Little is known for certain about Bernal's background, life, or career. Sources say that he was a native of Santiago de Compostela, which is in the modern Spanish Province of A Coruña. He mentions a place called "Bonaval" in several of his poems. It has been suggested that he was born outside the mediaeval city walls of Santiago, because "de Bonaval" may refer to the Convent of San Domingos de Bonaval, which is outside those walls. It has also been suggested that "Bernal de Bonaval" and "Frater Bernardus, prior Bone Uallis" may have been one and the same. If that suggestion is correct, then Bernal may have been a friar in the Dominican Order, and "de Bonaval" may refer to the convent rather than to his birthplace. He was active in the 13th century. Some sources suggest that he may have been born in the 12th century. He was known at the courts of Fernando III and Alfonso X. A poem of 1266 by King Alfonso X directed at the troubadour mentions Bernal: "Vós nom trobades come proençal, / mais come Bernaldo de Bonaval; / por ende nom é trobar natural / pois que o del e do dem'aprendestes". Bernal was also mentioned in verse by the troubadours, João Baveca and Pedro da Ponte. It has been suggested in recent times by one author that Bernal may have had a reputation as a passive homosexual, and may have been the same man as the one nicknamed "Bernal Fundado".
Works
He is one of the earliest known es or :wiktionary:pt:segrel|segreis. Nineteen of his works have survived: ten , eight cantigas de amigo, and one tensón. He introduced popular motifs and realistic features into what had been a form of poetry. He has been called "Villonesque", even though François Villon lived two centuries later. His songs have been preserved in the Cancioneiro da Vaticana and the Cancioneiro da Biblioteca Nacional.
Legacy and critical reception
Rúa de Bernal de Bonaval in Santiago de Compostela is named after him. In 1961, Brazilian scholar ranked him among the principal troubadours. The 1971 album Cantigas de Amigos includes a duet between Portuguese artists Amália Rodrigues and Ary Dos Santos called "Vem esperar meu amigo". It is a version of Bernal's cantiga de amigo "Ai, fremosinha, se ben ajades", named from its refrain rather than from its first line. Spanish musician included his version of Bernal's "A dona que eu amo" on his 1984 album Leliadoura. In 1985, Portuguese scholar Ribeiro Miranda published an academic paper analysing Bernal's importance. In 1994, Galician writerCastelao named Bernal among the notable Galicians. In 2012, Galician scholar Souto Cabo called him "uma das personalides poéticas mais célebres dos nossos cancioneros".
