Walther von der Vogelweide (ca. 1170-1229) was the greatest German poet, composer, and singer of minnesongs and Spruche--gnomic or didactic songs--of the Middle Ages.

The work of Walther von der Vogelweide is distinguished by genuine feeling and meticulous skill in metrics and rhyme patterns; his personality embraced a sterling character and a wide range of interests. As a mentor of society, Vogelweide exhibited unshakable ethical principles, religious faith, and a robust attitude toward life. Although only about 5,000 lines of his poetry are extant, his utterance is so personal and natural that more is known about him than about, for example, William Shakespeare, despite the fact that Vogelweide was restricted by the conventions of courtly culture, which, however, he did not always observe.

Born in Austria to an impoverished knightly family, probably in Bolzano (Bozen) in the South Tirol, and in or near a bird reserve (as his name...