Minstrel
For the 19th century American form of music and performance known as minstrelsy
, see minstrel show.A
minstrel was a
medieval European
bard who performed songs whose lyrics told stories about distant places or about (real or imaginary) historical events. Though minstrels created their own tales, often they would memorize and embellish the works of others. Frequently they were retained by royalty and high society. As the courts became more sophisticated, minstrels were eventually replaced at court by the
troubadours, and many became wandering minstrels, performing for common townsfolk. In this guise, minstrelsy was still well liked until the middle of the
Renaissance, despite a decline beginning in the late 15th century. Minstrelsy fed into later traditions of itinerant entertainers, which continued to be moderately strong into the early 20th century, and which has some continuity down to today's
buskers or street musicians.
Initially, minstrels were simply servants at Court (the name means literally "little servant"), and entertained the lord and courtiers with
chansons de geste or their local equivalent. The term
minstrel derives from
Old French menestrel, menesterel, menestral,
French ménestral,
Italian ministrello, menestrello, from Middle Latin
ministralis, ministrel, "retainer,"
Latin minister, "attendant," "retainer," "minister," from
minor, "less."
In
England before the
Norman Conquest, the professional poet was known as a
scôp ("shaper" or "maker"), who composed his own poems, and sang them to the accompaniment of a rude
harp. Another type of performers, in a rank much beneath the
scôp, were the
gleemen, who had no settled abode, but roamed about from place to place, earning what they could from their performances. Late in the
13th century, the term
minstrel began to be used to designate a performer who amused his lord with music and song.
In a complex way involving invasions, wars, conquests, etc., two categories of composers originated. Poets like
Chaucer and
John Gower appeared in one category wherein music was not a part. Minstrels, on the other hand, swarmed at feasts and festivals in great numbers with harps,
fiddles,
bagpipes,
flutes,
flageolets,
citterns, and
kettledrums.
As early as
1321, the minstrels of
Paris were formed into a guild. A guild of royal minstrels was organized in
England in
1469. Minstrels were required to either join the guild or to abstain from practicing their craft. Some minstrels were retained by lords as
jesters who, in some cases, also practiced the art of
juggling. Some were women, or women who followed minstrels in their travels. Minstrels throughout Europe also employed trained animals, such as
bears. Minstrelsy in Europe died out slowly, having gone nearly extinct by about
1700, though isolated individuals working in the tradition were said to exist well into the
19th century.
The term
minstrelsy was revived in the
1840s United States to refer to
blackface performances known as
minstrel shows.
*
Thomas Ercildoun*
James Beattie, author of the poem
The Minstrel.
