Chapter 15 - Musicians at Court

Summary

This chapter examines some of the material aspects of the daily practise of music at court. It investigates the motivations of musical practise at court that took place on a more intimate scale on a daily basis. Schütz notably shows that musical performance at court served purposes of different nature, ranging from entertainment to instruction, from diplomatic tool to image-fashioning, from invitation to the dance to personal recreation. It involved members of the court at every level both as performers and listeners, and was one of the only means by which social barriers could occasionally be blurred. That music was provided by both servants and courtiers is reflected in Shakespeare’s All is True when Queen Katherine requests one of her ladies in waiting to leave her work and perform a song for her in act 3, scene 1. Eventually, Schütz insists on the importance of transmission. Indeed, in order to obtain the skills necessary to discuss music, rulers and courtiers had of course to be instructed in the art. Next to these intimate forms of court performance, then, there existed a pedagogical type of performance: tutors instructing their royal students, both children and adults.