Well said Thomas, The early music of the minstrels was the entertainment of the time, and perhaps comparable to a soap opera. In medieval times the minstral was a servant of the lord, with no more status than the maidservants and cooks. He juggled and danced, and wrote songs of the events of the day (which had a great deal to do with the bravery of the lord's knights on the battlefield that morning). He was captive chronicaller of his liege. Later, as we approach the Renaissance, the stories might have been of courtly love and those were yet with the tolerance and support of the king or liege lord. The "poets" became independant, but not totally. Chaucer disappeared when the church took back control of the English monarchy (he having satirized the church to some extent). The song of the Middle ages was a saga, a story and an entertainment. The music of the Renaissance developed a life of its own as music.
Best, Jon
