Dictionary

trobairitz en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˌtɹoʊ̯.bʌˈɹɪts/ (General-American)

Etymology

Borrowed from Occitan trobairitz.

Meanings

1. (historical) A female composer of Old Occitan lyric poetry; a female troubadour.
   • We know about twenty trobairitz by name, and their corpus includes some thirty-two songs. 1995, William Kibler, Medieval France: An Encyclopedia, page 1756:
   • This single melody, which is also the only one by a trobairitz to have been identified, is preserved in only one thirteenth-century manuscript, and it includes only the first cobla, or stanza . 1987, Beverly Evans, “Countess of Dia (mid- to late-twelth century)”, in Historical Anthology of Music by Women, number 1, page 11:
   • Studies have tentatively identified some common themes in the trobairitz corpus as well as variety among women's voices. 1991, J. Michele Edwards, Women in Music to ca. 1450:
   • While trobairitz often played lutes, they might also sing while playing a harp, an instrument that women were often encouraged to master. 2015, Gary Westfahl, A Day in a Working Life: 300 Trades and Professions through History, volume 1, page 658:

Forms