Consistori del Gay Saber
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The Consistori del Gay (or Gai) Saber ("Consistory of the Gay Science"), commonly called the Consistori de Tolosa ("Consistory of Toulouse") today, was a poetic academy founded at Toulouse in 1323 to revive and perpetuate the lyric school of the troubadours.
Character and legacy
The Consistori, in its reactionary attempt to preserve what had gone out of style, is often credited with fostering a monotonous form of poetry devoid of vibrance and feeling. Partly, however, this can be blamed on the Inquisition and the fear of being labelled immoral or, worse, a heretic. Courtly love, with all its adulterous and extramarital connotations, was a rarer theme with troubadours associated with Toulouse than religious themes, especially Marian. Even on religious themes, however, their work lacks the "force" of the last troubadours of the thirteenth century, like Cerverí de Girona, who wrote much on such themes. The Toulousains lacked originality and for that reason their accomplishments have been undervalued by later generations. Their isolation and their classicism cut them off from the literary movements giving life to other vernaculars, such as the dolce stil novo and the Renaissance in Italian and the work of Ausias March in Catalan.
Martín de Riquer is highly critical of the escola poètica de Tolosa, which he charges with a thematically severely limited, weighed down by a narrow conception of art and imposing strictures governing poetic form and content, negatively influencing Catalan poetry by exporting occitanisms (until Italian trends wafted over the western Mediterranean sea routes to rejuvenate it), and sustaining an outmoded literary language. He compares it to French neoclassicism and its "tyranny of the monotonous alexandrine".
Associated troubadours
- Arnaut Bernart de Tarascon, won the violet in 1484
- Arnaut Vidal de Castelnou d'Ari, won the violet in 1324
- Bernart de Panassac, founding member
- Bernat de Palaol, lost a debate with Rovira in 1386
- Bertran del Falgar, "crowned" winner in unknown year
- Bertran de Payna, "crowned" winner in unknown year
- Bertran de Sant Roscha, "crowned" winner thrice
- Gaston III of Foix, won the "joia" unknown year
- Germà de Gontaut, maintainer in 1355 and 1386
- Guilhem Molinier, first chancellor, wrote up the rules (Leys)
- Guillem Bossatz d'Aorlayachs, won the eglantine and was "crowned"
- Guillem Vetzinas, "sealed" winner in unknown year
- Jacme Rovira, won a debate with Palaol in 1386
- Jaume de Tolosa, "crowned" winner unknown year
- Joan Blanch, won the violet c. 1360
- Joan de Castellnou, completed the final version of the Leys around 1355
- Lorenç Mallol, submitted a figured verse for competition
- Luys Ycart, participant in unknown year
- Peire Duran de Limoux, won the violet in 1373
- Peire de Ladils, collaborator with Raimon de Cornet
- Peire de Monlasur, collaborator with Peire Duran
- Raimon de Cornet, called l'esprit le plus brillant (the most brilliant spirit) of the Consistori
- Ramenat Montaut, won the "joia" unknown year
- Ramon Galbarra, maintainer in 1355 and 1386
