Troubadours and Minnesingers Brought Music to Kings and People
Except for the first few chapters in this book, we have told you of
music made by men who wanted to improve it. You have seen how the
fathers of the Church first reformed music, and gave it a shorthand
called neumes; before that, the music laws of the Egyptians, the scales
and modes of the Arab, the Greek scales which the churchmen used in the
Ambrosian and the Gregorian modes. Then came the two-lined staff, and
the beginnings of mensural or measured music by which they kept time.
Then you saw how two melodies were fitted together and how they grew
into four parts. All this we might call “on purpose” music. At the same
time, in all the world, in every country, there was Song ... and never
have the world and the common people (called so because they are neither
of the nobility nor of the church) been without folk song which has come
from the folks of the world, the farmers, the weavers, and the laborers.
The best of these songs have what the great composers try to put into
their music—a feeling of fresh free melody, design, balance, and climax,
but more of this in the chapter on Folk Song.
This chapter is to be about Troubadours, Trouvères, and Minnesingers,
who have left over two thousand songs. In most of these, they made up
both words and music, but sometimes they used new words made up for folk
tunes that everyone knew, or for melodies from the plain-chants which
they had heard in church; sometimes they used the same melody for
several different poems, and often they set the same words to several
melodies. Many of these troubadour songs and _minnelieder_ became the
people’s own folk songs.
But now you must hear of the folk who lived hundreds of years before
these poet singers. Unknowingly, out of the heart and soul and soil of
their native lands, they made songs and sang poetry and played sometimes
other peoples’ song, scattering their own wherever they went.
From these traveling singers and players, in all countries, came the
professional musicians who were minstrels, bards, troubadours, etc.,
according to when, where and how they lived.
THE WHY OF THE MINSTREL
The people sang and played not only because they wanted to, or because
they loved it, but because they were the newspaper and the radio of
their time, singing the news and doings of the day. These minstrels who
traveled from place to place “broadcasted” the events. No music was
written down and no words were fastened by writing to any special piece.
The singer would learn a tune and when he sang a long story (an epic) he
would repeat the tune many times so it was necessary to find a pleasing
melody, or singers would not have been very welcome in the courts and
market places. These musical news columns entertained the people who had
few amusements. The wandering minstrels with their harps or _crwth_
(Welsh harps), or whatever instrument they might have used in their
particular country, were welcomed with open arms and hearts.
This sounds as if these singers and players traveled, and indeed they
did! They sprang up from all parts of Europe and had different names in
different places. There were bards from Britain and Ireland, skalds from
the Norse lands, minstrels from “Merrie England,” troubadours from the
south of France, trouvères from the north of France, jongleurs from both
north and south who danced and juggled for the joy of all who saw them,
and minnesingers and meistersingers in Germany.
DRUIDS AND BARDS
Centuries before this, Homer the great Greek poet was called the Blind
Bard and he chanted his poems, the _Iliad_ and the _Odyssey_, to the
accompaniment of the lyre, the favorite instrument of the Greeks. But
when we speak of bards in this chapter we mean the poets and musicians
of ancient Britain, when that island was inhabited and ruled by the
Druids, 1000 B.C. We do not know when the bards first began to make
music or when they were first called bards, but it is certain that for
many centuries before the Christian era, these rude, barbarous people of
the countries we know as Wales, England, Ireland and Scotland, had many
songs, dances and musical instruments.
Look at a map of France, and see how much like a teapot it is shaped.
The western part, the spout, is Brittany! As its name shows, this part
of France was inhabited by the same race of people as were in Britain,
they spoke the same language, had the same religion and made the same
music. These people were Celts and their priests were called Druids.
Much we said about primitive people is true of these early Britons. They
expressed their feelings, and tried to protect themselves from Nature
and human foes by means of religious rites and ceremonies in which music
and dancing played the leading part.
They had no churches, but held religious services in the open under the
oak trees. They piled boulders on top of each other to form altars, or
built large circular enclosures of huge flat rocks, inside of which they
gathered for worship, or to assist at some ceremonial in which
sacrifices of animals and occasionally of human beings were made. These
human sacrifices occurred once a year at the Spring Festival which was
celebrated in much the same fashion as in Greece. These masses of stone
are found not only in the British Isles, the most famous of which is
Stonehenge (which was recently bought by an American), but there are
also many of these so-called _cromlechs_ and _menhirs_ in Brittany.
It is curious how often men and women do the same things at times and
places so completely separated that they could not have been influenced
by each other, but did what was natural for them. It seems that between
the state of being primitive or savage and of being cultured, mankind
must pass through certain states of mind and certain bodily actions
common to all men. In tracing the growth of any habits and actions of
people,—in government, religion, amusements, art, music, manners and
customs, and language, we find the same customs constantly repeated
among different races. If you remember this point, you will be
interested to watch, in this book, the difference between these
experiences common to all mankind and those which later on, were caused
by the influence that one race had on another through meeting, through
conquest and through neighborly contact.
The bards belonged to the priesthood and were Druids. They sang in verse
the brave deeds of their countrymen, praises of the gods and heroes, and
legends of war and adventure, accompanying themselves on primitive
harps, or on an instrument something like the violin without a neck,
called a _crwth_. They wore long robes and when they were acting as
priests, these were covered with white surplices somewhat like the gowns
of our own clergy. From a bit of information handed down by the bards,
we learn that in Ireland, the graduate bard wore six colors in his
robes, said to be the origin of the plaid of the Scotch Highlanders; the
king wore seven colors; lords and ladies, five; governors of fortresses,
four; officers and gentlemen, three; soldiers, two, and the people were
allowed to wear only one. Even their dress seemed important and marked
the rank!
There were three kinds of bards: priestly bards who took part in the
religious rituals and were also the historians, domestic bards who made
music in honor of their masters, and heraldic bards whose duties were to
arouse patriotism through songs in praise of their national heroes. They
had to pass examinations to become bards, and the lower ranks were
tested for knowledge and ability before being promoted to the higher
ranks. Recently there has been a revival in Wales of the _Eisteddfod_,
or song contests of the Druids.
“Minstrelsy,” or singing to the _crwth_ or harp, lived on long after
Druidism had been replaced by the Christian faith. Did you ever wonder
where the custom came from of mistletoe at Christmas time? Or of dancing
around a Maypole? Or building bonfires for May-day and St. John’s eve?
Celebrating All-Hallowe’en with pumpkins and black cats? And of having
Christmas trees? Well, these customs are all relics of Druidism of 2000
or more years ago.
SKALDS
In the land of the fierce Vikings or Norsemen, who inhabited
Scandinavia, Iceland and Finland before and during the Middle Ages,
there were bards called Skalds or Sagamen. They recited and sang stories
telling of their Norse gods, goddesses and heroes, Woden, Thor, Odin,
Freya, Brynnhild, and of the abode of the gods, Walhalla. These ballads
formed the national epics called _sagas_ and _eddas_, from which Richard
Wagner drew the story for his immortal music dramas, the Nibelungenlied.
Odin, who was considered a Norse god, probably was a Saxon prince who
lived in the 3rd century, A.D. He revived the Norse mythology and rites
with the aid of minstrels, seers, and priests. His teachings lasted
until the reign of Charlemagne, a devout Christian, who put an end to
pagan rites.
In the 5th century came the Saxons, Hengist and Horsa, descendants of
Odin, and much of Britain fell under their rule; with them, came the
skalds whose duty it was to celebrate the deeds of their lords. They
appeared at the great state banquets, and also on the battle fields,
encouraging the warriors with their songs of heroism, and comforting the
wounded soldiers.
When the Danes, the Angles and the Jutes came to Britain in this same
century, the country was called England or Angle-land. Harpers and
gleemen followed in the footsteps of the Scandinavian skalds. These
musician-singers went as honored guests from court to court, and
received valuable presents. A popular gleeman was given the title of
poet-laureate, and crowned with a laurel wreath.
The songs were taught orally and learned by heart, as there was no
notation at this early date (500 A.D.). They accompanied themselves on
small harps which could be carried easily. The harp was handed around
the banquet table so that each guest in turn might sing a song as his
share of the entertainment. Singing and composing poetry were a
necessary part of a gentleman’s education.
The “Venerable” Bede (Chapter VII) wrote that “Cædmon the poet (600
A.D.) never could compose any trivial or vain songs, but only such as
belonged to a serious and sacred vein of thought ... he was not
practised in the art of verse. So, oft, in an entertainment, where for
the sake of merriment it had been agreed that each in turn should sing
and harp, as the dreaded instrument was seen approaching, he arose in
shame from the supper table and went home to his house.” However, we
learn that Cædmon who was a serving man, had a vision in which an angel
asked him to “sing the beginning of creatures,” and when the vision had
passed, he remembered the heavenly song, and thus Cædmon ceased to be
shy, became the first great poet of England and was permitted to be a
monk.
As the gleemen and harpers were not fighting men, they had many
privileges not granted to the warriors. They passed, unchallenged,
through the fighting camps, and we have any number of stories of kings
and warriors disguising themselves as harpers in order to get
information about their enemies. A secret service system of the Middle
Ages!
In 878, Alfred the Great had been robbed of power and authority by the
Danes, so disguised as a gleeman and armed only with a harp, he went
into the Danish encampment. The royal minstrel was received cordially,
and while the Danish king was listening to the songs, the harper
(Alfred) was getting the information he needed, and soon made a surprise
attack with his troops and was victorious. This is spying with musical
accompaniment!
The Battle of Hastings (1066) caused great changes not only in learning,
customs, language, music, other arts and politics, but in life itself.
The French who, under William of Normandy conquered Britain, were
leaders in composing poetry and song, and they brought over to Britain
all their talents. Now romance began and with it the art of glorifying
in song and verse, deeds of valor and the charms of lovely ladies. And
here the troubadours and trouvères make their entrance into our story.
France had had songs of deeds and action called _Chansons de Geste_,
which were tales of the brave Charlemagne, celebrating his victory over
the invading Moors from Spain. One of the greatest of these was the
_Chanson de Roland_. Other songs or ballads on religious, historical,
chivalric, or political subjects took the place of our modern newspapers
and were powerful at the courts and among the people in the towns. When
a man in court circles did anything that some one objected to, one of
the minstrel-poets was hired to make up a song about it, which was sung
everywhere until the news was well circulated, and the person punished,
often undeservedly. However it made the men of those days think twice
before doing things against the rights of others, for they were really
afraid of these songs that were spread among their friends and enemies.
In the Battle of Hastings, Taillefer, a famous soldier-minstrel, led the
attack of the Normans, singing songs of Roland and of Charlemagne. He
struck the first blow in the fight, and was the first one killed, but he
went to his death singing. Tales of our own soldiers in the great war
tell us the same about the need and love of music.
CHANSON DE ROLAND
The _Chanson de Roland_ is the national epic poem of France, and dates
back to this Norman period. It celebrates the death at Roncevals, of
Roland, Count of the “Marsh” of Bretagne, in Charlemagne’s expedition
against Spain in 778. The work is divided into three parts. The first
tells of the fight between the French (Christians) and the Saracens
(Spanish Arabs), of the valor of Oliver and of Roland, of the latter’s
death, of Charlemagne’s miraculous victory over the Saracens. The second
part is a poem not based on fact, in which Charlemagne fights Baligant,
the chief of all the pagans of the Orient; the western chief is
victorious over the pagan chief, who is utterly defeated and killed.
This poem pictures the victory of Christianity over Paganism. In the
third part, the revenge is carried further, by Charlemagne’s taking the
Saracen city Saragosse, and bringing back with him to France another of
the leaders, Ganelon, who was tried and condemned to death.
This is the leading French work of the Middle Ages, as it sums up the
greatest idealism, and brings to us that which they considered most
vital—the call of patriotism, of honor and of duty.
GREAT CATHEDRALS AND FEUDAL CASTLES
About this time began the building of the great Gothic churches in
France, England, and Germany. Rome had fallen, paganism had gone, and
the spirit of Christianity was taking great hold of the people’s hearts.
As a result of this feeling to praise God suitably the great churches
which we copy even today were built.
If “architecture is frozen music,” you can understand why music and
architecture developed at the same time.
This was also the age of Feudalism, when the noblemen lived in castles
with moats and drawbridges, and owned vast tracts of land and whole
villages. People were retainers, vassals and serfs, with no freedom and
no property rights except what the lords gave them. They even had to
give their masters much of the produce of the lands which they
cultivated. Of course, these feudal lords besides having to be fed and
guarded had to be entertained, and had to know what was going on in the
outside world. So, the minstrels and bards were cordially welcomed, and
wandered from castle to castle, receiving presents of money or clothes,
jewelry, horses, and sometimes even houses.
WHAT TROUBADOURS LEARNED THROUGH CRUSADES
Every year during the early centuries of the Christian era, hundreds of
pilgrims journeyed to the Holy Land undergoing much hardship on the way.
They thought through this pilgrimage to be forgiven for their sins, and
win the approval of the Church, then far more powerful than the kings.
Toward the end of the 11th century, Mohammedans had seized Palestine,
and prevented the Christian pilgrims from doing penance or worshipping
at the Holy Sepulchre. This led to a series of expeditions against the
Mohammedans in Palestine in which all the Christian countries of Europe
united. These expeditions were called the Crusades (1095–1271), and they
have been celebrated in story and song ever since. The Crusades gave the
rough uncultured men of the Western world the chance to hear the poetry
and the songs of the Arabs (Chapter VI), who at that time were the most
advanced in culture and arts. Although the Oriental music with its
complicated rhythms must have been hard to learn, the Crusaders brought
back much of real value and beauty,—a new way of singing, new subjects
for poems, and two new instruments, a kind of guitar and _el oud_, in
Europe called lute. The lute had a strong influence on popular music,
for it was the most commonly used instrument for centuries.
ROMANCE LANGUAGES
Latin had been the language of France because the Romans lived there so
long, but later it became mixed with the rough dialect and speech of the
Franks and other Gothic barbarous tribes and was much changed. From this
mixture came rustic Latin, or _Romanse rustique_, and modern French,
Spanish, Italian and Portuguese are still called Romance languages. A
new poetry was born in Provence, the south of France, and in Normandy in
the north, written in this _Romanse rustique_, and the oldest French
songs were called _lais_, lay or ballad. The great ruler Charlemagne
collected these _lais_ of barbarian period and the trouvères and
troubadours had wonderful old songs of heroism to choose from.
In Provence they said “oc” for “yes” and in Normandy, “oui.” So, the
language of the south of France was called “langue d’oc” and of the
north “langue d’oui.”
TROUBADOURS, TROUVÈRES, JONGLEURS
The troubadours, whose very name brings to mind a charming picture of
romance, chivalry and adventure, were the poet-composers of Provence a
land of sunshine where men were brave and courteous, and women beautiful
and gracious. The words _troubadour_ and _trouvères_, come from
_trobar_, _trouver_, meaning to find or to invent, for these troubadours
and trouvères were the inventors or composers of poems which they set to
music.
They wrote their songs on the four-lined staff in square notes, without
written accompaniment. The accompaniments played on the lute, the
guitar, the vielle, or sometimes the harp, were probably made up by the
_jongleur_, (_joglar_, _jouglar_, in English,—juggler) who sang the
songs, had trained bears, danced and played tricks. Then as now there
were composers and performers. The troubadours and trouvères were as a
rule, nobles and even royalty. Five kings belonged to their number, the
greatest of them were Richard Cœur de Lion, William Count of Poitiers,
Alfonso, Thibaut de Champagne, and King of Navarre.
The troubadour seldom sang his own songs, as this was the jongleur’s
duty. There were many more jongleurs than troubadours, and they belonged
to a much lower grade of society. The jongleurs traveled from place to
place, from castle to castle, with their instruments slung across their
backs, and their songs in a little bag at their side. They were heartily
welcomed wherever they went, but if they found the doors of the castles
closed to them, they soon gathered a crowd in the public squares, where
they performed to the joy of the townspeople.
Can you imagine the pleasure these strolling entertainers gave to the
people who did not have motors, movies, radios, gramophones and theatres
for their amusement? How happy the custodian of the castle must have
been when he looked across the moat and lowered the drawbridge for the
welcome minstrels!
The jongleurs grew so numerous, and their music became so poor that they
were nuisances, little better than outlaws and beggars. How easily a
good thing can be overdone!
In the 14th century they banded together in perhaps the first musical
union on record. They appointed leaders, called kings of the minstrels
or jugglers. At first they were hired by nobles and troubadours as
entertainers with the rank of servants. Even the monasteries received
them with joy during the early days; later they were denounced by the
Church, and forbidden to enter the monasteries, for they had sung of
evil things instead of lovely things and had acted unseemly. During
Lent, they were forbidden to appear in public, so they wisely used that
time to go to schools of minstrelsy, where they learned new songs, and
tried their skill at composing. In these schools they were also taught
to play their instruments. Sometimes we hear of women minstrels, who
sang, played the flute, danced, and performed tricks to the endless
delight of the audience. (See lining of the cover of this book.)
The jongleurs, at their best, seem to have “gotten in” everywhere,—at
the courts of kings, in all the tournaments, festivals, pilgrimages, and
weddings. A wedding wasn’t complete without them! At the knightly
tournaments and jousts, the minstrel was a most necessary person, for,
did he not take the place of newspapers, and give accounts to a waiting
world of the results of the exciting tournaments?
Massenet, the French composer, wrote a lovely opera called _The Juggler
of Notre Dame_, from one of the old miracle tales of a young juggler
sheltered by the monks of Notre Dame. Everyone brought rich gifts to
place at the feet of the Virgin Mary, but being a pauper, he had nothing
but his songs, dances and tricks, which he offered the Virgin by going
through them as best he could in front of the shrine. So shocked were
the monks by his seeming lack of respect, that they wanted to drive him
out! At this moment the miracle took place. The image of the Virgin came
to life and stretched forth her arms protectingly to the young juggler,
showing that she accepted his offering given in all sincerity and
simplicity.
As all the countries of Europe took part in the Crusades, the
troubadours’ songs were heard by others than the French, and their music
spread rapidly. Richard, the Lion-Hearted, King of England, was a famous
Crusader and a troubadour of skill. He invited jongleurs over from
France, one of whom, Blondel de Nesle, became his devoted companion
during the Crusade of 1193, and saved Richard’s life. Richard was taken
captive by Leopold, Duke of Austria, and was cast into a dungeon. The
English did not know where to look for their monarch, but Blondel
undertook the search, going from place to place, singing songs which he
and the king had written together. One day as he sang, from the tower of
a castle came a voice which he recognized as Richard’s, singing the same
song! And soon the royal troubadour was released.
THE TROUBADOURS
This new art of poetry and song was called “The gay science of chivalry
and love-service.” Indeed many of the poems about knightly adventure
were addressed to some fair lady, real or imaginary, known or unknown.
Curious as it may seem, the names of most of these songs came from the
Arabian, because the Europeans met them during the crusades and during
the Arabs’ conquests and roamings in Europe.
The names tell you what the songs were about. _Chanson_ and _canzo_ both
mean song, and we see these names today on our concert programs. There
were story telling songs called the _chansons de toile_, songs of linen,
which told of the lovely damsels at work weaving, of their beauty, and
of their thoughts, for the women of castle and cottage alike wove the
cloth out of which the clothes were made. Then, they had dramatic songs
and dancing songs called _estampies_ (from which comes our word
stamping); the _reverdies_, or spring songs, to celebrate the Spring
festivals; the _pastorelles_ in which the heroine was always a charming
shepherdess; the _sera_ or _serenade_, an evening song; the _nocturne_,
a night song, and love songs were often sung under the beloved ladies’
windows! The _alba_ was a morning song. The _sirvantes_, or songs of
service, sung in praise of princes or nobles, or telling of public
happenings were important. These were often accompanied by drums, bells,
pipes and trumpets.
We have debating societies in our schools and colleges, and questions of
the day are discussed in the newspapers, but in the troubadours’ day,
debates were made into songs, sung by two people, and were called
_tensons_. Many curious and rather foolish questions were made the
subjects of these songs.
Sometimes these popular songs found their way into the Church, and were
made into fine church music, and sometimes a bit of melody from the
Church went through the hands of a troubadour poet and was turned into a
_rounde_, _ballata_, _sera_, or _pastorella_.
This poetry and song of Provence lasted until the middle of the 14th
century, for in the twelve hundreds the revolts against the abuses of
the Church rose to such seriousness that massacres took place, towns
were destroyed and many nobles and troubadours lost their lives.
TROUVÈRES
Shortly after the troubadours began to compose, in the north of France
came the trouvères who profited much from the music and poetry of their
southern brothers.
However, the trouvères did not have the warm, lovely dialect of the
southern troubadours. As they were closer to the Church, their songs
were more religious, had less variety of subjects, and the melodies were
like Church music.
Although the troubadours did much to shape the rhyming stanzas in
poetry, the trouvères helped in the gradual forming of the later French
and Flemish schools of music, as you will see.
The jongleurs played on an instrument called the _vielee_ which was
great-grandfather to our violin. The short pieces played before the
songs and accompanied by dances, were the first pieces of instrumental
music in the Middle Ages. The combination of song, instrument and dance
was called _balerie_ or _ballada_ from which comes our dance _ballet_.
There was also a piece called _rounde_, _rota_, or _rondo_, composed so
that different voices and the instrument came in at different points,
each singing or playing the same tune, but arranged so that the parts
sounded well together. Perhaps you know _Frère Jacques_ or _Scotland’s
Burning_ or _Three Blind Mice_. These are rounds.
One of the most beautiful rounds in existence is an English song which
dates from 1250, the period of all this “gay science,” and it is looked
upon as a masterpiece. It is supposed to have been written either by
John Forsete, a monk, or by Walter Odington. It was written in the old
square neumes on a six line staff. The name of this “Six Men’s Song” or
round for six voices, is _Summer is icumen In_.
One of the best known trouvères was Adam de la Hale who wrote _Robin et
Marion_, said to be the very first comic opera. It was performed at the
court of Naples in 1285.
The trouvères collected tales of Normandy, Brittany, and of
Charlemagne’s reign, and so preserved valuable musical and literary
material.
So these troubadours and trouvères made the age of Chivalry romantic and
beautiful to us who came long after them, in spite of much
unpleasantness, prejudice, war, massacre and hardship.
MINNESINGERS
Along the river Rhine in Germany near that part of France where the
trouvères sang, lived the Minnesingers. They sang love songs,—_minne_
was the old German word for love. Like the troubadours the minnesingers
were of the nobility, but they rarely hired jongleurs or anybody to
perform their songs; they sang them themselves, playing their own
accompaniments on lutes or viels (viols).
Many songs expressed adoration of the Virgin, and others praised deeds
of chivalry. Differing from other minstrels, they made songs about
Nature and Religion full of feeling, fancy and humor, but the minnesongs
were not so light-hearted or fanciful as those of their French
neighbors. They had marked rhythm, beauty of form and simplicity, and
were more dramatic, telling the exploits of the Norse heroes in many a
glorious story.
Their story was far more important to them than the music which for a
long time was like the stern plain song of the Church. “We should be
glad they were what they were, for they seem to have paved the way for
the great Protestant music of the 16th century,” says Waldo Selden Pratt
in his _History of Music_.
You can get an excellent idea of the minnesong in Wolfram von
Eschenbach’s _Oh Thou Sublime Sweet Evening Star_, which Wagner wrote in
the spirit of the ancient minnesingers in the opera _Tannhäuser_.
Tannhäuser was a real minnesinger, taking part in a real song contest,
held by the Landgraf (Count) of Thuringia, 1206–7, who offered his
daughter Elizabeth’s hand to the winner, whatever his rank. We find
Elizabeth also in Wagner’s _Tannhäuser_, so when you hear it you will
know that it is history as well as beautiful music! How remarkable that,
in the days of feudalism, when the nobles practically owned the
so-called common people, talent for music and verse stood even above
rank! After all there is no nobility like that of talent. Even in the
13th century this was understood, and to either commoner or peer winning
the song tournament, the lady of rank was given in marriage.
Wolfram von Eschenbach, the minnesinger, visited the courts and sang in
many tournaments. Giving Wagner a character for the opera _Tannhäuser_
was not all he did as Eschenbach wrote a poem from which Wagner drew the
story for his _Parsifal_.
Walther von der Vogelweide, one of the most famous minnesingers, was so
fond of birds, that when dying he asked for food and drink to be placed
on his tomb every day for the birds. There are four holes carved in the
tombstone; and pilgrims today, when they visit this singer’s grave,
still scatter crumbs for them, who probably in their bird histories
record that Walther loved song even as they!
Prince Conrad, Konradin he was called, son of the last Swabian King, was
the last famous minnesinger. Everyone battled for other people’s
countries and lands then, and so Conrad, heir to the crown, joined a
Sicilian rebellion against France, and was killed by a troubadour, the
Duke of Anjou.
MASTERSINGERS
After poor Conrad’s time, the art of minnesinging declined, but as
people must have music, a new activity sprang up among the people or
“folk” instead of among the gentry and knights. The folk who took part
in this were called the Meistersingers or mastersingers and their story
is very thrilling and picturesque.
This was the day of the Robber Baron, when Germany was broken up into
little kingdoms and principalities. Any rich and powerful noble could
start a war to steal away the rights of another ruler, and become ruler
himself. This was no pleasant state of affairs for the people, for they
were in constant terror of death, of the destruction of their crops, or
new taxes. Life became so perilous that people left the farms and went
to the cities for protection. The feudal system began to fail, for the
people would no longer be slaves, and gradually took up trades and
formed themselves into guilds. The warring nobles had neglected music
for conquest, so these workers and artisans, hungry for it, formed music
guilds as well as trade guilds, drew up rules for making music and
poetry, and held prize competitions. In these music guilds there were
six grades of membership: first, member; second, scholar or apprentice;
then, friends of the school; singer, poet, and finally mastersinger or
_Meistersinger_. You can get a real picture of their day in the greatest
comic opera ever written, Wagner’s _Die Meistersinger_, and you can make
the acquaintance of Hans Sachs, the most famous Meistersinger
(1494–1576).
Heinrich von Meissen, known as _Frauenlob_ (Praise of Women), is said to
have founded the Meistersinger movement over a hundred years before Hans
Sachs’ time.
Til Eulenspiegel, whose merry pranks have been delightfully told in
music by Richard Strauss, a present day composer, was also a
Meistersinger.
The origin of the name “Meistersinger” is disputed. One historian tells
us that it was given to every minnesinger who was not a noble,—in other
words, a burgher-minstrel. The other historian claims that the title
_Meister_ or master was given to any one who excelled in any act or
trade, and afterwards came to mean all the guild members.
From the 14th century to the 16th, hardly a town in Germany was without
music guilds and Meistersingers. Although they lost power then, the last
guilds did not disappear until 1830, and the last member died in 1876.
They must have passed the long winter evenings pleasantly for they met,
and read or sang poems of the minnesingers or new ones composed by the
members themselves. These guilds must have been great fun, for they had
badges and initiation ceremonies and the kind of celebrations one loves
in a club.
They had complicated, narrow-minded rules called _Tablatur_ which today
seem quite ridiculous, so much has music matured and thrown off the
chains which once bound it!
When the guilds grew too large to be held in the different homes, the
churches became the meeting places for practise and for the contests.
The highest praise we can give the Meistersingers is that they carried
the love of music and song into every German home and made it a pastime
of domestic life. Their influence spread not only through Germany, but
throughout all lands. The composers who followed were glad to have their
songs from which to draw inspiration for the popular religious songs at
the time of the Protestant Reformation. Even though they did not make up
any very great words or music, they spread a love for it and made people
feel that the following of music as a career was worthy and dignified.
It is interesting to know before we close this chapter, that the
English, well into the 16th century, after the passing of the
troubadours, trouvères, minnesingers and mastersingers, still celebrated
the exploits of the day in ballads called the Percy Reliques.
VIELLE OR HURDY-GURDY
If you had lived in the Middle Ages you would have seen the strolling
players traveling around with a queer looking instrument known by many
different names,—_vielle_, _organistrum_, _Bauernleier_ (peasant lyre),
_Bettlerleier_ (beggar’s lyre) or _hurdy-gurdy_. This was a country
instrument, not often seen in cities, and was shaped like the body of a
lute without a long neck. It had wire strings, sometimes gut, and a set
of keys; the sound was made by turning a little crank at the bottom. The
_vielle_ or _hurdy-gurdy_ is a cross between the bowed and the keyed
instruments. In the 12th century it was called the _organistrum_, a
large instrument which took two men to play. It flourished in the 18th
century throughout Europe.
And so, now on to folk songs, although we would like to linger in this
romantic period of wandering minstrels.