Raimon Vidal de Bezaudu(n) (Catalan:Ramon Vidal de Besalú) (flourished early 13th century) was aCatalantroubadour fromBesalú. He is notable for authoring the first tract in aRomance language (Occitan) on the subject of grammar and poetry, theRazós de trobar (c. 1210),[nb 1] a title which translates as "Reasons (or Guidelines) of troubadour composition". He began his career as ajoglar and he spent his formative years at the court ofHug de Mataplana, which he often recalls fondly in his poems and songs.
In theRazós, Raimon distinguishes the "parladura francesa" (French) from the "cella de Lemosin" (Occitan).[1] He also discusses the art of the listener (li auzidor) and his responsibility to understand the troubadour works.[2] Raimon's insistence that the audience understand what is sung and that they keep silent during its singing has been regarded as seminal in the history ofclassical music.[3] To him, listeners have a responsibility to enquire about what they do not understand (which is "one of the wisest things in the world") and to be true to the quality of the work, praising greatness and condemning poor form. Vidal also took pains to argue for the superiority oflemosí (orLemozi, i.e., Occitan) over other vernaculars, prompting theFlorentine poetDante Alighieri to write aDe Vulgari Eloquentia justifying the use of theTuscan vernacular as opposed to the Occitan.[4][5] TheRazós ends with an Occitan-Italian glossary. Late in the 13th century,Terramagnino of Pisa wrote a condensed verse form of theRazós.Jofre de Foixà wrote an expanded version, theRegles de trobar, forJames II of Sicily.
In addition to the aforementioned tract, there are preserved several fragments of song lyrics and three narrativeromans. Among his most famous isSo fo e·l temps qu'om era gais, which is fawning in its treatment ofRaimon de Miraval, an earlier troubadour.[6] In thenova, Raimon presents two ladies as fighting over one knight. Thenova orensenhamen calledAbril issi'e mays intrava, which also refers to Miraval (and to the three sons ofHenry II of England:Enricx,Richartz, andJofrés[7]), is an assessment of contemporary literature and one of the best descriptions of the joglar that we possess.[8] Finally, theCastiagilós is much like a fable, which narrates the story of a jealous husband who is eventually convinced that his suspicions are baseless.
Vidal wrote at the height of the troubadours' popularity and as he himself said:
"all people wish to listen to troubadour songs and to compose (trobar) them, includingChristians,Saracens,Jews, emperors, princes, kings, dukes, counts, viscounts,vavassours, knights, clerics, townsmen, and villeins."[2][9]
Tota gens Crestiana, Juzeus e Sarazís, emperador, princeps, rei, duc, conte, vesconte, contor, valvasor e tuit autre cavailler e clergues borgés e vilanz.
