Drawing upon hundreds of newly uncovered archival records, Gretchen Peters reconstructs the music of everyday life in over twenty cities in late medieval France. Through the comparative study of these cities' political and musical histories, the book establishes that the degree to which a city achieved civic authority and independence determined the nature and use of music within the urban setting. The world of urban minstrels beyond civic patronage is explored through the use of diverse records; their livelihood depended upon seeking out and securing a variety of engagements from confraternities to bathhouses. Minstrels engaged in complex professional relationships on a broad level, as with guilds and minstrel schools, and on an individual level, as with partnerships and apprenticeships. The study investigates how minstrels fared economically and socially, recognizing the diversity within this body of musicians in the Middle Ages from itinerant outcasts to wealthy and respected town musicians.
• Presents substantial new archival evidence of music in French medieval cities, allowing readers to understand an urban musical culture that has received very little scholarly attention in comparison to other countries • Addresses the popular music of medieval cities, providing a perspective of medieval musical culture beyond the court and church • Establishes close connections between the political and musical environment of a city, showing how music is directly related to political developments
Contents
Introduction; 1. Playing before the council: civic patronage in southern France; 2. In honor of nobility: civic patronage in central France; 3. For the honor and pleasure of the city: civic patronage in northern France; 4. From confraternal processions to weddings to bathhouses: freelancing in the urban environment; 5. Playing En Couble: professional relationships among minstrels; 6. 'A minister of Satan' and 'An honor to the city': conflicting images of the medieval minstrel; Appendix: musical instruments in the archival records of the study; Bibliography.
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