Singing Libel in Early Stuart England: The Case of the Staines Fiddlers, 1627

Abstract

In the autumn of 1627, the Court of Star Chamber prosecuted a group of roving fiddlers for performing libelous songs against the royal favorite, George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham.Alastair Bellany offers an analysis of the political meanings of these notorious performances, beginning with the authorities’ interpretations of the fiddlers’offense, and then situating the lyrics of the songs within early Stuart court scandal and the political dynamics of the later 1620s. The article concludes, however, by arguing that we can fully understand these libels only if we explore them as songs whose meanings were shaped by melody and musical performance. singing libel: the case of the staines fiddlers 193 45. Bodleian, MS. Tanner 465, fol. 104r;“Early Stuart Libels,”Pi26. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.123 on Mon, 18 Jul 2016 05:58:48 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms