"E.ram requier sa costum e son us" - Raimbaut de Vaqueiras

 

Musicologists separate Troubadour music into two different categories: high and low style songs. High style songs were generally very rhapsodic with complex relationships between the form and notes that became apparent over time. This is because the troubadour, using his language and song, attempted to persuade an audience on some amatory issue using eloquence of text and melody. In comparison, low style songs, which tended to have short-range melodic goals, were primarily composed to bring an audience to dance. Low style song would distract the audience from the text, since one was able to, in essence, easily sing along with the music instead of being directed to the attention of perfomer.

 

10 Movements on the Line of a Troubadour Poem takes these ideas and presents them using a modern idiom. High style songs are presented as solos, duets, or trios, while low style songs contain the entire ensemble. Furthermore, high style songs use more complex material and tend to be less "catchy" than their low style counterparts.