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{{Short description|Middle High German love song tradition}}
{{No footnotes|date=February 2020}}
{{italic title}}
[[File:Codex Manesse Walther von der Vogelweide.jpg|thumb|[[Walther von der Vogelweide]] ([[Codex Manesse]], ca.&nbsp;1300)]]
{{Medieval music sidebar}}
'''{{Lang|gmh|Minnesang}}''' ({{IPA|de|ˈmɪnəzaŋ|lang|De-Minnesang.ogg}}; "love song") was a tradition of German lyric- and song-writing that flourished in the [[Middle High German literature|Middle High German period]] (12th to 14th centuries). The name derives from ''[[wikt:Minne#German|minne]]'', the [[Middle High German]] word for love, as that was ''Minnesang''<nowiki/>'s main subject. People who wrote and performed ''Minnesang'' were known as '''''Minnesänger''''' ({{IPA|de|ˈmɪnəˌzɛŋɐ|lang|De-Minnesänger.ogg}}), and a single song was called a '''''Minnelied''''' ({{IPA|de|ˈmɪnəˌliːt|lang|De-Minnelied.ogg}}). The ''Minnesänger'' are comparable to the [[Occitan language|Occitan]] [[troubadour]]s and northern [[French language|French]] ''[[trouvère]]s,'' but they are "an original German contribution to courtly lyric."<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Pelnar-Zaiko |first=Ivana |title=Dictionary of the Middle Ages |date=1982 |publisher=C. Scribner's Sons |isbn=978-0-684-19073-0 |editor-last=Strayer |editor-first=Joseph Reese |location=New York |pages=414 |chapter=Minnesingers}}</ref>

==Social status==
In the absence of reliable biographical information, there has been debate about the social status of the ''Minnesänger''. Some clearly belonged to the higher [[nobility]] – the 14th-century [[Codex Manesse]] includes songs by dukes, counts, kings, and the Emperor [[Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry VI]]. Some ''Minnesänger'', as indicated by the title ''[[Meister]]'' (master), were clearly educated commoners, such as Meister [[Konrad von Würzburg]]. It is thought that many were ''[[ministerialis|ministeriales]]'', that is, members of a class of lower nobility, [[vassal]]s of the great lords. Broadly speaking, the ''Minnesänger'' were writing and performing for their own social class at court, and should be thought of as [[courtier]]s rather than professional hired musicians. [[Friedrich von Hausen]], for example, was part of the entourage of [[Friedrich Barbarossa]], and died on [[Third Crusade|crusade]]. As a reward for his service, [[Walther von der Vogelweide]] was given a [[fief]] by the Emperor [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]].

Several of the best-known ''Minnesänger'' are also noted for their epic poetry, among them [[Heinrich von Veldeke]], [[Wolfram von Eschenbach]] and [[Hartmann von Aue]].<ref name=":0" />

==History==
The earliest texts date from perhaps 1150, and the earliest named ''Minnesänger'' are [[Der von Kürenberg]] and [[Dietmar von Aist]], clearly writing in a native German tradition in the third quarter of the 12th century. This is referred to as the Danubian tradition.

From around 1170, German lyric poets came under the influence of the Provençal [[troubadour]]s and the French ''[[trouvère]]s''. This is most obvious in the adoption of the [[strophic form]] of the [[canzone]], at its most basic a seven-line strophe with the rhyme scheme AB AB CXC, and an AAB [[song structure|musical structure]] (denoting the repetition of large segments), but capable of many variations.

A number of songs from this period match ''trouvère'' originals exactly in form, indicating that the German text could have been sung to an originally French tune. For example, [[Friedrich von Hausen]]'s "Ich denke underwilen" is regarded as a contrafactum of [[Guiot de Provins]]'s "Ma joie premeraine".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cramer |first=Thomas |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Waz_hilfet_%C3%A2ne_sinne_kunst/tqHA41Y_P6gC?hl=de&gbpv=1&dq=%22Ich+denke+underwilen%22&pg=PA45&printsec=frontcover |title=Waz hilfet âne sinne kunst?: Lyrik im 13. Jahrhundert : Studien zu ihrer Ästhetik |date=1998-01-01 |publisher=Erich Schmidt Verlag GmbH & Co KG |isbn=978-3-503-03791-9 |pages=45 |language=de}}</ref>

By around 1190, the German poets began to break free of Franco-Provençal influence. This period is regarded as the period of Classical ''Minnesang'' with [[Albrecht von Johansdorf]], [[Heinrich von Morungen]], [[Reinmar von Hagenau]] developing new themes and forms, reaching its culmination in [[Walther von der Vogelweide]], regarded both in the Middle Ages and in the present day as the greatest of the ''Minnesänger''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nicholas |first=David |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Medieval_West_400_1450/_GXxAAAAMAAJ?hl=de&gbpv=1&bsq=culmination+Walther+von+der+Vogelweide&dq=culmination+Walther+von+der+Vogelweide&printsec=frontcover |title=The Medieval West, 400-1450: A Preindustrial Civilization |date=1973 |publisher=Dorsey Press |isbn=978-0-256-01420-4 |pages=173 |language=en}}</ref>

The later ''Minnesang'', from around 1230, is marked by a partial turning away from the refined ethos of classical ''Minnesang'' and by increasingly elaborate formal developments. The most notable of these later ''Minnesänger'', [[Neidhart von Reuental]] introduces characters from lower social classes and often aims for humorous effects.

==Melodies==
[[File:Neidhart MS c fol 31r.jpg|thumb|Melody and text of Neidhart von Reuental, "Der schwarze dorn" (MS c)]]
Only a small number of ''Minnelied'' melodies have survived to the present day, mainly in manuscripts dating from the 15th century or later, which may present the songs in a form other than the original one. Additionally, it is often rather difficult to interpret the [[musical notation]] used to write them down. Although the contour of the [[melody]] can usually be made out, the [[rhythm]] of the song is frequently hard to fathom.

==Later developments==
In the 15th century, ''Minnesang'' developed into and gave way to the tradition of the [[Meistersinger|Meistersänger]]. The two traditions are quite different, however; ''Minnesänger'' were mainly aristocrats, while Meistersänger usually were commoners.

At least two [[opera]]s have been written about the ''Minnesang'' tradition: [[Richard Wagner]]'s ''[[Tannhäuser (opera)|Tannhäuser]]'' and [[Richard Strauss]]' ''[[Guntram (opera)|Guntram]]''.

==List of ''Minnesänger''==
[[File:Botenlauben-Brunnen.JPG|thumb|[[Otto von Botenlauben]] Fountain]]

;Danubian lyric
*[[Burggraf von Regensburg]]
*[[Burggraf von Rietenburg]]
*[[Dietmar von Aist]] (fl. 1143)
*[[Der von Kürenberg]] (fl. 1143)
*[[Leuthold von Seven]] (fl. 1147–1182)
*[[Meinloh von Sevelingen]]
*[[Engelhardt von Adelnburg]]

;Early courtly lyric
*[[Friedrich von Hausen]]
*[[Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor]] (d. 1197)
*[[Heinrich von Veldeke]] (fl. 1173–1184)
*[[Reinmar der Fiedler]] (fl. 1182–1217)
*[[:de:Spervogel|Spervogel]]

;Classical ''Minnesang''
*[[Albrecht von Johansdorf]]
*[[Bernger von Horheim]]
*[[Gottfried von Strassburg]]
*[[Hartmann von Aue]] (1160/1170–1210/1220)
*[[Heinrich von Morungen]]
*[[Reinmar von Hagenau]] ({{Circa|1210}})
*[[Walther von der Vogelweide]]
*[[Wolfram von Eschenbach]]

;Later ''Minnesang''
*[[Reinmar von Brennenberg]]
*[[Regenbogen (poet)|Regenbogen]]
*[[Friedrich von Sonnenburg]]
*[[Gottfried von Neifen]]
*[[Heinrich Frauenlob|Heinrich von Meissen (Frauenlob)]] (1250/1260–1318)
*[[Hugo von Montfort]]
*[[Konrad von Würzburg]] (1220/1230–1287)
*[[Neidhart von Reuental|Neidhart]] (1st half of the 13th century)
*[[Otto von Botenlauben]] (1177 – before 1245)
*[[Reinmar von Zweter]] (1200 – after 1247)
*[[Hawart]]
*[[Süßkind von Trimberg]]
*[[Tannhäuser]]
*[[Ulrich von Liechtenstein]] (ca. 1200–1275)
*[[Walther von Klingen]] (1240–1286)
*[[Johannes Hadlaub]] (d. 1340)
*[[:de:Muskatblüt|Muskatblüt]]
*[[Wiesloch#The Minnesinger von Wissenlo|Der von Wissenlo]]
*[[Oswald von Wolkenstein]]

==Example of a ''Minnelied''==
The following love poem, of unknown authorship, is found in a Latin [[codex]] of the 12th century from the [[Tegernsee Abbey]].
{|
!Middle High German
!Modern German
!English
|-
|<poem>{{lang|gmh|Dû bist mîn, ich bin dîn:
des solt dû gewis sîn.
dû bist beslozzen
in mînem herzen.
verlorn ist das slüzzelîn:
dû muost immer drinne sîn!|italics=no}}</poem>
|style="padding-left:2em;"|<poem>{{lang|de|Du bist mein, ich bin dein:
des(sen) sollst du gewiss sein.
Du bist verschlossen
in meinem Herzen.
Verloren ist das Schlüsselein:
du musst immer darin sein!|italics=no}}</poem>
|style="padding-left:2em;"|<poem>You are mine, I am yours,
Thereof you may be certain.
You're locked away
within my heart.
Lost is the key
And you must ever be therein!</poem>
|}

==Editions==
The standard collections are

'''12th and early 13th century''' (up to Reinmar von Hagenau):
*H. Moser, H. Tervooren, ''Des Minnesangs Frühling''.
**Vol. I: Texts, 38th edn (Hirzel, 1988) {{ISBN|3-7776-0448-8}}
**Vol II: Editorial Principles, Melodies, Manuscripts, Notes, 36th edn (Hirzel, 1977) {{ISBN|3-7776-0331-7}}
**Vol III: Commentaries (Hirzel, 2000) {{ISBN|3-7776-0368-6}}
**Earlier edition: {{cite book |editor1-last=Vogt |editor1-first=Friedrich |title=Des Minnesangs Frühling |date=1920 |publisher=Hirzel |location=Leipzig |edition=3 |url=https://archive.org/details/desminnesangsfr00unkngoog}}
'''13th century''' (after Walther von der Vogelweide):
*{{cite book | editor1-first=Carl  |editor1-last=von Kraus |editor2-first=Gisela| editor2-last= Kornrumpf | title=Deutsche Liederdichter des 13. Jahrhunderts| publisher=Niemeyer| location= Tübingen|date= 1978 | edition=2| isbn=3-484-10284-5}}. (=KLD)
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Bartsch |editor1-first=Karl |title=Die schweizer Minnesänger |date=1886 |publisher=Huber |location=Frauenfeld |url=https://archive.org/details/dieschweizerminn00bartuof}} (=SM)
'''14th and 15th centuries'''
*Thomas Cramer, ''Die kleineren Liederdichter des 14. und 15. Jhs.'', 4 Vols (Fink 1979-1985)

There are many published selections with Modern German translation, such as
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Klein |editor1-first=Dorothea |title=Minnesang. Mittelhochdeutsche Liebeslieder. Eine Auswahl |date=2010 |publisher=Reclam |location=Stuttgart |isbn=978-3-15-018781-4}} (German translation)
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Schweikle |editor1-first=Gönther |title=Die mittelhochdeutsche Minnelyrik: Die frühe Minnelyrik |date=1977 |publisher=Wissenschafliche Buchgesellschaft |location=Darmstadt |isbn=3-534-04746-X}} (With introduction, translation and commentary)
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Wachinger |editor1-first=Burghart |title=Deutsche Lyrik des späten Mittelalters |date=2006 |publisher=Deutsche Klassiker Verlag |location=Frankfurt am Main |isbn=3-618-66220-3 |url=https://mdz-nbn-resolving.de/details:bsb00059925 |access-date=30 April 2021}} (German translation and commentary.) 

'''Individual Minnesänger'''

The two ''Minnesänger'' with the largest repertoires, Walther and Neidhart, are not represented in the standard collections, but have editions devoted solely to their works, such as:
* {{cite book|editor1-last=Lachmann|editor1-first=Karl|editor2-last=Cormeau|editor2-first=Christoph|editor3-last=Bein|editor3-first=Thomas|title=Walther von der Vogelweide. Leich, Lieder, Sangsprüche|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hR3oBQAAQBAJ|year=2013|publisher=De Gruyter|edition=15th |isbn=978-3-11-017657-5}}
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Wießner |editor1-first=Edmund |editor2-last=Fischer |editor2-first=Hanns |editor3-last=Sappler |editor3-first=Paul |title=Die Lieder Neidharts |date=1999 |series=Altdeutsche Textbibliothek| volume=44 | others= mit einem Melodienanhang von Helmut Lomnitzer| location=Tübingen |isbn=3-484-20144-4 |edition=5}}
For these and some other major Minnesänger (e.g. Morungen, Reinmar, Oswald von Wolkenstein) there are editions with parallel Modern German translation.

'''Introductory works for an English-speaking readership'''
*{{cite book |last1=Sayce |first1=Olive |title=Poets of the Minnesang |date=1967 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |url=https://archive.org/details/poetsofminnesang0000unse}} (Selection of songs with English introduction and commentary.)
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Edwards |editor1-first=Cyril |title=Minnesang - An Anthology of Medieval German Love-Lyrics |date=2022 |publisher=de Gruyter |isbn=978-3-11-021418-5}} (Selection of songs with English introduction and translation.)
*{{cite book |last1=Goldin |first1=Frederick |title=German and Italian lyrics of the Middle Ages: an anthology and a history |date=1973 |publisher=Anchor |location=Garden City, NY |isbn=9780385046176 |url=https://archive.org/details/germanitalianlyr00gold |access-date=11 April 2021}}

==See also==
*[[Frauenlied]]
*[[Liederhandschrift]]

==Sources==
*{{cite book |last1=Bumke |first1=Joachim |title=Höfische Kultur: Literatur und Gesellschaft im hohen Mittelalter |date=2005 |publisher=dtv |location=München |isbn=978-3423301701 |edition=11}} Published in English as: {{cite book |last1=Bumke |first1=Joachim |translator-last=Dunlap |translator-first=Thomas |title=Courtly Culture Literature and Society in the High Middle Ages |date=1991 |publisher=University of California |location=Berkeley |isbn=0520066340}}
*{{cite book |author-last=Classen | author-first= Albrecht| chapter=Courtly Love Lyric| editor-last1=Gentry |editor-first1=Francis |title=A Companion to Middle High German Literature to the 14th Century |pages=117–150 |date=2002 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden, Boston, Köln |isbn=978-9004120945}}
*{{cite book| editor-last1=Gibbs|editor-first1=Marion|editor-last2=Johnson|editor-first2=Sidney|title=Medieval German Literature: A Companion| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OgGUAgAAQBAJ|year=2002|publisher=Routledge |location=New York, London|isbn=0-203-90660-8}}
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Hasty|editor1-first=Will |title=German Literature of the High Middle Ages |series=The Camden House History of German Literature| volume =3| date=2006 |publisher=Camden House |location=New York, Woodbridge |isbn=978-1571131737}}
*{{cite book |last1=Jammers |first1=Ewald |title=Ausgewählte Melodien des Minnesangs |date=1963 |publisher=Niemeyer |location=Tübingen |url=https://archive.org/details/ausgewahltemelod0000jamm}}
*{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Howard |last2=Jones |first2=Martin |title=The Oxford Guide to Middle High German |date=2019 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=9780199654611 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gLGZDwAAQBAJ}}
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Kellner |editor1-first=Beate |editor2-last=Reichlin |editor2-first=Susanne |editor3-last=Rudolph |editor3-first=Alexander |title=Handbuch Minnesang |date=2021 |publisher=De Gruyter |location=Berlin, Boston |isbn=978-3-11-035181-1|doi=10.1515/9783110351859|s2cid=243658982 |url=https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/207475/3/10.1515_9783110351859-fm.pdf }}
*{{cite book |last1=Palmer |first1=Nigel F |editor1-last=Watanabe-O'Kelly |editor1-first=H |title=The Cambridge History of German Literature |date=1997 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |pages=40–91 |chapter=The high and later Middle Ages (1100-1450)|doi=10.1017/CHOL9780521434171.003| isbn=978-0521785730}}

*{{cite book |first=Olive |last=Sayce |title=The medieval German lyric, 1150-1300: the development of its themes and forms in their European context|publisher=Oxford University Press| date=1982 |location=Oxford | isbn=0-19-815772-X}}
*{{cite book |last1=Schweikle |first1=Günther |title=Minnesang |date=1995 |publisher=Metzler |location=Stuttgart, Weimar |isbn=978-3-476-12244-5 |edition=2nd| series= Sammlung Metzler| volume=244}}
*{{cite book| first=Ronald J. |last=Taylor |title=The Art of the Minnesinger. Songs of the thirteenth century transcribed and edited with textual and musical commentaries|publisher=University of Wales Press| location=Cardiff | volume= 2| date= 1968}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|authorlink=Alwin Schultz|last=Schultz|first=Alwin|title=Das höfische Leben zur Zeit der Minnesinger|trans-title=Court life at the time of the Minnesinger|year=1889}} 2 volumes.

==External links==
{{Wikisource1911Enc|Minnesingers}}
*{{Commons category-inline|Minnesang}}
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=sGQCAAAAQAAJ&q=minnesangs 1857 edition of Karl Lachmann]
* Adolph Ernst Kroeger [https://books.google.com/books?id=2INbAAAAcAAJ ''The Minnesinger of Germany''] 1873
* {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Minnesinger|short=x}}
* {{Cite NSRW|wstitle=Minnesinger|short=x}}
* {{Cite Collier's|wstitle=Minnesingers |short=x}}

==References==
<references />

{{Carmina Burana}}
{{Medieval music|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Minnesang| ]]
[[Category:Musical terminology]]