Bernart de Ventadorn was a French composer, poet, and performer of the medieval troubadour style. He is known as the most important troubadour because of his large volume of surviving works. Bernart was born around 1130 to a poor family at the Ventadour Castle, in central France. Both of his parents worked as servants at the castle, where they were responsible for collecting firewood and firing the ovens, and his father was also an experienced soldier. During the previous century, an earlier nobleman of the castle, Eble II, had been interested in the troubadour tradition, and he founded a school for poetry in 1096 where Bernart likely received his education. Eble II's son, Eble III, was Bernart's first patron, and probably oversaw his schooling. In the service of Eble III, Bernart dedicated his poetry and music to his employer's wife, Margerite de Turenne. However, Bernart and Margerite eventually fell in love, which led to Bernart's dismissal. After traveling and performing in central and northern France, he became employed by Eleanor of Aquitaine, and he accompanied her on a trip to England. They also fell in love with each other, but their relationship sadly came to an end in 1152 when Eleanor married Henry II, King of England. A short while later, Bernart traveled to Toulouse, where he entered the service of Count Raymond V. He remained in this position until the count passed away in 1194, and then he spent his final years in a monastery in Dordogne. Of his 45 surviving works, 18 are complete with melodies, which is a considerably larger number than any of his contemporaries. His music was very popular throughout France and England and persisted for hundreds of years. Trouvères from the 1200s imitated Bernart's style, and his music was known to Dante, who made a reference to the song Can vei la lauzeta mover in his Paradiso in 1300. In modern times, Bernart's music has been performed and recorded by Millenarium, Jordi Savall, and Joel Cohen. ~ RJ Lambert, Rovi