Studies in German Literature, Linguistics, and Culture
1 total work
A pioneering work in a fascinating and little-known sector of German medieval culture. Professor McMahon, a musician and a Germanist, presents in a lucid way what is actually known about the music of early Minnesang -medieval lyric poetry setto music - concentrating on the compositions found in Des Minnesangs Frühlingand those of the great medieval poet, Walther von Vogelweide. Of particular relevance to scholars is the fact that much of the information on the music of Minnesang found in standard handbooks is either out of date or based on insufficient evidence. This book is an attempt to collect together in one place all that has been learned(both from English and Germanscholarship) about the theory and practice of Minnesang, to evaluate the various interpretations of that information and then to present the sources with commentary, to the reader can see what information they actually provide.