quafi ONGLEURS) from ongles the nails, of which there is no proof that the Jongleurs made any particular ufe; but (properly Jangleurs) from the harmony or jangling of their inftruments in cope cert. Jangler, F.

(66) M. l'E. de la Ravailliere. M. de Querlon.

(67) A curious anecdote of this gallant monarch and one of his

minstrels

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