Martim
Trovador ou Jogral medieval

Biographical Note:

Author as yet unknown. The song that we attribute him, which satirizes the troubadour Martim Moxa, is located, in the italian aphographs, immediately after two satirical songs by this troubadour. Not being preceded, as usual, by any attributive item, but only (in B) by an explanatory caption, this song has been considered as authored by Martim Moxa himself (being therefore self-derisory). However, the mentioned explanatory caption, where it can clearly be read “Esta cantiga fez Martim”(NT: This song was made by Martin) is of a very problematic reading on the following terms, not being impossible that the correct reading would be “Esta cantiga fez Martim Afonso Mar[...]”(This song was made by Martim Afonso Mar… - the last term is unclear). Moreover, Carolina Michaëlis, although neither editing the caption nor making many considerations on this matter, also considered that this song would be a scorn against Martim Moxa and not of his authorship1. Therefore, we consider to be more prudent to leave open the hypothesis that its author would be one Martim, troubadour or minstrel, whose surname is equally an open question. It should be added that several minstrels named Martim are present in the songbooks, either as authors or as objects of satire (as is the case of the Martim to whom João Garcia de Guilhade directs two songs).

References

1 Vasconcelos, Carolina Michaëlis de (1990), Cancioneiro da Ajuda, vol. II, Lisboa, Imprensa nacional - Casa da Moeda (reimpressão da edição de Halle, 1904), p. 470.