England: history of the pipe and tabor
the 16th century
taborers
In the 16th century neither terminology nor spelling were fixed.
So a pipe and tabor player could be, for example, a mynstrell, a musician, a drummer, a pyper, taber and piper, tabret, taberette or a fidler. It is impossible to know now which of some of these are taborers or players of other instruments as seen in contemporary images. |
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“Northumberland retained a taboret, a luter, and a rebec player. Similarly, Oxford retained a taboret, ‘Patrons and performance : early Tudor household revels’ by Westfall, Suzanne R 1990 |
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c.1500 wood panel, Lancaster |
1500 calligraphy book |
1512 Westminster Abbey, London
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1520-30 pattern book East Anglia |
1520-30 pattern book, East Anglia | 1523 illustrated alphabet | |||||||||||
1520 misericord |
1520-24 stone carving | 16th century alphabet book pub. London 1886 |
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1530 | 1533 sketch for triumphal arch |
Beverley Minster | |||||||||||
1538 biblical sketch | |||||||||||||
pipe and beater recovered from the Mary Rose which sank in 1545
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pipe from the Mary Rose | |||||||||||||
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1547 From an Inventory of the Guarderobes, etc. of the instruments of Henry VIII: “Item. A Pipe for a Taberde in a Case of blacke leather.” |
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1552 The indictment of eighteen minstrels at Chester included three taborers, eight fiddlers and eight pipers. | |||||||||||||
1550-75 'Boke of Astronomy and off Philosophye' fol 031v | 1569 Broadside Ballad woodcut [horn and drum] | ||||||||||||
1560-80 Biblical painting |
1550-1621 stained glass | 1599 pamphlet illustration | |||||||||||
end 16th century alphabet book f. 19
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'"The picture here set down, John Scottowe (d. 1607), |
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Some of the entertainments which took place during the reign of Henry VIII and involved taborers, were described 1510 Accounts of Revels 1513 REVEL ACCOUNTS, No. 5. 1514 REVEL ACCOUNTS, No. 7. 1516 REVEL ACCOUNTS, No. 9. 'Revels', in ‘Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 2, 1515-1518’ |
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1512 a taborer kept by a noble household: ‘The Regulations and Establishment of the Household of Henry Algernon Percy’
The 5th Earl of Northumberland's Household Book: Page 42 lists: “MYNSTRÅLLS IN HOUSHOLD . Page 45 Page 46 and 48 Page 343/344 (Payments made to minstrels for other household duties for the family): REGULATIONS AND ESTABLISHMENT OF THE HOUSHOLD OF HENRY ALGERNON PERCY , THE FIFTH EARL OF WRESILL |
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1516
Herriard, Hampshire; St Mary's Churchwardens' Accounts:
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1517-18 Ely Priory, Cambridgeshire; Treasurer's Accounts
“Given to entertainers of the lord king on the feast of the translation of St Ethelred the virgin by custom, 10s. |
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1523 "This is expenses and charges and money paid unto my master, anno 14." Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 3, 1519-1523 |
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1526 Southampton, Hampshire; Steward's Accounts:
“Item payd to my lord talbotes mynstrell for a Reward xx d.” |
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“In the year 1526 the king's band of musicians was constituted as follows: 15 trumpets, 3 lutes, 3 rebecks
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In Parish Records many men are termed 'mynstrell', 'miussicion', 'musycion,' 'Musytion,' ' musitionn,' without naming the instrument they played. For example: "Richard Streache, one of the Waits of London, pensioned on January 29th 1555 by the City, because he had “become very weake syckelye and ympotente.” Corporation of London Record Office, Repertory 13, fo1.255~1 |
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1555 A civic code in Beverley, aimed at the "part-time" musician, forbids any "miller, shepherd, or husbandman the renaissance wind band and wind ensemble, by David Whitwell, 1983 |
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1561 York, an ordinance was passed concerning the non-resident minstrel, specifying that "no manner of foreigner" the renaissance wind band and wind ensemble, by David Whitwell, 1983 |
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1563 Bramley, Hampshire; St James' Churchwardens' Accounts:
“Item to Crofte the mynstrell ij s.” |
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1569 “paymentes by the saide mayor when the Quens maiesty was here.”
Hampshire, Southampton, Book of Fines f 125v |
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Peter breame was a glasier who played the drum and flute for musters 1583-84 Southampton, Hampshire “Laide out for Liveries for the officers this yeare as ffolloweth in Anno 1583 |
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After King Henry VIII’s reformation people could be tried as heretics for not attending church. 1576/7 Leverington, Cambridgeshire; Diocesan Court Proceedings: |
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1580 Southampton, Hampshire; Mayor's Accounts: "Henry the Minstrell j yeardes ij quarters" |
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1584
alumni of Oxford University lists the son of:
“ John of Salvinton, a common fidler born 16 Dec. 1584” Alumni Oxonienses 1500-1714. Originally published by University of Oxford, Oxford, 1891. |
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1585 “the fagge-end of an old man’s old will, who gave a good somme of mony to a Red-fac’d Ale-drinker, “To make your Pipe and Tabor keepe their sound, in 'Drinke and Welcome' quoted in Th'e Curiosities of Ale & Beer: An Entertaining History', by John Bickerdyke 1889 |
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1587 a French musician compiled a list of the events he had played in. This included in 1587, 'la nuit de Saint-Julien' 1620 list compiled by Michel Henry |
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1590-91 Wantage, Berkshire “paid to Iohn Rowland taberer xvij s. vj d.” St Peter and St Paul's Churchwardens' Accounts, Bodl.: MS. Top. Berks c.44 |
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1594-95 Wantage, Berkshire “payed to Rouland for playing at whitsontide xij d” St Peter and St Paul's Churchwardens' Accounts, Bodl.: MS. Top. Berks c.44 |
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1595-96 Wantage, Berkshire “paid to Rowland forplaynge ij s.” St Peter and St Paul's Churchwardens' Accounts, Bodl.: MS. Top. Berks c.44 |
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1605-06 Stanford in the Vale, Berkshire “Item to Iohn Rowland for one dayes playe iij s.” St Denys' Churchwardens' Accounts, BRO: D/P 118/5/1 |
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1597 "John Bouset, or Possetis was a master at jests and clownish tricks… He often carried a pipe and sometimes, mentioned by Mangold ‘Markschiffs Nachen’ (1597) |
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1602 Sutton, Cambridgeshire, Diocesan Court Proceedings: “Spence a minstrell that being a piper draweth the youth of Sutton to ill order on the Sabaoth dayes, & being |
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fife and drum |
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“amongst the musicians of Henry VIII at his death was " Olyver Fyfer" who played the Fife …The Fife seems to have Again, in 1557, when an army was dispatched to S. Quentin, in France, a " drumme and phife " were quoted in 'Old English instruments of music, their history and character' by Galpin, Francis W. 1910 |
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House Book records in York: 1594 [There are many notes of sums being paid to 'minstrels', but the records give no hint of what instruments they played.] |
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