The ''viadera'' (, ; also spelled ''viadeyra'' or ''viandela'') was a

lyric Lyric may refer to: * Lyrics, the words, often in verse form, which are sung, usually to a melody, and constitute the semantic content of a song * Lyric poetry is a form of poetry that expresses a subjective, personal point of view * Lyric, from t ...

genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...

of Catalan and

Occitan literature Occitan literature (referred to in older texts as Provençal literature) is a body of texts written in Occitan language, Occitan, mostly in the south of France. It was the first literature written in a Romance language and inspired the rise of v ...

invented by the

troubadour A troubadour (, ; ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female equivalent is usually called a ''trobairitz''. The tr ...

s. It was a dance song devised to lighten the burden of a long voyage or to enliven the trip. It was a popular as opposed to "high" form and only infrequently used by cultivated poets. According to the Catalan

Cançoneret de Ripoll The Cançoneret de Ripoll (, ), now manuscript 129 of Ripoll in the Arxiu de la Corona d'Aragó, is a short Catalan-Occitan chansonnier produced in the mid-fourteenth century but after 1346, when Peter IV of Aragon held a poetry competition whic ...

, it was ''la pus jusana spècies qui és en los cantàs'' (the most humble genre of song there is) and elsewhere it is called ''la més baixa espècie de cançons'' (the most base genre of song). One of the more famous ''viadeyras'' was composed by

Cerverí de Girona Cerverí de Girona (; fl. 1259 – 1285) was a Catalan troubadour born Guillem de Cervera in Girona. He was the most prolific troubadour, leaving behind some 114 lyric poems among other works, including an ''ensenhamen'' of proverbs for his s ...

. It begins ''No.l'' ("Don't take that false husband") and is preserved in the

Cançoner Gil The ''Cançoner Gil'' (, ) is an Occitan language, Occitan chansonnier produced in Catalonia in the middle of the 14th century. In the systematic nomenclature of Occitanists, it is typically named Manuscript, MS ''Sg'', but as ''Z'' in the reass ...

. The theme of the song is that of a warning to a girl, either ''Jana delgada'' (delicate Joanna) or ''Na Delgada'', a ''

senhal A ''senhal'' is a codename used to address ladies, patrons and friends in the Old Occitan poetry of the troubadours. Only a minority of persons addressed by ''senhal'' have been identified, the rest being subject to much speculation.Frank M. Chamb ...

'' meaning "delicate lady". The line ''jana delgada'' (read either as ''Jana delgada'' or ''ja, Na Delgada'') is repeated after every two lines as a '' respos''. The song has much in common with Galician-Portuguese ''

cantigas de amigo ''Cantiga de amigo'' (, ) or ''cantiga d'amigo'' ( Galician-Portuguese spelling), literally "friend song", is a genre of medieval lyric poetry, more specifically the Galician-Portuguese lyric, apparently rooted in a female-voiced song tradition n ...

''.

References

* Riquer, Martí de (1964). ''Història de la Literatura Catalana'', vol. 1. Barcelona: Edicions Ariel. {{Western medieval lyric forms Western medieval lyric forms Occitan literary genres Medieval dance Popular music