What is a strolling minstrel?

Answer 1

The term strolling minstrel originally pertained to the professional musician(instrumentalist) of the middle ages employed in a feudal houshold. This term is currently used to describe any part of the field of popular musical entertainment. Mimeswere the earliest minstrel types along with actors of the Greek and Roman theater. Under Roman law, the mimes were considered outcasts who were devoted to dubious activities such as the playing of instruments. Despite the efforts of the church and state authorities to suppress minstrel activity, minstrel performance of music would lead to the early establishment of traditional Folk Music and minstrel practices would grow from a sub culture to wider acceptance.

The Troubadour of the 12th and 13th century were poet-musicians of southern France and the first to widen acceptance of minstrels. Troubadours were first to establish the tradition of songs. Troubadours included members of the French aristocracy who employed the jongleurs, performers of lesser social station. By the 14th century, the name jongleur was replaced with menestrier to distinguish social standing and professional reputation. The menestrier organized and formed guilds. The actual term "Minstrel" first appeared in the 14th century.

There is evidence of minstrel origins in other locations in Europe as well. England had a class of acrobat-musicians known as "Gleemen." Germany had performers known as Gaukler. The performers of this era played instruments, juggled, jumped through hoops, performed card tricks and developed feats of skill to entertain the masses. In the earlier era of the middle ages, minstrel activities were greater concentrated in the population of lesser social position with exceptions specifically approved by the social hierarchy in the later era.

Contemporary strolling minstrels of the 21st century are considered to be entertainers who, in the strictest sense of the term, present a performance without the use of formal staging, orchestration, or direction. However, popular entertainment genres have adapted and formalized the elements common to the art of strolling minstrels. Multimedia staging and state of the art production techniques have taken the elements of Minstrelsy to the same modern distribution which includes mass entertainment marketing and an abundant choice of media available for the consumer. One such outstanding example of contemporary mass marketed art of the minstrel is Cirque du Soleil. The successful combination of acrobatics, mime, and music are hallmarks of this contemporary take on minstrel entertainment.

Minstrel entertainment has a unique and powerful position in the health care industry. Nursing homes, in particular, employ the most performers on an ongoing basis for the benefits to the resident population. The therapeutic effect of direct contact with strolling minstrels is the direction many facilities have taken to enhance the quality of life and vitality of their population. Minstrelsy in this context is not to be associated with other forms of therapy which may use music, for example, as a way to achieve specific health benefits. The field of music therapy has very specific controls and features that require formal training from an accredited music therapy program. Music therapy has an independent role in health care and is not a minstrel practice.

Restaurant entertainment has been another source of employment for professional minstrels. Strolling musicians are commonly found in restaurants that have a scenic location. The hospitality industry has utilized strolling minstrels to build relations with vacationers and create thematic context to its locations and venues. The following excerpt is from www.violinatta.com, a New York web site about strolling musicians. "There will always be great Manhattan restaurants where part of their unique character is the excitement, personality, and fun a New York strolling musician adds to the dining experience. We performed in the legendary Mama Leone's Italian restaurant where live strolling musicians were part of the exciting New York City experience. We still remember the celebrities, the guest performers, couples holding hands, and the magical nights of serenade as someone "popped the question" with great rounds of applause."

Strolling minstrels of today have been referred to as "Buskers." A busker is a street performer. Throughout the world, street performers carry on the traditions of the strolling minstrel. These performances are impromptu and can take place without a high degree of audience recognition as evidenced in high transit areas like the subways of major cities. However, strolling minstrel performances are also sanctioned and sponsored by government authorities as well as institutions and private industry. There are often strolling minstrel performances featured in established "festivals" and celebrations. It is also possible to find such performances at political rallies or gatherings of a communal nature.

The world's stage has been expanded in the 21st century. However, within the outreaches of the vast population of the earth, there are still locations where a strolling minstrel represents the local village or tribe. Here, strolling minstrels are still performing without the grandiose recognition held by the eyes of mass media. Perhaps this reality is the most immediate and compelling since it reaches into the essence of what a strolling minstrel really is. Strolling minstrels capture the magic of the moment in a performance that is, in its quintessence, ephemeral and shared by human contact.