Minnesinger

Any of a group of 12th- to 14th-century German lyric poets and musicians. They represent a continuation of the French troubadour tradition, their songs dealing mainly with the theme of courtly love, but their musical and literary styles diverged. Many were of noble birth, unlike the later Meistersingers (German ‘master singers’) who were from the middle classes. Dietmar von Aist, Friedrich von Hausen, Heinrich von Morungen, Reinmar, and Walther von der Vogelweide were well-known Minnesingers.