In our luggage, we not only carried medieval instruments (lute, guiterne and vielle), but also some works in ancient Occitan and above all: an outline programme dedicated to the ‘last of the troubadours’, Guiraut Riquier (c. 1230-c. 1300).

Day after day, we spent a lot of time scouring Guiraut's repertoire and familiarising ourselves with his ideas and style. We have 48 melodies by this troubadour: we have listened to them all and have thus familiarised ourselves with a style that is much more varied than we imagined. Guiraut's work, influenced by the historical events that the troubadour had to face, has many faces. Indeed, following the crusade against the Albigensians, the music of the troubadours lost popularity among the elites of the Occitan lands. As a result of this decline, some of these poet-musicians went into exile to make their art known in foreign courts. Guiraut Riquier chose to cross the Pyrenees (hence the title of the programme: Trobar al entorn dels Pirineus) to join the court of a king who was a symbol of virtue and tolerance: Alfonso the Wise of Castile.

After an initial exploration phase, we chose not to use the texts of his Epistles during the concert. These letters are in fact scholastic treatises, the style of which is designed for studious reading and not for public recital. However, we have gleaned valuable information about the demands, ideas and needs (sometimes very trivial!) of an artist out of step with a decadent society in which he no longer recognises himself.

Specifically, we read a large part of his poetry set to music with the help of the available editions and translations. Where these were lacking, we had to translate the texts ourselves. La Vallière's manuscript, probably copied by nuns in Toulouse, was our musical reference (modern editions sometimes take certain liberties with the original sources). All his melodies are preserved in this single manuscript, which constitutes an exceptional testimony. The musical work of no other troubadour has been copied so abundantly and in such an orderly manner, in chronological order. This is a real goldmine for modern performers!

By playing and singing the melodies, we became aware of the plurality of melodic modes and poetic forms chosen. We then made a selection of pieces that could illustrate this diversity. From there, we worked on different levels: instrumental compositions inspired by the songs (estampies), rhythmic versions (the melodies do not give us any information of this kind), recitation with simple instrumental accompaniment, modal improvisation, etc. We also wanted to broaden this exploration of Guiraut's art by following a geographical and diachronic axis. The court of Castile is known for the compilation of the Cantigas de Santa Maria. It seemed natural and appropriate to us to create a dialogue between Guiraut's songs and compositions from this repertoire that reveal possible points of contact. For example, the Virgin Mary, celebrated throughout the cantigas, is also one of the favourite subjects of Guiraut's songs. From a temporal point of view, we wanted to reconnect with the very beginning of the troubadour tradition thanks to Marcabru, a figure as atypical as his late counterpart.

During the residency, we presented a shortened version of the programme based on the time allotted to us. This was an opportunity to test the progress of this musical journey supported by a projection of images and translations. This last element made certain contents of the poems accessible and was particularly well received by an audience that was as attentive as it was curious. Given the success of this formula, we will no doubt repeat it when we have the opportunity to present our programme in its complete form.

The time and space provided during this residency gave us everything we needed to immerse ourselves fully in our creative work. Many thanks to Juliette Biche and the team at the Abbey for their warm welcome and constant availability. Thanks also to Jean-François Reboux, journalist at RCF, for giving us such an interesting interview and for guiding us through the treasures of Saint-Eutrope.