Biography
Neidhart, a Minnesinger from Germany, held court appointments under Duke Otto II of Bavaria, either Leopold of Austria or Friedrich II, and Bishop Eberhard of Salzburg. Complete patronage arrived in 1232 from Duke Friedrich der Streitbare once the poet took up residence in Melk. Sixty-eight poems survive under his name, together with several of the original melodies. Seasonal songs form the core of his output; each opens with a depiction of summer or winter before moving into other material. Biographical details appear inside these poems yet remain unrelated to their central themes. He handled strophic forms with clarity and craftsmanship while weaving in parodic references. Rejecting the polished register of court verse, he turned instead to everyday and at times coarse diction to sharpen emotional or descriptive force. Outside the usual courtly idiom he proved especially skilled at improvising lines. Dance rhythms governed his musical settings and in turn affected how the texts were voiced. Numerous later composers copied his melodic designs.