The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1873-02-05
SKETCHES FROM HISTORY.
Wandering Nfnstrels of the Days of
Chivalry.

fourished in the olden days of ehiv-
airy and disappeared with the knights
and ladies and the other notable char
acters of that period As popularity
understood, there are no representa-
tives of this type of people left in the
world. Down through the long ages
through which the stories of their
wanderings and achievements come
to US, there has gathered around them
fictitious glamour which invests them
with a dignity and respectability
which they would scarcely possess
were they permitted to step bodily
into this nineteenth century. After
all, when their true character comes
to be considered, one can't feel quite
so sure but what there is pretty near
the same sort of people roaming
arou the world in these DAYS, spong-
ing on other people and living by their
wits, vulgarly termed now dead beats.
All things considered, it was bat
natural that the profession of the
troubadour should become, as it did,
the last resource of those who failed
in other pursuits. For instance. Eli
as Carel was a jeweler and heraldic
engraver; Elias of Bariols a bank
rupt merchant; Peter of st. Remi a
ruined spendthrift; Arnaud de Mar
veil a notary without practice Will
liam Adhemar an unsuccessful sol
dier; and numbers, as Hubert of Puc
bot and Peter Rogiers, runaway
monks. Still the troubadours craft was
not to be assumed off hand. Facility
in rhyming, an ear for music, vein
Of low humor, fiddle, good stock
of impudenec, and even capacity
for jumping through four hoops .
were not the only essentials. Some
thing further was requisite, which was
only to be learnt by associating with
recognized members of the brother
hood. For example, the poetic stock
of imagery was limited, and so were
the uses of each particular figure
There was one kind of metre appro-
priated to the cannon, another to the
tOnzon, and third to the servente
Rhyme and cadence, too, had their
laws, which could only be infringed
by a genius Of the highest order
There were also what may be called
stage rules. A good song had to be
given in attractive form in order TO
render it popular; and, as all great
poets are not blessed with pleasing
voices, the troubadour who was mere
ly poet found it indispensable-as
in the case of Giraud de Borneil-to
consort with those who could sing. 1t
was also found that monotony did
not pay" and therefore defamation,
farce and tumbling were added, one
after another, to the entertainment.
Thus the performance of the trouba-
dour assumed a dramatic form at an
early period, and necessitated cores
pending skill on the part of the per-
former. Besides, there were certain
usages with respect to copyright,
which, as the following anecdote will
show. it was of some Importance to
understand. Albert of Sistoron, a
poet of the cavalier servente order,
on his death-bed intrusted his compo-
sitions to his comrade, Peter of Va
lieras, directing the latter to present
them. in the composers name, to his
lady love, the Marchioness of Males
pima. Peter proved unfaithfnl to the
trust reposed in him, and sold the
songs to wandering Minstrel, Fabro
of Uzes, who sang them as his own.
The deceit was soon detected but so
long as Fabro confined his peregrina-
tions to Lombardy and Piedmont, it
remained unpunished In Provence,
however, different fate awaited him
There the courts Of love took eogni-
zance of such offences, and before one
of these courts Fabro was speedily
cited He had no choice but to APP
pear, for every inhabitant Of the coun-
try was an unpaidbnt jealous servant
of the tribunal, and such thing as
contempt Of court was quite impossi-
bic. BY some means left untold, the
attendance Of an important witness
Peter of VaIieras-was secured at
the trial Therein Fabro was found
guilty, and sentenced to be whipped
IA sentence that was vigorously ex-
ecuted. We may remark that similar
jurisdiction was exercised in Rhine
land by the piper-kings Rappolateln--I
potentates whose connection with the
troubadours and the courts oflove Of
fers subject for interesting discussion
in the proper place
1t was customary for intending
trouvers to place themselves under
the instruction of properly qualified
teachers. In the earlier timestee dis
ciple followed and waited on the mas
ter-dretty much as Elisha devoted
himself to ElJah-nor did the one
think Of setting up for himself until
the other had abandoned the road
Thus the trouver, Oliver, was attend
ed by Elias of Bariols. And thus a
met whoce real name ic fovs,otton