The book studies those sacred songs of the Monk of Salzburg corpus which do not rely directly on a Latin–melodic or textual–original. These songs show the form of the canzonic stanza and have therefore been considered to belong into the vernacular tradition of Sangspruchdichtung and Meistergesang. In contrast, the study argues that they rely on, imitate and modify the model of the (monophonic) Latin Liturgical Song, a genre which emerged in the late 12th century and was highly productive in Central Europe until the mid-15th century. For this purpose, a substantial number of late medieval Latin manuscripts containing songs have been assorted, a selection of the Latin songs is edited in an appendix.

This volume concentrates on episodes in Middle High German literature in which identity becomes ambiguous through the using of disguises. In this way, these episodes are not underestimated as droll story elements but are actively used to explain how identity is constructed in medieval literature. It is the aim of this monograph to uncover and analyze the link between identity and disguise and in so doing contribute to a fuller understanding of the different and manifold ways of identity construction in the Middle Ages and to show parallels to modern forms if identity. Subject of the study is the Tristan character who uses disguises continuously due to his illicit love to Isolde and the resulting need for secrecy. This is achieved by not only looking at the ‘Tristan’ of Gottfried of Straßburg but at all Middle High German Tristan narrations of the 12th and 13th century.

By choosing the example of the Polish-Lithianian Commonwealth in the 16th century, Markus Osterrieder examines continuities and transformations in the perception, description and evaluation of images of peace, war and hostility. The study reflects the whole European context and is based on an approach in mental and consciousness history. General mental and social changes are either discussed in form of evolutionary changes or of anthropological constants. The study offers also a substantial contribution to the debate on the fixation of the border between the Middle Ages and Modern Times in Eastern Europe as well as on the position of Eastern Europe in the Europe of the Humanism, Renaissance and Reformation.

The poet known in tradition as Master Alexander or Wild Alexander was probably active from around 1250 as the author of minstrel songs, sacred songs, chants and a Minneleich. He is considered one of the most important song poets of the post-classical 13th century. He is particularly famous for his text, known as the Childhood Song, which is characterised by extraordinary allegorical imagery. The melodies for most of the texts have also survived. The new edition replaces older edition attempts. For the first time, it offers not only the texts but also the melodies in a critical edition, as well as translations into Modern High German and a detailed commentary.

Tannhäuser has established a very unique profile as an author of 13th century medieval German literature. Not only did he experiment with literary genres and test their limits; his poetry is also defined by complex self-referential patterns. This study on the one hand provides – after a close look on the state of research as well as theoretical approach – a profound interpretation of Tannhäusers uvre that focusses especially on self-referential structures and other kinds of literary references. On the other hand it offers a new edition of Tannhäusers texts that follows modern standards.

Das Thema Krieg wird seit einiger Zeit in mehreren geisteswissenschaftlichen Disziplinen stark beachtet. Der vorliegende Band enthält 14 Aufsätze, in denen die Darstellung und Wahrnehmung von Kriegen vom 12. bis 17. Jahrhundert aus der Sicht unterschiedlicher Fächer (Japanologie, Theologie, Geschichte, Altgermanistik, Rechtsgeschichte, Osteuropageschichte) behandelt wird.

Dietrich von Bern is one of the major heroes in German medieval literature. His fights with giants, dwarves, and dragons were very popular through the 16th century. Poems like the Hildebrandlied or Nibelungenlied describe these heroic challenges. This volume studies the late medieval German heroic epics from several angles: questions of genre, cycle development, meta level and intertextuality.

Medieval subjects have played a significant role in the history of opera and musical theater. Since 1945 over 350 works have been set in the Middle Ages or demonstrate a reception of medieval topics or events. These are catalogued with a detailed description that includes title, composer, librettis, source material and content. Four works from the recent past are treated for their reception of the Middle Ages and the image of the Middle Ages they provide.