MINNESANG. — From the Old High German *Mime* = love, and *Gesang* = song; a monodic lyrical tradition that flourished in the German-speaking lands (Germany, Switzerland, and Austria) from the 12th to the 15th century, initially with characteristics akin to the French troubadour art, from which it drew its early inspiration, later developing its own distinct forms and features.
Despite its original dependence on French poetry and music, the distinctive prerogatives of this Germanic art can be briefly summarized as follows. The poetic text is more narrative and devotional, whereas in France the poetry is more lyrical and amorous; in Germany, religious songs—especially those dedicated to the Madonna—abound.
As for the musical aspect, while troubadour melodies often draw from a rich folk vein, those of the Minnesänger derive, in inspiration, structure, and modality, directly from the Gregorian repertoire, of which they bear a strong influence—whether in rhythm or other particulars (such as the recurrence of the same note, characteristics of ecclesiastical tonalities, etc.). The principal forms are the *Lied* (song), the *Spruch*, and the *Leich*. The latter finds its parallel in the French *lai*; the *Spruch* (literally "saying") is a didactic and moralizing composition; the *Lied* follows the so-called *Barform*, structured in two sections: a) *Aufgesang*, composed of two *Stollen* (strophes); b) *Abgesang*. This a a b pattern, which can be traced back to the ancient Greek triad of "strophe-antistrophe-epode," finds a counterpart in the structure of the *ballade* of the *trouvères*, the *canson* of the troubadours, and the Italian *ballata* (two feet and a volta). Only the first stanza was set to music; the second repeated the music of the first, while the farewell (*Abgesang*) had a new melody. Musically, one also notes the absence of songs with refrains (of the *virelai* and *rondeau* type) and the frequent use of the interval of a third. The range is sometimes quite wide (cf. the melody spanning D to B-flat transcribed by H. Moser in his *Geschichte der deutschen Musik*, I, Stuttgart-Berlin 1930, p. 161). The notation is square (as in the 14th-century Jena manuscript) or Gothic diastematic neumatic (as in the manuscripts from Colmar, Donaueschingen, etc., of the 15th–16th centuries). As for rhythm, theories remain varied. Molitor, Ursprung, Wolf, Cesari, and others advocate free rhythm, similar to that of Gregorian chant; Riemann proposed a theory he calls *Vierhebigkeit* ("quadruple elevation," a theory of four accents) that is too closely tied to the poetic text and proves unsuitable when the melody shifts from syllabic to florid and melismatic (this theory was later adopted by Liuzzi in his transcription of the laudari); Ludwig admits the modal theory for melodies of French origin, while Moser supports binary rhythm and rejects the modal rhythm, which finds a staunch advocate in F. Gennrich. Like the songs of the troubadours, those of the Minnesänger were accompanied by instruments, which either supported the voice, alternated with it, or performed solo parts; these were mostly string instruments (harp, fidula, etc.). In the genre known as *Tagelied* (parallel to the French *aube* or *aubade*), the instrument is called *Wächter* and is generally a wind instrument (e.g., a trumpet).
As for content, the poems are amorous, didactic, religious, moral, satirical, May songs, dance songs, etc. In the religious genre, which is particularly rich, alongside the beautiful praises of the Virgin, notable are the crusade songs (*Kreuzlieder* or *Palästinalieder*) and songs evoking the Passion and the Way of the Cross (*Kreuzzug*, *Kreuzfahrer*).
The principal Minnesänger of the 12th century, in what may be called the preparatory phase (1150–90), during which French influence was still strong, include Dietmar von Eist, Heinrich von Veldeke (a Fleming), Friedrich von Hausen (d. 1190), who composed beautiful songs to the melodies of troubadours such as Guiot de Provins and Bernard de Ventadorn, and Spervogel, to whom belongs the only known melody of this genre before 1200 (Jena manuscript). At the beginning of the 13th century, in what may be termed the classical period of the Minnesang (1190–1230), we find Reinmar der Alte and his great pupil Walther von der Vogelweide (c. 1167–1230), who towers above all others in literary artistry as well. A famous song composed by him for the Fifth Crusade (1228) survives in a fragment from Münster: *"Nu alrêrst lebe ich mir werde."* Another great artist whose melodic beauty can stand beside Walther’s is Neidhart von Reuenthal (c. 1180–1240), who lived at the courts of Bavaria and Austria, singing dance songs and humorous lyrics, his vein often celebrating love and the spring awakening of nature (the characteristic *Mailieder*, May songs, a typical form of medieval and Renaissance monodic art from 11th-century Provence to 15th-century Florence); about 50 of his compositions (manuscripts in fragments in Frankfurt and Berlin) are printed in vol. XXXVII of *Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Österreich* (part 1). Also in the 13th century are Hartmann von Aue, with a *Kreuzlied*; Konrad von Würzburg; Tannhäuser, born near Salzburg and perhaps a participant in the 1228 Crusade, to whom is attributed the *Busselied* ("penitential song") in the Jena manuscript. Decline had already begun, but the art of the Minnesang was still splendid, and before fading it produced brilliant final glimpses such as the songs of Markgraf Heinrich von Meissen (Mainz, 1260–1318), known as *Frauenlob* for having sung of woman with the title *Frau* ("lady") rather than *Weib* ("woman"), contributing to the idealization of the symbol of femininity, which, while in French gallant lyricism remains immersed in delicate earthly sensibility, here is freed from the senses and often sublimated in the gentle figure of the Virgin.
In the same late 13th and early 14th centuries, one must also recall Witzlaw von Rügen (d. 1325) and Herrmann der Damen, both represented in the great Jena manuscript, while in the full 14th century and the first half of the 15th, other interesting composers appear, such as Heinrich von Mügeln, Hermann Mönch von Salzburg (1350–1410), who wrote the first polyphonies with German text, Count Hugo von Montfort (d. 1423), whose *Lieder* were set to music by his minstrel Burk Mangolt, and finally Oswald von Wolkenstein (1367–1445), the last great figure of this art, 86 of whose monodic and 37 polyphonic compositions are preserved in a manuscript collection partly in Vienna and partly in Innsbruck. With these two names, the late revival of the Minnesang also comes to a close, and the lyrical vein peters out, merging into the tradition of the Meistersinger, poet-singers who in 15th–16th-century Germany formed a closed guild with an elaborate code of pedantic rules and norms that could not be transgressed or forgotten, known as the *Tabulatur*. After a long apprenticeship, students initiated into the secrets of the art underwent rigorous examinations; once passed, they advanced through the ranks of *Schüler*, *Schulfreund*, *Singer*, and *Dichter*, and were then declared *Meister*. The most important figures in this tradition are Conrad Nachtigall, Hans Sachs, and Hans Folz, all from Nuremberg; Sebastian Wilde (from Augsburg); Adam Puschmann (from Breslau, 1532–1600); and Benedikt von Watt, from St. Gall (c. 1606). The basic form used in the rich musical repertoire of the Meistersinger is the *Barform*, handed down from the aristocratic Minnesänger, of whom these artisans were a direct but sterile offshoot, though—as recent studies show—they incorporated elements from other movements into their melodies (all monophonic, written in square notation with more or less free rhythm), such as the Italian laude, etc.
The Meistersinger tradition persisted in its most distant outgrowths, such as the Ulm school, until 1839, surviving into the 19th century; however, by the 17th century it had
a rapid decline began that reduced the efforts of the few epigones to academic and affected exercises.