Ebook: Music of the Minnesinger and Early Meistersinger: A Bibliography

The study of the songs of the Minnesinger is complicated by the fact that most of the tunes have come down to us only in late manuscripts, with the original 'Ton' or 'Weise' accompanied by new texts by later poets, leaving questions of authenticity or corruption to be solved. In addition to this, histories of mediaeval music frequently treat as Minnesinger certain poets whom the historian of literature considers as Meistersinger. I have not attempted to settle this disagreement, but have included both groups, with dates, wherever available, to distinguish between the earlier Minnesinger and the later Meistersinger.