Minstrels :: essays research papers

MinstrelsMinstrels, or traveling thespians, thrived passim Europe in medievaltimes. The term minstrel referred to a victor entertainer of any kindfrom the 12th century to the 17th century. Minstrels were instrumentalist, butwere alike often jugglers, acrobats, and historytellers. Although minstrels nolonger exist, they play an important role in medieval history and, at ace time,could be implant, in one form or another, throughout the entire continent ofEurope.Different countries had disparate names for minstrels. In Ger some, theywere called minnesingers. In France, they were known as troubadours andjoungleurs. The Scandinavian minstrels were called skalds. The Irish calledtheir minstrels bards, succession the English minstrels were referred to as scops.Minstrels were primarily singers and musicians. These wanderingperformers were also story tellers, jugglers, clowns, and tumblers. Oftenminstrels were an important part of prominent house holds providingentertainment for the speed class of society. Those minstrels who were not partof a nobles homestead, traveled from townsfolk to town providing entertainment notonly to noble classes but also to jet village folk as well. at that place were not many forms of entertainment, nor was there a means forpeople to learn about news fifty-fiftyts. there was no television or radio in medievaltimes. change surface books were very scarce. Minstrels served to entertain the public.They made up songs, stories, and repeated ballads and folk tales touristed duringthis time. Traveling from town to town minstrels were also a source of news.This would helping information with the townspeople of the village. Thetownspeople would pct this news with the minstrels who would then share thisnews with the townspeople in the next village in which they performed.each country in medieval Europe had their own type of minstrel. Each,while similar in their general role of entertainer, they were different in manyways. Troubadour s, French minstrels, flourished in from the 11th centurythrough the 13th century. Troubadours were found in the southern part of France.The troubadours were among the first minstrels to use their native kniferather than Latin. The Latin language was considered the literary language ofthe middle ages. There were approximately 400 troubadours who were known tohave lived. The majority of them were nobles and some were even kings(Microsoft Encarta 96 Encyclopedia.)Originally troubadours sang their poems, later they were accompanied byjongleurs who played musical instruments. The musical instruments the jongleursplayed were the fiddle and the lute. The subject of their songs were based ontopics such as love ,politics, religion, war, and death. Approximately 400melodies and 4000 poems have been continue from medieval troubadours (Microsoft