Conon de Bethune

A French trouvere from Bethune whose chansons indicate that he readied himself for the third crusade. Chastelain de Couci may have been an acquaintance of Conon and it is fairly certain that Conon particiapted in the fourth crusade and indeed was present during the seige of Constantinople; he was also apparently present at the crowning of Baldwin IX. Characteristics of his music include balanced meters with ten syllables to the line. Patterns of repetition and variations of melodic motifs (e.g. AA') are present in Conon's music. His methods served as templates for other troubadors. ~ Keith Johnson