A Troubadour Reader

Join Steve Amerson as he shares an artist's glimpse from the recording studios of Los Angeles, from backstage and behind the curtain of the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall, to within the halls of the United States Capitol. The Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, Jerusalem's Southern Steps, The United States Rotunda-imagine singing in these venues! Steve Amerson takes readers on a journey of his personal singing experiences in these revered and hallowed spaces as well his performances in other exceptional settings. With more than thirty years of concertizing, Steve shares inspirational, entertaining, and behind-the-scenes accounts of a life filled with song. In these pages, Steve opens his heart and reveals the way that music has allowed him to encourage others and to glorify God. These are the Tales of a Troubadour.

When a musician’s new song hits a political nerve, he finds himself in the crosshairs of Spanish nationalists’ ire, and it’s up to Bruno to track down the extremists who seem ready to take deadly measures, in another delightful installment of the internationally acclaimed series featuring Bruno, Chief of Police. Les Troubadours, a folk music group that Bruno has long supported, go viral with their new number, “Song for Catalonia,” when the Spanish government suddenly bans the song. The songwriter, Joel Martin, is a local enthusiast for the old Occitan language of Périgord and the medieval troubadours, and he sympathizes with the Catalan bid for independence. The success of his song provokes outrage among extreme Spanish nationalists. Then, in a stolen car found on a Périgord back road, police discover a distinctive bullet for a state-of-the-art sniper's rifle that can kill at three kilometers, and they fear that Joel might be the intended target. The French and Spanish governments agree to mount a joint operation to stop the assailants, and Bruno is the local man on the spot who mobilizes his resources to track them down. While Bruno tries to keep the peace, his friend Florence reaches out for help. Her abusive ex-husband is about to be paroled from prison and she fears he will return to reclaim their children. Will Bruno and Florence be able to prevent this unwanted visit? Despite the pressures, there is always time for Bruno to savor les plaisirs of the Dordogne around the table with friends.

Occitan lyric poetry for language learners A Troubadour Reader, a supplement to William D. Paden's Introduction to Old Occitan, provides a diverse selection of thirty medieval lyric poems in Occitan for language learners. Featuring poems by women, poems composed especially early or especially late in the language's literary use, and poems that feature Occitan in contact with other languages, the book highlights the range and wealth of medieval Occitan lyric poetry. Each poem is presented with a brief introduction, glosses on the text, and notes after each stanza. The volume also includes a section on basic Occitan grammar, a list of manuscripts, bibliographical references, and an index.

"The Handbook provides an extensive apprenticeship tour into medieval Occitan studies, illustrating richly their challenges and rewards. A wonderful resource for the novice as well as the specialist, a vast mine of up-to-date information."—Michel-André Bossy, editor of Medieval Debate Poetry "This work will certainly be a must for every scholar working on the troubadours, and perhaps also for non-specialist medievalists. Its attention to the nitty-gritty of scholarship—manuscripts, editing, language, rhetoric, etc.—is what makes it so unique and helpful. It will be on the top of my bibliography when I teach the troubadours."—Stephen G. Nichols, author of Romanesque Signs

'A must have for Dylan enthusiasts, lovers of London, and anyone with even a passing interest in the history of music. I devoured it in two sittings - and I loved it!' Conor McPherson, playwright, Girl from the North Country This is both a guide and history on the impact of London on Dylan, and the lasting legacy of Bob Dylan on the London music scene. Bob Dylan in London celebrates this journey, and allows readers to experience his London and follow in his footsteps to places such as the King and Queen pub (the first venue that Dylan performed at in London), the Savoy hotel and Camden Town. This book explores the key London places and times that helped to create one of the greatest of all popular musicians, Bob Dylan.

"Troubadour Tales" by Evaleen Stein is a captivating collection of stories inspired by the troubadours of medieval France. Stein's storytelling transports readers to a world of chivalry, romance, and adventure, where knights and minstrels embark on quests and share tales of love and honor. Through beautifully woven narratives, readers are introduced to characters who embody the ideals of chivalry and courtly love. Stein's evocative prose and rich descriptions bring the enchanting world of troubadours to life, making this collection a delightful read for lovers of historical fiction and medieval tales.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1991.