(d Regensburg, ? before 1276). German Minnesinger. His identity is uncertain, but it is possible that he came from a Bavarian noble family and was in the service of the Bishop of Regensburg. He died in a local feud at Regensburg; his posthumous fame was enhanced by the rumour that he had paid for an act of courtly homage to a lady with his life. In terms of content and form his Minnelieder and Sprüche (see Spruch), rich in imagery and fantasy, belong among the work of those 13th-century Minnesinger connected with the courtly traditions. His work is close to that of Ulrich von Singenberg, Reinmar von Hagenau, Heinrich von Morungen and Walther von der Vogelweide. His output includes four Kanzonen (see Bar form) as well as the Spruchton (Ton IV) with at least 12 strophes. The Spruchton was used by other Minnesinger in the 13th century and was also used in the 14th century for Latin cantiones. The manuscript tradition for his poems is unconvincing and contains several errors of form as well as a stylistic diversity that casts doubt on some of the ascriptions. There is no evidence to support his authorship for the ‘Brennenberger’ Ton in Meistergesang sources, but one melody in the Colmar manuscript (D-Mbs Cgm 4997, f.672) has the name ‘In dem Brannenberger’ and may be his even though it survives only with a later text, In dyser zyt; the correct text is probably Wol mich des tages.
P. Runge, ed.: Die Sangesweisen der Colmarer Handschrift und die Liederhandschrift Donaueschingen (Leipzig, 1896/R), 158 [music edn]
C. von Kraus, ed.: Deutsche Liederdichter des 13. Jahrhunderts, i (Tübingen, 1952), rev. 2/1978 by G. Kornrumpf), no.44 [text edn and commentary]
H. Kuhn: Minnesang des 13. Jahrhunderts (Tübingen, 1953, 2/1962), 159 [melodies ed. G. Reichert]
H. Brunner: Die alten Meister (Munich, 1975)
F. Schanze: ‘Reinmar von Brennenberg’, Die deutsche Literatur des Mittelalters: Verfasserlexikon, ed. K. Ruh and others (Berlin, 2/1977)
F. Schanze and B. Wachinger, eds.: Repertorium der Sangsprüche und Meisterlieder, v (Tübingen, 1991), 201–22
H. Kischkel: ‘Bemerkungen zu Reinmar von Brennenberg’, Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprachen und Literaturen, ccxxxi (1994), 359–69
For further bibliography see Minnesang.
BURKHARD KIPPENBERG/LORENZ WELKER