Love song
Type of song dealing with love
A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. Love songs can be found in a variety of different music genres.
History
Love songs have been around for centuries[vague] and can be found in the histories and cultures of most societies, though their ubiquity is a modern phenomenon.[clarification needed]
The oldest known love song is the love song of Shu-Sin, which was discovered in the library of Ashurbanipal in Mesopotamia.[1] It was about both romantic and erotic love. Prior to the discovery of the love song of Shu-Sin, Solomon's Song of Songs from the Bible was considered the oldest love song.[citation needed]
Early history
There are several theories about the origin of music in a general sense. According to Charles Darwin, it has to do with the choice of partner between woman and man (women choose male partners based on musical performances), and so the first music would be love music. However, Herbert Spencer saw music develop from a passionate eloquence, and music arise as an expression of emotions.[2]
In Ancient Greece, music was made at weddings, and there were love songs, as Erato as a muse was the protector of the love song, but knowledge is based on myths and on archaeological evidence, not on written music. In the 9th century a musical notation was developed in the Eastern Roman Empire, the neume notation, and after the addition of lines the staff was created around the 11th century, such that the exact form of music is only well-documented from this period.
Medieval music
An explanation of the genesis of love songs can be found in Denis de Rougemont's "Love in the Western World".[3] De Rougemont's thesis is that the love song grew out of the courtly love songs of the troubadours, and that those songs represented a rejection of the historical Christian notion of love.
Medieval love songs are called "Minnelied" in Middle High German, chant d'amour courtois by troubadour (Langues d'oc) or trouvère (Langues d'oïl). The (unfulfilled, unattainable) courtly love in a noble environment is central. The worship of a woman is a recurring theme. A number of personae return, such as a lover who regrets being rejected, the lady who regrets the absence of her lord who is on a crusade. Generosity, nobility of character, receptivity to new experiences and attention to beauty and appearance are common themes. The 14th century Codex Manesse includes love songs by dukes as John I, Duke of Brabant and William IX, Duke of Aquitaine.
The Gruuthuse manuscript - written in Middle Dutch - composed around 1400 in Bruges contains 147 songs, including a number of love songs with musical notation. The manuscript is from several lyricists, mostly unknown.[4][5]
Renaissance
Francesco Petrarca has sung his beloved Laura in 366 poems, collected in "Canzonière". The poems were set to music by, among others, Claudio Monteverdi, Orlando di Lasso and Guillaume Dufay (Vergene bella).
"Romance de Nadir" (encore of "Je crois entendre")
Sung by Joseph Rogatechwsky in 1928 (3:26)
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