Armes, amors, damez, chevalerie is a verse from the ballad titled En Seumeillant by the singer Trebor, which introduces us to a King of Aragon, who is generous and a champion of knightly ideals, ready to invade Sardinia. This description is perfectly in keeping with John I, a lover of grace, whom some accused of raiding the public coffers to satisfy his personal pleasures: hunting and music. This is one of the pieces which appears in the Chantilly Codex, dedicated to the monarch of the Catalan house and the members of his entourage.
Although we know little about his life, Trebor was the author of one of the most important poetic and musical productions in the Chantilly Codex, the greatest exponent of the Ars Subtilior. What we do know is that, on 24 June 1408, he was registered as a singer at the Chapel of King Martin I of Aragon, under the names of Johan Trebol, Treboll or Triboll.
Although we do not have any documentary evidence of Trebor’s service at the Chapel of John I, there is no doubt about the relationship that existed between the composer and King John. The old Chantilly Codex attributes six ballads for three voices to the singer, some of which are dedicated to the Catalan monarch and his wife Violant. Other authors of the manuscript also dedicate their works to the mediaeval Catalan monarchs. Not surprisingly, the Catalan house was one of the three benchmarks with regard to the emergence and development of the Ars Subtilior.