may find the Troubadours definitely established there
in the early part of the twelfth century.

The language of their songs is the beautiful "Langue d'oc," so called
from the use of the word "oc" to mean yes, and thus distinguished from
the "Langue d'oil" of Northern France and the "Lingua di si" of Italy.
The "Langue d'oc" was spoken in the entire southern part of France, and
has given its name to a province of the present. So when the nobles of
Provence, in the lordly retirement of their ancestral castles, sought an
entertainment suited to their refined and sympathetic natures, they
were soon imitated by the greater part of the nation.

The songs of the Troubadours were in many cases taken directly from
Eastern models. In early Arabian times it was customary for two
shepherds to converse in music by intoning responsive phrases on their
flutes; and it soon became customary for two minstrels to sing in like
manner. In the early songs of the Bible, too, are many verses whose
second half answers the first, and, in fact, the Hebrew words for
"answer" and "sing" are said to be identical. Among the Troubadours,
this species of musical dialogue took the form of the tenson, or
contention. The use of answering couplets in solo songs is another point
of resemblance. Another favourite Arabian form was the casida, or stanza
constructed with only one rhyme, and the rich and melodious Provencal
tongue lent itself excellently to poems of this structure. So successful
were the Troubadours in using it that sometimes their compositions were
over a hundred lines in length. The short but brilliant Arabian lyrics,
called "Maouchah," or embroidery, were well imitated by dainty and
sparkling lyrics of the Troubadours. The Oriental mourning song became
the Planh, or dirge. The evening tribute of the Arabian minstrels to
their chosen loves became the serenade, while the Troubadours went
still further in this vein by originating the aubade, or morning song.
Among the other forms used, the verse was merely a set of couplets, the
chanson was divided into several stanzas, while the sonnet was much
freer in form than at present. When more than two singers took part in a
tenson, it became a tournament. The sirvente was a song of war or
politics, sometimes satirical, sometimes in praise of the exploits of a
generous patron. The sixtine contained six stanzas of six lines each,
with the rhymes holding over from one stanza to the next, and occurring
i