Reinmar der Alte

Reinmar der Alte, Middle High German Minnesänger. The epithet ‘old’ (alt), which occurs in the MSS., has nothing to do with his age, but distinguishes him from later bearers of the same name, notably Reinmar von Zweter. He is often called Reinmar von Hagenau, in consequence of a reference by Gottfried von Straßburg to ‘diu [sc. nahtegal] von Hagenouwe’, without, however, any mention of Reinmar's name. Nothing is known with certainty about Reinmar's life, though the generally accepted view that he was closely associated with Hagenau and with the Babenberger court in Vienna has recently been contested on the basis of a reassessment of his œuvre. He probably died between 1205 and 1210, some think as a relatively young man.

Although it has now been shown that Reinmar's contribution to Minnesang goes well beyond that of courtly Minnesang, he was nevertheless an acknowledged master of this genre, and many younger poets regarded him as their preceptor. To Walther von der Vogelweide he became a rival. Reinmar's poetry constantly repeats the motif of the knight's service (Minnedienst), unrewarded by his lady, and makes it clear that fulfilment would destroy a relationship which has an important function in educating the character to true nobility. The poems move within narrow limits, exhibiting refinement and tact and eschewing any utterance of passion. Their reticent perfection can appear monotonous, and their evident appreciation by Reinmar's contemporaries indicates a public schooled in poetic form and responsive to subtleties.

His great prestige is endorsed by his opponent Walther, who quotes in his elegy Reinmar's line ‘Sô wol dir, wîp, wie reine ein nam’. His work is contained in Des Minnesangs Frühling, new revised edition (38th) by H. Moser and H. Tervooren, vol. 1, 1988; and in Die mittelhochdeutsche Minnelyrik. Texte und Übersetzungen, ed. G. Schweikle, vol. 1, 1977.