Goliards (I can hear the collective, 'huh?')

This Summer, the lady and I took the opportunity to attend the Philadelphia Renaissance Faire (largely in part to see "The Mountain", but also 'cause we dig that kind of thing).  During our visit, we were lightly scandalized and heavily entertained by The Creepy Bard's performance.  During the show, he mentioned that none of the songs he performed were, in fact, from the Renaissance.  They were 19th Century (I seem to remember. It was hot), as there were no available tunes from the time-period to be sung.  Well, this idea started me off to research (eventually).  Today's are the first fruits. 

http://www.britannica.com/art/minstrel

Primogeniture is a concept that kinda sticks in the craw for any of us younger sons.  We all understand that land is equivalent to power in the the olde tyme version of ruling the world and divvying it up would counter that, but you'd think that Papa could spare a little for the younger ones.  Unfortunately, younger sons had to find some other way to make a living than the old fashioned one.
    When making alternate career choices, the aristocracy had few options.  They might end up as their brother's strong rights arm (or join a mercenary company), maybe go into business (heaven forfend!), or go to university.  University could lead a couple of different ways, but for most nobility it led to the Church.  While this might have been right up some of those spoiled little brats' alleys, it appears that it wasn't for all of them.  To add insult to injury, there were never enough positions for all of these graduates (apparently some things never change), so what were they to do?  It is in these disaffected youths that we find the roots of the goliard.
    While the word eventually evolved (14th C) to simply refer to a minstrel, the goliard began as a cleric.  Granted, these gentlemen do not seem to have ever been apprised of what being a cleric entails, as they engaged in all forms of debauchery.  Apart from being drunks, gamblers and womanizers, these younger sons widely employed the literary arts to criticize the Church (as well as devising tunes to laugh and drink with).  Their satires mocked Pope, monastery, and parish alike, for their improprieties.  Some goliard works are collected under the title "Carmina Burana".  While some of these "high-spirited youths" eventually moved on and joined the establishment, the goliards as a group were heavily censured by the Church, eventually having their privileges as clergy removed (which they then wrote songs about as well).
    Literary works were only a part of why their privileges were revoked, however.  Goliards, being unemployed, tended to wander about, acting as tutors and itinerant preachers (sometimes teaching naughty words to traditional hymns, in Latin).  They are reported to have been regular disturbances at church services, keeping themselves entertained and poking fun at the establishment.  Politically they were active as well.  Some goliards were connected to student disturbances at the University of Paris, connected to the intrigues of the papal legate.  It was the goliards' ability to connect with and rile up the populace that seems to have been most responsible for their eventual fall.
   

Ah, so there is some music preserved from the time.  Unfortunately for us, this stuff is in Latin.  One of the reviews I encountered for a collection in English accuses the translator of being ham-fisted to make the rhyme and meter work properly.  Translation is always an art of compromise, but in art it is doubly difficult.  This part of the search will have to continue.
    As for those who wish to apply the goliard (or the concept) to their work, they are an interesting case.  While they were a rebellious lot, they seem to have been trapped within their own system (those who wanted more than to simply gamble, drink, and chase the ladies).  Their effectiveness was limited by their erudition, writing only in Latin.  They lacked the courage to make a true break with the Church, like later reformers would.  Longevity may be ascribed to there being an abundant supply of second sons and the difficulty in keeping track of all of them in that specific time and place as they wandered the countryside.  
    The presence of a similar group in a Fantasy setting is reasonable.  Primogeniture is a commonly held tenet in most Fantasy worlds.  Robin Hobb uses it as a focus in her Soldier Son trilogy.  Any time there are roles defined by birth you will get backlash.  If all second sons of the nobility really did become an officer in the military, how top-heavy would that organization be?  Too many Chiefs and not enough Indians, as my mother would say.  
    Employing them as a true template is simple.  They are a fine example of grumblers.  They are tolerated by the Church, probably because they have political connections, but only up to a point.  Once the Church brought the hammer down, the goliards disappeared quickly enough.  However, they did have all the tools available to overthrow the system.  They had a knowledge of the inner workings of the church and its doctrines.  They had a working relationship with the masses.  They had some political connections.  If they had ever gotten truly organized they could have been a dangerous group.  Enter the hammer.

 

Notes

The Creepy Bard - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGyNOV2-TrX35r6vOvwg7MXt2t2aATU6H

Britannica Entry - http://www.britannica.com/art/goliard

Wiki - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goliard

The Cambridge Songs - https://archive.org/stream/cambridgesongsgo00breuuoft#page/n15/mode/2up

Another Blogger - http://everything2.com/title/Goliard

Carmina Burana (lyrics) - http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/works/orff-cb/carmlyr.php

a poem from the Archpoet - http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/source/golias1.asp

more verse - http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/goliard.html