The descort (Old Occitan [desˈkɔɾt]) was a form and genreofOld Occitan lyric poetry used by troubadours. It was heavily discordant in verse form and/or feeling and often used to express disagreement. It was possibly invented by Garin d'Apchier when he wrote Quan foill'e flors reverdezis (only the first two lines survive); the invention is credited to him by a vida, and these are unreliable. Gautier de Dargies imported the descort into Old French and wrote and composed three.
Unlike the canso, the most common open poetic form of the troubadours and the template upon which most genres were built, the descort is made of stanzas with a variable number of lines, and of lines with a variable number of syllables. Whereas the different stanzas of a canso usually share at least some of the rhymes, the rhymes of a descort are usually used within a single stanza and then discarded. Raimbaut de Vaqueiras brings this to the extreme by actually using different languages in each stanza.[1] This made the descort a more challenging piece to write, as its irregular nature forced the troubadour to always write a new melody.[2]
30 descorts survive[3]
| Troubadour | Incipit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Albertet de Sestaro | Bel m'es oimais | |
| Aimeric de Belenoi | S'a midons plazia | |
| Aimeric de Peguillan | Qui la vi, en ditz | Sometimes classed as a canso |
| Cerveri de Girona | Pus amors vol que faça sa comanda | |
| Cerveri de Girona | Estrayreˑm volia / De mi dons amar | |
| Cerveri de Girona | De Pala a Torosela | Called a recepta dexarob in the rubric |
| Elias de Barjols | Una valenta | |
| Elias de Barjols | Si.l bela.m tengues per seu | |
| Elias Cairel | Quan la freidors / irais / l'aura doussana | |
| Garin d'Apchier | Quan foill'e flors reverdis | Only the incipit is known, perhaps a canso |
| Guillem Augier Novella | Quan vei lo dous temps venir | |
| Guillem Augier Novella | Ses alegratge | |
| Guillem Augier Novella | Erransa | |
| Guillem de la Tor | En vos ai meza | |
| Guiraut de Calanso | Bel semblan | |
| Guiraut de Calanso | Ab la verdura | |
| Guiraut Riquier | Pos aman | |
| Giraut de Salaignac | Per solatz e per deport / Me conort / E.m don alegransa | |
| Peire Raimon de Toloza | Ab so gai, plan e car | |
| Pons de Capdoill | Un gai descort tramet leis cui dezir | |
| Raimbaut de Vaqueiras | Eras quan vei verdejar | A multilingual poem |
| Raimbaut de Vaqueiras | Engles, un novel descort | |
| Anonymous | Bella domna cara | Also called an acort |
| Anonymous | Poi qe neve ni glazi | Sometimes classed as a canso |
| Anonymous | Pos la douza sasons gaja | |
| Anonymous | Lai un fis prez nais e floris e grana | |
| Anonymous | Joi e chanç e solaç / E amors certana | |
| Anonymous | En aquest son gai e leugier | |
| Anonymous | Sill qu'es caps e guitz | Sometimes classed as a canso |
| Anonymous | Tot aissi soi desconsellatz | Sometimes classed as a sirventes |
| Anonymous | Amors, / dousors, / mi assaja | |
| Anonymous | A chantar m'er un discort | |
| Anonymous | Com plus fin'amors mi destreng |
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Western medieval lyric forms
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