Minstrel Schools in the Late Middle Ages

Author(s): Maricarmen Gómez and Barbara Haggh

Source: Early Music, Vol. 18, No. 2 (May, 1990), pp. 212-216
Published by: Oxford University Press
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3127809
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Maricarmen G6mez

Minstrel schools in the late Middle Ages

The journey to the schools returned to the disagreeable surprise that their
employers had decided to do without their services.6
It is generally agreed that minstrel schools were
Paris, Malines, Tournai, Beauvais, Lille, Douai,
annual meetings attended by minstrels of different
Bruges and Cambrai were among those cities selected
nationalities that were held in various Franco-Flemish
and German towns in the late Middle Ages. The by the minstrels as the sites for their schools.' The
schools were in session during Lent, apparently a time earliest extant record of these meetings dates from
when the minstrels were not permitted to practice their1318;8 the last from the year 1447.9
profession officially. In addition to the annual meetings, some cities with
It was a long journey for some. Money and a good lively musical traditions, such as Paris or Bruges, also
horse were necessary and consequently the partici-had continuous minstrel schools. Music teachers with
pants, apart from musicians employed locally, weredifferent specialities gave instruction, and the stu-
restricted to a select few-groups of minstrels in the dents not only included those seeking an introduction
service of a nobleman or at least a master who could to the art of music but also anyone who sought the
advice
afford to pay the cost of the journey. For example, onof
8 a famous teacher, such as Johannes Vaillant
February 1384 Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy(fl. gave
? 1360-90) who, according to the Regles de la seconde
his minstrels money 'to go to Germany to the rhitorique,
schools 'ran a musical school in Paris'.'1 Around the
of their profession during Lent';' and on 12 February
beginning of the 15th century music teachers in Paris
werehis
1388, the first day of Lent, John I of Aragon handed relatively numerous, as indicated by a decree
four minstrels a considerable sum so that theyissued
couldby Charles VI in 1407 which expressly forbade
go to the schools.2 any minstrel not in possession of a special licence 'to
Holy Week was considered the most convenient set up a school for teaching minstrels'."
time for the return journey. Some minstrels had The existence of such schools perhaps explains why
already returned to their master by Easter Sunday; Raynaldi and Johani, the minstrels of John of Aragon,
others from more distant lands needed more time to travelled to the schools of Bruges in June 1373, and
return home. The minstrels in the service of the only Royalreturned half a year later.12 In any case, at the
House of Aragon usually returned between mid-May beginning of the 15th century, one group of minstrels
and the beginning of June, unless they had been of the King of Aragon made regular visits to the
detained by unforeseen events. schools between April and September, and another
John's minstrels did not leave the schools before 6 travelled between August and January."3 This leads to
May in the year 1381;3 on the other hand, Thomas thedeconclusion that the meetings were no longer held
Xaumont, Tibaut de Vaurenes, Jacomi de Bar and Lopi, exclusively during Lent or that these minstrels were
who had gone to the schools in Flanders in January visiting continuous schools.
1372, were told by the heir to the Aragonese throne Nearly
to all the minstrels known to have participated
be in Paris on Easter Sunday in order to play for in the schools were French, Flemish or German. We
the
King of France.4 In fact, John of Aragon's minstrels have no knowledge of the participation of Italian or
Spanish musicians, and know little, with some
spent almost half a year away from the court travelling
to the schools, which this royal music lover toleratedexceptions, about the English.14
only with great difficulty, being compelled to 'fast'
every year with respect to music, and so even more The purpose of the journey
than was generally customary. When minstrels went to the schools, they sometimes
For the minstrels the journey to the schools wasreceived
not money from their masters not only to cover
always a pleasant one. Some lost their lives;' others the cost of the journey but also to buy instruments. In

EARLY MUSIC MAY 1990 213

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212 EARLY MUSIC MAY 1990

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February 1383 seven minstrels of John of Aragon were Numerous documents relevant to journeys to the
paid 240 gold guilders each by the King's treasurer 'for schools made by the minstrels of the Royal House of
a horse and for instruments, because he sent them to Aragon suggest that they went 'to learn their profes-
the schools'.5 Likewise, in March 1386 the Duke ofsions' or 'to learn their art'.25 Since many were
Burgundy paid seven minstrels in his service 400 renowned virtuosi, it is unlikely that they sought to
francs each'for the schools of this year and for buyingperfect their technique; a more logical conclusion is
instruments'. 16 that they intended to become familiar with new
There must have been a market for all kinds of repertory in order to delight their masters. For
instruments at the minstrel schools. When John of
example, the minstrels of Edward III of England were
Aragon learned on one occasion that his brother's
sent to the schools 'across the seas, to learn new
minstrels had brought various instruments back from
songs' in 1335.26 Almost 100 years later, in 1436, a
the schools, he asked if they would lend them to him. 17
judicial officer from Lille gave several minstrels of the
But it cannot always have been easy to find the desired
city additional money 'to help them afford the journey
instrument. In a letter of June 1381 to the Count of
to the schools of Cambray, to learn new songs'.27
Urgell, John writes that his minstrels could find no
Were these purely instrumental works or perhaps
single bombard in the schools that would match the
songs with an instrumental accompaniment? It is
other instruments. Now, since one of the two difficult to establish anything clearly. In August 1377
bombards brought along by the Count's minstrelsJohnmet
of Aragon sent his wind player Johani de Sent
the desired specifications, the Count had to leave
Luchthis
to the Margrave of Villena, so that he could teach
one to John as a token of fidelity.'" the Margrave's minstrels'the new songs that he knows
Nevertheless, it was not absolutely necessary to go he recently returned from the schools'.28 The
because
to the schools to buy instruments. The instrument-
next year, John sent his minstrels to the Margrave on
makers unquestionably had their own shops where a
their return from the schools, so that the Margrave's
player could go to find an instrument or have one
minstrels could learn many new songs 'from our
made to order. In a letter of November 1388 to the instrumental musicians'.29 In these two instances, as
Count of Foix, John of Aragon apologized in
that he of the musicians from Lille, it is likely that
the case
could not send him the shawm player Everlinthis andwas
hisan instrumental repertory. But this is not to
two companions, because they were in Flanders deny that many kinds of songs could be learned at the
buying new instruments.19 On many other occasions,schools-those to be played, those to be sung and
however, John ordered instruments from the makers played, as well as those to be sung.30
Pere Devesa of Perpignan, Pere Palau of Avignon and
Pony of Valencia (to name just a few).20 A possible justification for the journey to the
In addition to the instrument market, the schools schools

apparently also provided the equivalent of an employ- A glance at late Medieval musical sources suggests
ment agency by handling offers and enquiries. The the conclusion that almost the entire repertory is song,
case of the shawm player Jacomi Capeta is well with or without instrumental accompaniment, and
known. The minstrels of John of Aragon had brought that purely instrumental works are rare. Apart from the
him with them from the schools in May 1377.21 dances, the known instrumental repertory of the 14th
Another example is the case of the shawm player and early 15th centuries is restricted to the pieces
Ffreli, who used the annual trip to the schools in 1381 thought to be for keyboard instruments in the Faenza
in order to try to escape from the service of John, Codex 117,31 three tablatures of motets in the
perhaps to re- enter that of his former master, the Lord Robertsbridge Codex (London, British Museum, MS
of Coucy-an attempt that was unsuccessful, how- Add. 28550, ff.43v-44v),32 a small English fragment for
ever.22 It was not essential to go to the schools either to organ (Oxford, Bodleian Library, Douce MS 381, f.23),33
hire a minstrel or to find a job, since throughout the and an arrangement of a ballata by Landini, Questa
14th century and even at the beginning of the 15th, the fanciulla, Amor (Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale, f.n.a.
exchange of minstrels among the nobility was a part of fr.6771, f.85v).34 It must be assumed that the minstrels
daily routine,23 and as soon as one heard about a good played most of their specialized repertory by heart; it
instrumental musician, that musician was in all is otherwise difficult to explain why it does not
likelihood signed up immediately.24 survive.

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 manner of Sist as he wishes. . . and he has also

learned the manner of Flanders; thus, he plays e

in the one manner or in the other, in whichever
manner should please us most.'36 In another letter of
November 1388, addressing the Count of Foix, John
praised the art of the shawm player Everlin and his
partner, and assured that he had never heard such
good playing and 'in so many guises'.37 Wherewith he
used the opportunity to ask the Count if it was true that
!'! the minstrel Jaquet of Paris could play in the manner
of Stefan, a German shawm player then in the service
I? I of Gaston de Foix. Judging from both letters there were
styles of playing unique to a minstrel, a country or
perhaps a school. To perform in a specific 'manner' or
'guise' could then be the same as to perform a piece in
a characteristic style.
f? It would be difficult to become acquainted with a
style of ornamentation following a written tradition,
but it does not mean that precisely ornamented
versions of very familiar works were not written for
solo instruments. On the other hand, it is well known
that some instruments, especially brass instruments,
would be accompanied by others of the same family.
We must only remember one of the numerous minstrel
pairs that substituted for each other at the court of
John or Aragon, or the trio of German minstrels who
2 Minstrels accompany a game of chess: early 14th-century entered his service in 1391, and whose members
miniature
played 'lo un. .. la xalamia, e l'altre la bombarda en
It would be absurd to espouse the theory that discant, e l'altre la cornamusa'.38 Today it would be
unthinkable that an improvisation by a small jazz
notational difficulties hindered the copying of this
repertory. Surviving compositions for instrumentsband on a particular theme should be notated:
testify to the contrary, and there would seem to be no
perhaps the instrumental repertory of ensembles of
the late Middle Ages was not notated for the same
reason why a melody for the shawm should be harder
to notate, for example, than any other piece in the
reason.

manuscripts of Modena and Chantilly representing It would not have been worth the trouble of the

journey to attend a school if learning a repertory,

the ars subtilior. The reason why it was not customary
to notate the instrumental repertory of the 14th which
and one could have also acquired by obtaining
early 15th centuries must then probably lie incopies,the was the primary concern, for we know the
nature of the repertory itself. expenses and dangers that such expeditions entailed
Most of the above-mentioned instrumental pieces were considerable. But if some of the repertory did not
were not new compositions but arrangements ofexist the in written form, this being contrary to its nature
vocal versions.3" For this reason the arrangement oforhaving constantly changing ornamentation, then
ornamentation of specific pieces must represent the the journey to the schools can be justified more
essence of the art of the minstrels. Therefore, toeasily.
copy
an ornamented version would mean fixing only one of
the numerous possibilities offered by the work. Translated by Barbara Haggh
In a letter of August 1377 to the minstrel Johani de
Sent Luch, John of Aragon speaks of the artistic
capabilities of his young shawm player, Jacomi Maricarmen CG6mez is a professor of musicology at the
Capeta, saying: 'and we allow Jacomi to play in the Universidad Aut6noma of Barcelona

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 "Pour aler en Alemaigne aux escoles de leur dit mestier en la dit senyor Rey [Peter IV] que donets an Guilot Veguer, juglar de
karesme': C. Wright, Music at the Court of Burgundy. 1364-1419: a cornamusa de casa sua, los quals li mana donar per qo corn lo tramet
Documentary History, Musicological Studies, xxviii (Henryville, en Alamanya per apendre do son offici .. .') and 16 February 1390
1979), p.187, doc.43 ('Item done an Nicholau dels orguens, a Gauter de la rota, a Johan de
2Archivo de la Corona de Arag6n (= ACA), Real Patrimonio (= RP) Bar, a Conxes de la viola e a Jaquet de Troys, ministrers del senyor
Reg.386, f. 176v Rey [John I], ... per co com los tramet a les escoles per apendre de lur
3ACA, Reg.1663, f.89 art... ), in ACA, RP, Reg.869, f.138 and Reg.388, f.101v.
4ACA, Reg.1735, f.67v. If one considers that the minstrels of 26'In partibus trans mare... cantilenis novis addiscendis':
Aragon travelled through Montpellier, Avignon and Paris on the Salmen, Der Spielmann, pp. 111-12
voyages to and from the schools (ACA, Reg.1743, f.196, and 27'Pour aidier a susporter leurs despens, en allant aux escolles A
Reg.1744, f.133v), and since many were well-known virtuosi, it is Cambray, pour apprendre des nouvelles chanchons': J. Marix,
easy to understand why they did not lack opportunities to perform Histoire de la musique et des musiciens de la cour de Bourgogne sous le
their art for those who would appreciate it. regne de Philippe le Bon (1420-67) (Strasbourg, 1939), p.97
5For example, in 1382 one of the minstrels of John of Aragon lost 28'Car poch fa ell sie vengut de les escoles, volem que ell mostre
his life on the return journey from the schools (ACA, Reg.1747, als vostres ministrers de les cangons novelles que ell sap': ACA,
f.84). Reg. 1744, ff.48-48v
6This happened in 1381 to the minstrels of the Count of Urgell, 29ACA, Reg. 1744, f. 128v.
Herman, Hans, Hanequin and Jacomin, who found themselves 30The purpose of the singing schools, as they are described in G.
without work upon their return from the schools (ACA, Reg. 1664, Greene, 'The Schools of Minstrelsy and the Choir-School Tradition',
f.69). Studies in Music, ii (1977), p.38, was naturally other than to learn a
7W. Salmen, Der Spielmann im Mittelalter (Innsbruck, 1983), song with a specific text.
pp. 111ff 31D. Plamenac, ed., Keyboard Music of the Late Middle Ages in the
8According to R. Strohm, Music in Late Medieval Bruges (Oxford, Codex Faenza 117, Corpus Mensurabilis Musicae, Ivii (1972). On the
1985), p.78, 'in 1318, the city [Bruges], subsidised the school which question of whether the repertory of the Faenza Codex was written
was held behind the Carmelite convent'. for two lutes or for harp and lute, see T.J. McGee, 'Instruments and
9L. Gushee, 'Minstrel Schools', New Grove the Faenza Codex', EM, xiv (1986), pp.480-90.
o0'Tenoit a Paris escolle de musique': U. Giinther, 'Johannes 32W. Apel, ed., Keyboard Music of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth
Vaillant', Speculum musicae artis: Festgabe fiir Heinrich Husmann Centuries, Corpus of Early Keyboard Music I, (1963), nos.4-6. It is
(Munich, 1970), p.171 appropriate to mention a letter of John of Aragon from October
"'Commencer escolle pour montrer et apprendre menestran- 1387, in which he expresses his desire that Marti, the son of his
disse': N. Wilkins, Music in the Age of Chaucer (Cambridge, 1979), singer Johan Armer, learn certain motets from Nicholau dels
p.135 orguens. We do not know if these were arrangements for keyboard
12ACA, Reg.1740, f.8; RP, Reg:587, f.90v instruments or not (ACA, Reg.1751, f.135v); perhaps they were
13In 1414 and 1415, the minstrels Luquet, Abram Volant, Perrinet similar to those in the Robertsbridge Codex.
Arnau and Johan Colavila, who were in the service of Ferdinand I of 3Apel, Keyboard Music, no.7
Aragon, went to the schools between September and January, 34F. Raugel, ed., 46 pieces pour orgue (Paris), no.5
whereas their colleagues, Gari and Hugo de Xavillon, were there 35In the editions of Plamenac and Apel (notes 31-2 above) the
from April to September (ACA, Reg.2415, ff.2v-3, 17v, 63). Curiouslyvocal and instrumental versions are placed one on top of the other,
enough, all were at the court during Lent. making comparison easier.
141t is only certain that in 1355 Edward III of England sent two of 36'E nos fem tornar Jacomi a mester a la manera de Sist... e axi
his minstrels to the schools, and that Richard II did the same in mateix ha presa la manera de Fflandres, axi que ell torna ades de la
1377: Salmen, Der Spielmann, pp. 111-12. una ades de I'altra, d'aquella en que nos trobam major plaer': ACA,
'5'Per un ropi e per sturments, per go com lo(s) trametia a les Reg. 1744, f.48v
escoles': ACA, RP, Reg.598, ff.62-62v 37'Ni en tantes guises': ACA, Reg.1955, f.104v
'6'Pours leurs escoles de la presente annee et pour acheter 38ACA, Reg. 1961, f.27v. Concerning the grouping of instruments
instruments': Wright, Music at the Court, p.189, doc.57 of the Middle Ages, compare E. Bowles, 'Haut and Bas: The Grouping
'7ACA, Reg.1745, f.140v of Musical Instruments in the Middle Ages', Musica disciplina, vii
'8ACA, Reg.1664, f.7v (1954), pp. 115ff.
19ACA, Reg.1955, f.104v
20We can add that in July 1378, lutes, harps and flutes were
ordered from Pong, an instrument-maker from Valencia. In
September 1386, two harps were ordered from P. Palau, 'magistro
harporum Avinionem'; and in November 1388 an exaquier was
ordered from Pere Devesa (ACA, Reg.1745, ff.138v,145; Reg.1674, Early Music has moved
f.126; Reg.1657, f.98).
21ACA, Reg.1744, f.6v. In the same year the minstrels of the
Infante Martin of Aragon also brought a new minstrel assats bo along The editorial office is now at
from the schools (ibid.).
22ACA, Reg.1663, f.109 7-8 Hatherley Street, London SWiP 2QT
23For example, in a letter of July 1379, John of Aragon says: 'e car
a nos venguen sovin molts ministrers e de bons' (ACA, Reg.1657,
Phone: 071-233 5466
f.78v).
24An example of this could be Johanet, pupil of master Sanxo, a Fax: 071-233 6638
string-playing minstrel of Alfons V. The latter had surely learned of
the abilities of Johanet from his minstrel, and in January 1426 he
resolved to take the pupil into his service (ACA, Reg.2788, f.49).
25There are two additional examples: 30 January 1352 ('Mana lo

216 EARLY MUSIC MAY 1990

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