Did the Wotanists go underground after the reign of Charlemagne?
Guido von List sited something called the Minnesinger Order as having sprang from the Skaldic Order, a Wotanic priesthood gone underground....
Out of the "Skaldic Order" the "Minnesinger Order" later emerged, as did the "German Builders' Guild" and the "German Heraldic Guild." From all this, in broad branchings, sprang the judicial sciences, poetic arts, linguistic sciences, graphic arts, etc. Because the skalds, as poets and singers, were also the maintainers and formulators of language--and because it was neccessary for them to preserve in strict secrecy the Wuotanism that they took with them underground into the "heimliche Acht" (in order not to be persecuted as heretics), they had to use the three-fold interpretation of words to have their messages delivered--even by messengers--without these or other noninitiates being able to understand the correct interpretation. Through steady skillful practice they reached such refinement in this double-edged type of poetry (called heimliche Acht or kala), that one and the same text could conceal two completely different messages, whose obvious sense (understood by everyone) would actually be secondary, while the concealed sense (kala) would contain the only real, secret message for the men of knowledge.
What is the Minnesinger Order?
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What is a minnesinger?
A minnesinger is a secular musician from Germany. They flourished from the twelfth to the fourteenth century. They composed their lyrics in their native language, German.
Walther von der Vogelweide (c. 1170-1230) was most likely a knight from a German-speaking region of Europe, possibly Austria or Bohemia.
Walther von der Vogelweide
Neidhart von Reuenthal
German:
Aller êrst lebe ich mir werde
Sît mîn sündic ouge siht
Daz reine lant und ouch die erde
Der man sô vil êren giht
Mirst geschehen des ich ie bat
Ich bin komen an die stat
Da got mennischlichen trat
Schæniu lant rîch unde hêre
Waz ich der noch han gesehen
Sô bist duz ir aller êre
Waz ist wunders hie geschehen!
Daz ein magt ein kint gebar
Here ubr aller engel schar
Waz daz niht ein wunder gar?
Daz in dô des niht verdrôz
Dast ein wunder alze grôz
Aller wunder übergnôz
English:
My life only now has a deeper meaning
These sinful eyes have gazed
Upon his holy ground
The land so greatly praised and deeply cherished
I now experience what I have long since prayed for
I have arrived where God, as man
Has walked among us
Many countries, mighty, rich and splendid
Have I seen
You shine above them all
So many wonderous things have happened here!
That a maiden has born a child
Lord of all the hosts of angels
Is that not a miracle?
We need not despair
For this mighty miracle
Is grander still than before.
Neidhart
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If they were secular, why the references to "God?" In any case, the examples above and below are actual music from the Minnesingers of the Middle Ages.
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Minnesingers, Wagner, and Metal [Updated]
September 25, 2009 by Mark Samples
As Taruskin recounts (I, 134-142), Richard Wagner recognized the potential in the stories of the historical minnesinger/meistersinger (German-speaking analogue of the trovères) and appropriated their caché for his operas Die meistersinger von Nürnberg and Tannhäuser. But Wagner is not the only one to cash in on this potential. In a 21st-century example, In Extremo (a German medieval metal band) performs the popular minnesang “Palästinalied”, by Walther von der Vogelweide. The band is true to Walther’s melody and lyrics, in the original Middle High German (they get to three out of the twelve verses, then repeat the first). As you will see in the video below, they are also true to Wagner’s spirit of artistic liberty through a modern lens, complete with a shredding metal electric guitar solo, tatooed bagpipe players, and pyrotechnic explosions. And guess what? The audience loves it.
[Update:]
I put this video up kind of on a whim, because I was surprised by the ability for music that’s almost a millennium old to be relevant in the 21st century, and this video was so zany that I was simply flabbergasted by the find. But I have since become aware that it is potentially offensive to viewers, due to the song’s subject matter (the crusades), and the context of performance (Germans singing in a creepy—goth? occult?—way about the Holy Lands). Let’s just say that I wouldn’t let my son watch this video. It would be sure to give him nightmares. (He’s only 4 months old, but still.)
One Response
What is it about Wagnerian pomp, Germanic mythology, and the Medieval Age that appeals so much to metal musicians? There’s an interesting symbolic/semiotic connection there that would be fun to explore. (I just heard about another related subgenre, “Tolkien Metal,” that is of course centered around another Ring.) But for a metal band to actually perform from the minnesang repertory? That’s taking the connection to a whole new level of realism. Great find!
This reminds me of a farcical metal project I was involved in while at NYU. We performed 19th century German opera and lieder with electric guitar, bass, drums, keys, and two opera singers. The name of the group was “Take Me To Your Lieder.”
-- Zach Wallmark
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Selected references to the Minnesingers can be found at the following link....
'What We Hear In Music' (Anne Shaw Faulkner; 1913)
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Like in many other European cultures German poetry and music were derived from medieval ages of single performers whose life has enriched the pool of national legends and myths: it is not doubt that everyone has heard about minstrels and minnesingers who inspired their audience with romantic world of never-ending love and devotion, patriotism and dignity.
German medieval singers were mostly poetizing love, therefore, their name ‘minnesingers’ was derived from the word ‘minne’ translated as ‘love’. Minnesingers were mainly knights of medieval Germany , however, they did not belong to the high nobility. The most popular topic of their lyrics was unequal love between a knight and a lady who belonged to the higher social grade. Of course, the knight’s love seemed very unhappy and made lyric songs more romantic and attractive.
Among famous minnesingers the most significant recognition was given to those who influenced further development of the German poetry and music. Such minnesingers developed lyric verses and rhymes up to appearance of sonnet prosody in 15 th -16 th centuries. One of such names belonged to Wolfram von Eschenbach who created the German original minne songs called Spruch. Eschenbach was classical German minstrel who roved throughout the country and poetized love and legendary brave knights and kings of Germany. Later his songs inspired many German musicians to create original German music famous all over the world. Such of these songs was a fable about Parsifal, the fable which gave the breath of the Wagner’s outstanding opera.
The value of the German medieval minnesingers cannot been lessened. They started original minstrels’ Spruch songs which reflected German folklore, fairy tales, legends, myths and real historical events existed in Germany from ancient world. They developed modern poetry and music and remained German origin in people’s hearts and souls.
Nowadays minnesingers’ epoch can be traced by visitors of numerous German medieval castles which were places of minstrels’ contests. The knights who became minnesingers and then started roving around Germany as minstrels were amusing castles’ inhabitants. Usually these inhabitants belonged to upper levels of German society and German kings such as Ludwig II were inspired by minstrels to remain royal dignity and remember the times when German nation was free and proud of its origin.
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They had a rare gift and thorough knowledge of their art. With perfect spontaneity they created poems with musical accompaniment subjected to strict rules in terms of number of strophes. The ability with which the Minnesinger utilized all possibilities of rhyme is perfectly amazing.
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The Minnesingers were certainly in a position to do what von List said that they did. They were secular which would seem to be strange for the time, they demonstrated a certain musical genius, and they were mainly inspired by German legends and folklore.
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