Noun

Singular minstrel

Plural minstrels

minstrel (plural minstrels)

1. A medieval traveling entertainer who would sing and recite poetry, often to his own musical accompaniment.
2. One of a troupe of entertainers who wore black makeup (blackface) to present a variety show of song, dance and banjo music; now considered racist.

Quotations

• 1885 — Gilbert & Sullivan, The Mikado

  A wandering minstrel I —

  A thing of shreds and patches,

  Of ballads, songs and snatches,

Synonyms

• (traveling musical entertainer): bard, folk singer, troubadour

A minstrel was a medieval European bard who performed songs whose lyrics told stories about distant places or about real or imaginary historical events. Though minstrels created their own tales, often they would memorize and embellish the works of others. Frequently they were retained by royalty and high society. As the courts became more sophisticated, minstrels were eventually replaced at court by the troubadours, and many became wandering minstrels, performing in the streets and became well liked until the middle of the Renaissance, despite a decline beginning in the late 15th century. Minstrelsy fed into later traditions of traveling entertainers, which continued to be moderately strong into the early 20th century, and which has some continuity down to today's buskers or street musicians.