Richard Rastall asked me to post this, since there are problems with his
subscription I haven't yet quite fixed! Abigail

Dr Richard Rastall wrote:
>
> Abigail's absolutely right, of course, and we need to examine the reasons for
>  different attitudes towards itinerant minstrelsy (and itinerant other people)
>  more closely. The issues involved are:
>  1. Local exclusion/limiting of "foreign" entertainers in order(a) to protect
>  local entertainers and (b) to reduce local expenditure. This is fairly clear, I
>  think, from the late 15th century onwards, and it accounts partly for the
>  setting-up of fraternities.
>  2. Regional control of entertainers, and the levying of fees for a licence to
>  perform (usually for a year). This varies with the region, but it accounts for
>  the existence of minstrel courts from the 13th century onwards. More evidence is
>  needed.
>  3. "One-off" national controls (from the 14th century onwards) for various
>  purposes - controlling possible incitement to insurrection, limiting the
>  expenditure of the aristocracy (I think that this was an excuse, limiting the
>  spread of news and incitement to insurrection being the real reason), cutting
> the
>  crime rate by excluding "foreigners" being possible reasons. This situation is
>  unclear, and we need much more information.
>  4. National controls such as the 1572 statute.
>
>  As Abigail notes, following the implications of Peter's message, the interaction
>  of some of these is interesting (and complex). I think we need a lot more
>  information before the picture becomes clearer. Meanwhile, the big questions
> over
>  the 1572 statue surely remain? -
>
>  §  What was it intended to achieve?
>  §  How was it implemented? and
>  §  What effect did it have?
>
>  The answer to the last question is, apparently, "very little": but can we be
> sure
>  of that unless we know in detail the answers to the first two questions?
>
>  Richard
>
>  --
>  Dr G.R. Rastall
>  Dean of Learning & Teaching, Faculty of MVPA
>  Reader in Historical Musicology
>
>  School of Music
>  The University of Leeds
>  LEEDS   LS2 9JT
>  United Kingdom
>
>  +44 (0)113 343 2581 (voice and fax)
>  www.leeds.ac.uk/music/staff/grr
>
>  Quoting Abigail Ann Young <[log in to unmask]>:
>
>  > Peter Greenfield wrote:
>  > > [...]
>  > > That said, the one regulation of travelling musicians I know makes
>  > > no distinction between those who had patrons, served towns or were indeed
>  > > masterless: to the authorities at Ware, who no doubt felt themselves
>  > > constantly afflicted with itinerant performers on the Great North Road,
>  > > they were all "foren."
>  > >
>  > >         "Also that euery foren musicyon restoringe to ye towne shall not
>  > be
>  > > Suffrede to tarrie or play in any Inn or vsuall resortinge place within
>  > the
>  > > said towne ouer one night & one day vpon payne to be usede & entreted as
>  > a
>  > > commone vagabond by the officers of the said towne."  (BL Add. Ms.
>  > 27,976,
>  > > fol. 109)
>  > >
>  > > See my article, "Using Dramatic Records: History, Theory, Southampton's
>  > > Musicians" in MEDIEVAL ENGLISH THEATRE 17 (1995), 76-95.
>  >
>  > I think Peter reminds us of a valuable point here -- we have to factor into
>  > the 'equation' not only what the effect of nationally-promulgated statutes,
>  > like those against rogues and vagabonds, might be but also the effect of
>  > local initiatives.
>  >
>  > Particularly places which had a large (well, largish) population of local
>  > musicians might attempt to protect them by forbidding their inhabitants to
>  > hire 'foreign' talent by fines levied against locals who retained non-local
>  > musicians to play at weddings, ales, garlands, etc. Or, as here, they might
>  > try to protect local business by threatening the 'foreigners' with
>  > prosecution (or persectution!) as 'vagabonds', whatever the actual intent
>  > of the act may have been. There's always a tension between nation and local
>  > efforts at social control, I think, because the two levels of authority
>  > were oftern trying to meet quite different needs and concerns....
>  >
>  > Abigail
>  >
>  > --
>  > Abigail Ann Young (Dr), Associate Editor/Records of Early English Drama/
>  > Victoria College/ 150 Charles Street W/ Toronto Ontario Canada M5S 1K9
>  > Phone (416) 585-4504/ FAX (416) 813-4093/ [log in to unmask]
>  > List-owner of REED-L <http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~reed/reed-l.html>
>  > <http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~reed/reed.html> REED's home page
>  > <http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~reed/stage.html> our theatre resource page
>  > <http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~young> my home page
>  >
> --
> Dr G.R. Rastall
> Dean of Learning & Teaching, Faculty of MVPA
> Reader in Historical Musicology
>
> School of Music
> The University of Leeds
> LEEDS   LS2 9JT
> United Kingdom
>
> +44 (0)113 343 2581 (voice and fax)
> www.leeds.ac.uk/music/staff/grr

--
Abigail Ann Young (Dr), Associate Editor/Records of Early English Drama/
Victoria College/ 150 Charles Street W/ Toronto Ontario Canada M5S 1K9
Phone (416) 585-4504/ FAX (416) 813-4093/ [log in to unmask]
List-owner of REED-L <http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~reed/reed-l.html>
<http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~reed/reed.html> REED's home page
<http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~reed/stage.html> our theatre resource page
<http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~young> my home page