1,082,916,361 visitors served.
1,082,916,361 visitors served. |
|
 Dictionary/ thesaurus |  Medical dictionary |  Legal dictionary |  Financial dictionary |  Acronyms |  Idioms |  Encyclopedia |  Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
minstrel |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Acronyms, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.06 sec. |
|
minstrel, professional secular musician of the Middle Ages. The modern application of the term is general and includes the jongleurs jongleurs (zhông-glör`), itinerant entertainers of the Middle Ages in France and Norman England. ..... Click the link for more information. . Certain very able jongleurs ceased their wanderings and were attached to a court to play or sing the songs of the troubadours troubadours (tr ..... Click the link for more information. or trouvères trouvères (tr ..... Click the link for more information. who employed them. To these and to some itinerant musicians was applied in the 14th cent. the term ménétrier and later ménestrel, from which the word minstrel is derived, to indicate a higher social class than jongleur. Increasing in number and influence, these minstrels were organized and given protection of the law. Their function was at times similar to that of the Welsh bard bard, in Wales, term originally used to refer to the order of minstrel-poets who composed and recited the poems that celebrated the feats of Celtic chieftains and warriors. The term bard in present-day usage has become synonymous with poet, particularly a revered poet. ..... Click the link for more information. . BibliographySee E. Duncan, The Story of Minstrelsy (1907, repr. 1969). minstrelWandering musician of the Middle Ages, often of low status. The term (and equivalents such as Latin ioculator and French jongleur) was applied in medieval times to people ranging from singing beggars to traveling musicians hired by towns for special occasions to court jesters. The modern folksinger is a descendant. See also minstrel show. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
|
? Mentioned in | ? References in classic literature | |
|---|---|---|
And the minstrel who had a good tale to tell was ever sure of a welcome, and for his pains he was rewarded with money, jewels, and even land. The third kind depends on memory when the sight of some object awakens a feeling: as in the Cyprians of Dicaeogenes, where the hero breaks into tears on seeing the picture; or again in the 'Lay of Alcinous,' where Odysseus, hearing the minstrel play the lyre, recalls the past and weeps; and hence the recognition. Among all races when a certain stage of social development is reached at least one such minstrel is to be found as a regular retainer at the court of every barbarous chief or king, ready to entertain the warriors at their feasts, with chants of heroes and battles and of the exploits of their present lord. |
 |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Browser extension |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup | Partner with us |
|
|---|
Disclaimer |
Privacy policy |
Feedback | Copyright © 2008 Farlex, Inc.
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
minstrel
