October 19th, 1845 Wagner's opera Tannhäuser was performed for the 1st time. The opera is based on the legend of Tannhäuser which is based on a real person who lived in the middle of the 13th Century and was a German Minnesänger and poet. Tannhäuser's poems are parodies of the traditional Minnesänger genre.
He was active at the court of Frederick II of Austria, and the Codex Manesse depicts him in the habit of the Teutonic Order, which suggests he might have participated in the Fifth Crusade.
The Codex Manesse is the single most comprehensive source for the texts of love songs in Middle High German, representing 140 poets, several of whom were famous rulers. The term for these poets, Minnesänger combines the words for "romantic love" and "singer", reflecting the content of the poetry, which adapted the Provençal troubadour tradition to German.
The manuscript is "the most beautifully illumined German manuscript in centuries;" its 137 miniatures are a series of "portraits" depicting each poet.
In the legendary account, Tannhäuser finds the Venusberg, home of Venus, and spends a year there worshipping the goddess. He leaves the Venusberg an eventually is filled with remorse. He travels to Rome to ask Pope Urban IV if it is possible to be absolved of his sins. Urban replies that forgiveness is as impossible as it would be for his papal staff to blossom. Three days after Tannhäuser's departure Urban's staff blooms with flowers; messengers are sent to retrieve the knight, but he has already returned to Venusberg, never to be seen again.
Of course there's a little more to the opera. Check it out here.
We'll be celebrating this anniversary on Shaman's Hand Blog Talk Radio this coming Sunday night 8:00 MST. Check the sidebar for links.
