I had the pleasure of discovering this video, which may be one of the ultimate expressions of modern medievalism in the musical sphere. Introducing Lo Còr De La Plana, an Occitan revivalist polyphonic choir that sounds just as much like a rap group as anything else.
Occitan is also known as the lenga d'òc, roughly meaning "the language of oc", oc meaning "yes". The people of southern France adapted it from the Latin word hoc ("this"), and by the Middle Ages, Occitan developed a unique language apart from the French of their northern neighbors. Today it stands on the verge of extinction, but in its heyday, Occitan was the native speech of such powermongerers as Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard the Lionheart. It was the established tongue of the troubadours, the men (and women, called trobairitz) who repurposed music as a legitimate pursuit for the upper class. Before, the mere minstrel, like the actor, was perceived to fill a crude occupation. But men such as William IX, Duke of Aquitaine, made it fashionable for the highborn to compose and sing songs of chivalry and courtly love; especially the theme of forbidden love.
One such example of troubadour music, which might suggest some Moorish influence in the style:
This one, allegedly composed by Richard the Lionheart himself, speaks of his capture and ransom by the dirty Austrians:
