Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Illustration Friday- Songs to Jugglers


Song of Spring.
Find out what "Jugglers" have to do with "Song" below!
Funny the places I end up when researching the Illustration Friday challenge.

Apart from the recently discovered cuneiform tablet containing a song from the Middle East of the 2d millennium B.C., now thought to be the oldest notated music known, and apart from ancient Greek song (see Greek music), the manuscripts of which are lost, the first outstanding examples of art song before the baroque period are those of the troubadours, trouvères, minnesingers, and meistersingers.
Troubadours (trū'bədôrz) , aristocratic poet-musicians of S France (Provence) who flourished from the end of the 11th cent. through the 13th cent. Many troubadours were noblemen and crusader knights; some were kings. Of the more than 400 known troubadours living between 1090 and 1292 the most famous are Jaufré Rudel de Blaia, Bernart de Ventadorn, Peire Vidal, Raimbaut de Vaqueiras, Folquet de Marseille (archbishop of Toulouse), Bertrand de Born, Arnaut Daniel, Gaucelm Faidit, Raimon de Miraval, Arnaut de Mareuil, and Guiraut Riquier. Of lower birth were the jongleurs who performed the troubadours' works and perhaps assisted in their composition.
Jongleurs(zhông-glör') , itinerant entertainers of the Middle Ages in France and Norman England. Their repertoire included dancing, conjuring, acrobatics, the feats of the modern juggler, singing, and storytelling. Many were skilled in playing musical instruments. The jongleurs were often collaborators or assistants of troubadours or trouvères.

Encyclopedia information about troubadours and jongleursfrom
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press.

19 comments:

Linda said...

Wonderful to look at and i learned something to. Beautiful!!

Dana S. Whitney said...

Thanks for sharing the process and background! A very cheery spring image.

carla said...

Wonderfully colorful and decorative, and I love the background information. It sounds like the troubadours and jongleurs were the precursors to today's rock shows with pyrotechnics and mammoth stage sets and mind blowing light shows...the total expreience. Great illo:>

Caroline said...

Wow you have taken this one way back in time - amazing!

And I love the bird and woman singing to each other too.

Unknown said...

Bright and beautiful for my snowy north east part of the country. This makes me think of spring and singing birds.

steve said...

fascinating stuff and such a vivid and charming piece. if only springtime would arrive sooner.

Unknown said...

lovely charming illo!

TheTart said...

I love this one. Great colors. Thanks for the backgroud story.
I always look forward to your comments.

Smooch,
The Tart

Kris Loya said...

your illustration style is wonderful!

the musehouse said...

wonderful! Just what we nee don these last days of winter!

Tatiana said...

I love the composition and graphic nature of the piece.

Tatiana
http://www.tatianaelkhouri.com

Lee said...

very spring-like ellen, I really like this one :) I especially love the tulips and her girlie girl dress ;)

Amy Zaleski said...

Hey...this is a bit different for you - wonderful job! This creates a very positive and sweet mood. I also like your border a lot as well as the sunflower pattern on her dress!

Ian russell said...

ah, troubadours! i was just thinking of those too. that's an excellent picture of spring and song - i can't wait until it finally arrives here! beautiful and very pleasing use of colours, and i especially like the style.

Anonymous said...

very nice illo...
details and everything are hard thought for...
and write-up on the background is really thoughtful.. :)

Luisa said...

Very beautilful, I believe in your sweetness :)

coffee81 said...

Oh I love your illo!

The tone and colours blend well!

Todd DeWolf said...

Excellent and and a great read as well. Cheers!

Bearuh said...

Hey I like the layout alot and colors

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I'm a professional artist, a wife, a step-mother, grand-mother, friend, Ms. Fix-it, older sister and a daughter. A regular "person in progress!" Oh yah, and I draw alot! Copyright 2010-2012.

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