noun
minstrelsy
MIN-strul-see/ˈmɪnstrəlsi/
The art or performance of traditional singers and musicians.
The festival celebrates minstrelsy with traditional songs and lively instrumental music.
Etymology
Menestralsie connects the word with minstrels’ art and occupation. Early English usage covered both music-making for entertainment and the entertainers collectively, linking the performance tradition with its practitioners.
More examples
- She studies the role of minstrelsy in medieval court life.
- The concert introduces listeners to minstrelsy through old ballads.
- Traveling performers once earned their living through minstrelsy.
Forms
minstrel noun — A performer of songs and instrumental music.
Similar words
- folk music
- Names traditional music itself, rather than its performance.
- balladry
- Focuses on narrative songs rather than traditional musical performance generally.