Neidhart von Reuental
[4] Neidhart's lyrics are highly innovative: into the courtly genre of Minnesang, he introduced peasant characters, who are often shown in conflict with the knightly class.
He was transformed into the legendary, peasant-hating "Neidhart Fuchs" in late 15th century comical stories (German Schwänke),[7][8] and he also had a legacy in the visual arts, with woodcuts, frescos and carved reliefs portraying scenes from his songs.
[11] The song collections consistently give his name as Nîthart or, in its later Early New High German form, Neidhart.
[13] However, this identification of the poet as "Neidhart von Reuental" was adopted by Moriz Haupt in his first critical edition of the songs in 1858[14] and was widely taken up until recently.
[20][10] While there is no certainty that apparently biographical details in the songs are correct, the evidence suggests that Neidhart spent the early part of his career in Bavaria and, possibly as a result of loss of patronage or political events surrounding the murder of Ludwig I of Bavaria, moved in the 1230s to the court of Duke Frederick II in Vienna.
[18] His tomb, probably erected at the behest of Duke Rudolf IV of Austria (1339–1365), is preserved on the south side of St. Stephen's Cathedral.
[26] While his protagonist in the songs is a knight unable to attain the reward from his beloved that he believes he merits for his service to her — a standard Minnesang theme — instead of the court, the setting is that of the medieval village.
[31] A village girl is then introduced and she announces her intention to attend the country dance in amorous pursuit of the knight of her affections.
This gives rise to a dialogue with her mother, who warns against seeking a partner of a higher station, or a girlfriend, who shares the girl's aims.
[42] The earliest recorded lyric of Neidhart's is a single strophe "Nu gruonet aber diu heide" (R 12),in the Carmina Burana manuscript, c. 1230.
In particular the simple rhyming scheme of the Reienstrophe and the motif of the dialogue between two villagers (dörper), mother and daughter or two girlfriends, are taken up by later Minnesänger.
[55] The conflict between court and village found in Neidhart's comic tales (Schwänke) finds its way into narrative verse works, as in, for example, Wernher der Gartenære's Meier Helmbrecht.
[58] The Neidhart persona of the songs was taken up by later generations and perpetuated as the figure of Neithart Fuchs (Fuchs= "fox"), the fictional knightly hero of a comic tale surviving in three printed editions, 1491–1566.
[59] In about 1407, Viennese cloth merchant Michel Menschein commissioned a series of four murals for his private dance-hall based on songs by Neidhart.
deist ab elliu jâr, daz der winder offenbâr uns beroubet âne wer mit gewalticlîchem her.
Rhyme scheme: AABBC DDEEC FGGF Among the many recordings of Neidhart's songs, the following have his work as their main focus:
