This preview of a planned two volume publication with CD-ROM by Brepols Publishers invites remarks, suggestions, and discussion. The final publication includes a new transcription and facsimile edition, together with numerous finding lists.
Den Haag, Koninklijke Bibliotheek MS 128 E 2, the so-called Hague Song Manuscript (het Haagse Liederenhandschrift, die Haager Liederhandschrift) is actually a miscellany, a collection of 165 shorter and longer poems (2 to 672 lines per poem) belonging to the late medieval courtly love tradition: the late medieval song (there is no musical notation), the late medieval shorter narrative poem, the so-called sproke or Spruch, and the late medieval Minnerede or Minneallegorie. There are also some occasional verses, such as riddles and sayings.
The linguistic origin of the poems is varied. They are written in Middle High and Middle Middle German adapted to a northern variety, as well as in Lower Rhenish (Cologne), in Middle Dutch (Flemish, Brabantic, Limburgic, and Hollandic), and in a peculiar German / Dutch or Dutch / German linguistic mixture, that has puzzled scholars for the past century and a half and that has given rise to a host of explanatory theories.
The manuscript has 67 folios in parchment, without illustrations, and was most likely produced for personal use. It probably originated around 1400 in the Northern part of the Low Countries, although nothing certain is known. At the end of folio 67 verso the following ex libris of its earliest known owners is found: "Dit boech huert zo Joncher Johan, greve zo Nossou zo Vyanden, und Marien von Loen, synre huysvrauwen." Count John IV, who was born in 1410, married Mary of Loon in 1440 and died in 1475; the note therefore must have been inserted between 1440 and 1475, some time after the book was completed.
See the detailed Description of the
Manuscript prepared by Jos Biemans, with
Margriet Hülsmann and Brigitte Schludermann.
In the German literary tradition KB 128 E 2 is especially known for
its very late and very northerly transmission of some stanzas from the
classical German Minnesang, all in all eleven songs. It is from this
link with the German Minnesang tradition that the manuscript has
received its name "die Haager Liederhandschrift", "het Haagse
Liederenhandschrift". The following authors can be identified:
Albrecht von Johansdorf: ca. 1165–, Ministeriale,
probably in the service of Bishop Wolfger of Passau (1189–1209); he most
likely participated in the Barbarossa crusade (1189/90).
In the tradition of the Medieval Dutch love lyric, KB 128 E 2,
together with the probably contemporary Gruuthuse-Songs and the Berlin
Songs mgf 922, is one of the most important manuscripts. Little of this
genre has survived in Middle Dutch. From the time of Hendrik van Veldeke
(ca. 1170–1190) till ca. 1400 only about thirty Medieval Dutch
examples survive. For the Middle Dutch lyric the three manuscripts of
around 1400 represent 'een ware lyriekexplosie', a true explosion of
lyrical poetry (see Dini Hogenelst and Margreet Rierink, p. 30,
reference below).
KB 128 E 2 contains less lyrical poetry and dancing songs than the
other two collections. Some poems can be placed in the later medieval
tradition of the Sangspruchdichtung, poems mostly in strophes intended
to be sung. A large number of texts belong to sproken and the
Minnereden.
Within the texts categorised as sproken and Minnereden,
some belong to the German, some to the Rhenish, and some to the Dutch
tradition.
For lyrical poetry see: Een zoet akkoord: Middeleeuwse lyriek in de
Lage Landen, ed. J.B. Oosterman, Nederlandse Literatuur en cultuur in de
middeleeuwen VII, eds F.P. van Oostrom and W. van Anrooij, Amsterdam:
Prometheus, 1992. In this collection of essays on the status quo of
research into Middle Dutch lyrical poetry a number of essays are
directly relevant to KB 128 E 2: Frank Willaert, "Inleiding:
Middelnederlandse lyriek in context", pp. 9–26; Dini Hogenelst and
Margreet Rierink, "Praalzucht, professionalisme en privé-collecties: De
functie van Middelnederlandse profane liedverzamelingen rond 1400", pp.
27–55; Frank Willaert, "Het zingende hof: Ontstaan, vertolking en
onthaal van hoofse minnelyriek omstreeks 1400", pp. 109–122; Johan
Flach, "Beeldspraak in Middelnederlandse lyriek", pp. 170-186.
For sproken and Sangspruchdichtung see Dini Hogenelst,
Sproken en sprekers: Inleiding op en repertorium van de
Middelnederlandse sproke, Nederlandse literatuur en cultuur in de
Middeleuwen XVI, eds F.P. van Oostrom and W. van Anrooij, Amsterdam:
Prometheus, 1997; particular reference to the Sangspruchdichtung is made
on pp. 60–70. For the German context see Hanns Fischer, Studien zur
deutschen Märendichtung. Tübingen: Max Niemeyer, 1968.
For the Minnereden see Ingeborg Glier, Artes Amandi:
Untersuchung zur Geschichte, Überlieferung und Typologie der deutschen
Minnerede. MTU, vol. 34, Munich: C.H. Beck, 1971, who has a special
"Exkurs" on the Middle Dutch tradition; Tilo Brandis,
Mittelhochdeutsche, mittelniederdeutsche und mittelniederländische
Minnereden: Verzeichnis der Handschriften und Drucke. MTU, vol. 25,
Munich: C.H. Beck, 1968; and Melitta Rheinheimer, Rheinische Minnereden:
Untersuchungen und Edition, Göppinger Arbeiten zur Germanistik, eds
Ulrich Müller, Franz Hundsnurscher, and Cornelius Sommer, no. 144,
Göppingen: Kümmerle Verlag, 1975.
The most prominent theory since 1890 links the linguistic mixtures to
a German language fashion which arose at the Court of Holland in Den
Haag during the reign of the Bavarian House: see Frits van Oostrom, "Het
Haags liederenhandschrift", in his Het woord van eer: Literatuur aan het
Hollandse hof omstreeks 1400, Amsterdam: Meulenhoff, 1987, pp.
86–135 (English translation: Court and Culture: Dutch Literature
1350-1450, trans. Arnold J. Pomerans, foreword James H. Marrow,
Berkeley, etc.: University of California Press, 1992, pp. 77–125).
A more recent theory argues that the linguistic mixture is most
likely a dialect mixture from the north-eastern region of the Low
Countries and originated at the Court of Guelders or Kleve: see Helmut
Tervooren in his Literary Historical
Introduction to this project.
For a detailed summary of all the theories put forward from
1816–1996 see Brigitte Schludermann, A Quantitative Analysis of
German / Dutch Language Mixture in the Berlin Songs mgf 922, the
Gruuthuse-Songs, and the Hague MS 128 E 2, Göppinger Arbeiten zur
Germanistik, eds Ulrich Müller, Franz Hundsnurscher, and Cornelius
Sommer, no. 338 I–III, Göppingen: Kümmerle Verlag, 1996, vol. I, pp.
83–116.
The three volumes of this study are devoted to a complete detailed
quantitative description of the language mixtures in comparison to the
Berlin Songs mgf and the Gruuthuse-Songs. The analysis is based on the
High German - Non-High German opposition of nine significant
quantitative features (e.g. ich versus ic, das versus dat,
und versus ende, etc.). A quantitative index of language mixture was
developed through a multi-variate analysis. The poems were graphed and
patterns emerged.
For a more recent qualitative study see Corrie de Haan, Dichten in
stijl: Duitse kleuring in Middelnederlandse teksten, Amsterdam:
Prometheus, 1999. She concentrates on texts which appear twice in KB 128
E 2, often with a different mixture. The mixed vocabulary is also
studied in the Gruuthuse-Songs, in Der minnen loep by Dirc Potter, and
the ereredes by Heraut Gelre. She stresses the stylistic intention of
the authors.
It is the aim of this project to make available research material for
the study of KB 128 E 2 and, in particular, for a detailed study of the
linguistic mixture. The research material consists of:
The main aim of this preview is to encourage discussion which can be
incorporated into the final publication. The authors, Brepols
Publishers, and the Koninklijke Bibliotheek in Den Haag, therefore,
invite suggestions and feedback on the material and how it is presented
here.
Brigitte Schludermann
The Literary Tradition
Freidank (named 'Vrydanch'): author of a collection of sayings
entitled Bescheidenheit, written ca. between 1215 and 1230; not much
else is known.
Meister Heinrich Frauenlob: ca. 1250/60–1318;
itinerant poet, most frequently in Northern Germany, who settled
eventually at Mainz.
Reinmar der Alte: Minnesänger, court poet at the
Babenberg court in Vienna; died probably between 1205 and 1210.
[Ulrich] von Sachsendorf: Ministeriale of the Herren von
Kuenring; Minnesänger at the court of Duke Frederick of
Austria); he has been documented in 1249.
Ulrich von Winterstetten: Minnesänger, later a canon at
Augsburg; documented between 1241 and 1280.
Walther von Mezze (named? 'Walther'): itinerant poet, perhaps
from the Tyrol, before ca. 1270.
Walther von der Vogelweide (named? 'Walther'): Ministeriale (?),
court poet of Duke Frederick of Austria at Vienna, ca. 1170–1230.
The Linguistic Mixture
The Aim of this Project
Discussion and Feedback
Contacts
Dutch Studies
University of Hull
HULL HU6 7RX
UK
Tel. 00-44-(0)1482-465884
Fax. 00-44-(0)1482-465020
e-mail: b.schludermann@selc.hull.ac.uk
John Dawson
Literary and Linguistic Computing Centre
University of Cambridge
Sidgwick Avenue
CAMBRIDGE CB3 9DA
UK
Tel. 00-44-(0)1223-335029
e-mail: jld1@cam.ac.uk