The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-06-12

Il
were anything but hsacyon days f0r the
medieval members of the secular musical
profession Everything which both church
and state could do to prosecute them and
their art was unhesitatingly done, and in
the eyes of both civil and ecclesiastical law
they vera regarded as hopeless pariahs
This. however, must be understood as re-
ferring to the church and state as bodies;
the strolling players h&d many powerful
protectors among both prelates and mobiles
individually, who sought constantly to i'm
prove their position and standing in the
eyes of the law, but with slow success.
Thus it often happened that some laughter
loving noble, after a merry night of wine
and song, would be obliged next morning
for some trii9flg and generally trImped up
offense to sit in Judgment over the very
players who the night before had been most
welcome and honored guests, and whatever
his inclination might be, the law would re-
ouire him TO impose ridiculous and unjust
penalties.
BARRED OUT OF TIE CHURCH.
The church declared them, as a body,
"excommunicate and without ecclesiastical
rights" while they we're even worse treated
by the civil authorities. Special laws were
devised for them which were simple mock
cries OF Justice. For example, if player"
was wounded by respectable man." the
law decreed that both should go to some
public place, and the aggressor should SO
stand in the sunlight that his shadow
fell against the wall whereupon the player
was permitted to give the shadow a sim
liar blow to that he had received with a
similar weapon, and the law was satisfied.
This shameful custom existed in both Sax
ony and Bavaria until well along in the
Fifteenth century, while in north Germany
the law was even more contenptuous in
its provisions and if a player WIGS muir
dered the following ridiculous farce was
gravely performed in the presence Of
multitude of people assembled il the mar
ket place;
The murderer presented himself before
the officers of justice with a young calf
and pair of creased gloves, The latter
were put on by the next kin to the MUIR
dered man, and if ne then were able to hold
the calf by the tail he would keep the calf;
but in any case it was considered that JUS
tice had been done and the proper atone
not inherit property, and what he left at
his death reverted to the state, and in 1857
all strolling musicians were expressly ex-
Guided from the general peace declared by
King Rudolph l.
During thewhole Of the Fifteenth century
the following sentence occurs as part Of
the formula of baptisIpal certificates:
'"This child was born of honorable and re-
spectacle parents, who have lived honestly
and circumspectly, and it is not the off
spring of pipers, fiddlers, players, dancers,
shepherds, linen weavers or any such
worthless vagabonds." Still later, in 1851,
we find the following unique sentence in a
Saxon law book: These pipers, fiddlers
and players are in no wise to be considered
as human beings, for they have only the
outward appearance of humanity; they are
rather to be treated as dead persons"
AS partial offset to al this injustice
and maltreatment the players gradually
formed themselves into societies for the
purpose Of personal intercourse, as well as
financial and artistic consolidation. In
France the Guild of Minstrels and Jug
glers" had been formed in the latter half
of the Thirteenth century, and in 1895
Philip lie Beau appointed Jean Charmillon
to be REX ministelorun" or Roy des
Menestriers. All the different societies
in France were consolidated in 1880 under
the title, ''Confrerie de St. Julien des Men
estIiers," and on Nov. %, 1881, they re-
ceived a legal charter. In Germany the
earliest of these societies was the est
Eicolai Bruderschaft, F" formed in 1888 in
Vienna. These guilds and societies became
more and more important, and though, as
aforesaid, they had no ecclesiastical and
few civil rights, they were fostered and
protected by many individual princes and
mobiles. An attempt was made in 1861 to
free them from the ban OF the church, but
It was not successful until 1883, when they
were officially released by the cardinal
iegate Of all Germany. It would occupy
too much space to speak-at greater length
of the societies. but it is certainly worthy
of mention that by the beginning of the
Sixteenth century all players We're obliged
to belong TO them on pain Of fine or other
punishment, which seems to be an inter
esting foreEunner of the tactics pursued by
many of our modern labor organizations.
IMPORTANCE OF MUSIC RECOGNIZED.
While the players were thus endeavor-
ing to help themselves many powerful
position. 1t must be borne in mind that,
If spite Of all the contempt and abuse to
which they were subjected, their services
were still more or less indispensable.
Realizing this fact, some of the larger
cities considered it's worthy experiment to
attempt t,heir reform, and they sought to
effect this by selecting the best ofthem and
paying them regular yearly salary for
their services in the city, which induced
the players so chosen to give up their wan
dering and disSpaSed habits. This plan
was to . great extent successful, and by
the beginning of the Fifteenth century
nearly all the imperial cities, and many Of
the free cities, had regularly engaged.
company OF "pipers and fddiaE5'' (nore
however, lutte playersl, and
their contracts compelled them to play
openly, at certain times and places, for the
amusement Of the public. Thus we sec
the great antiquity Of the system of sub
sidizing musical institutions IN Germany;
500 years ago the state realized the impor-
lance OF providing artistic amusement and
instruction for the benefit of its citizens.
This was the beginning Of systematic
pursuit and protection of instrumental
music, and early in the Fifteenth century
the custom spread from the cities to the
courts OF the higher nobility of both church |
and state. One OF the chronicles relates
that there came 60 she council Of Con |
stance (l8lA ''trombonists, trumPeteFs, pip |
ers, singers and fiddiers, in short. all man
ner of players, IN all aSout 59o;" and IL ap-
pears that the greater part Of these were in /
upon different cardinals, bish- /
ops, princes, counts and barons, and regu-
aEly attached to their courts Little by I
little their various claims were recognized /
and granted and their general position i'm. |
proved, aRS b.y the middle of the SiXteents 1