Modern Day Minstrels

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In the Renaissance, minstrels were professional entertainers who were jugglers, acrobats, entertainers, musicians and storytellers. They are sometimes referred to as wandering poet musicians or bards. They would recite long tales to simple music on the harp or lyre. These tales would consist of the histories and legends of their people. Before the invention of the printing press, the latest news was delivered by the bard through ballad stories. They would also recite long narrative poems of the great heroes of the past. Their performance captured their audience, and had a mesmerizing quality, transporting listeners from the boredom of their everyday lives to worlds of imagination from the past.