The book by Moscow Conservatory professor M. A. Saponov is a fascinating excursion into one of the most interesting periods of Western European history. For the first time, it talks about the music of the Western Middle Ages as a whole as a juggling culture. The culture of minstrels - troubadours, jugglers, minnesingers - appears before readers against a very colorful background. These are castle festivals and tournaments, city carnivals and fools' festivals. The poetics of creativity, language, life, customs of musicians of that time are revealed in the book on genuine historical material, using old texts, examples of medieval literature and musical monuments. The publication also reproduces rarely published engravings of the 11th-16th centuries. Addressed to musicians, philologists, art historians, teachers, as well as humanities students of any profile interested in cultural history. CONTENTS: From the author 7 Introduction. Forgotten culture 9Chapter one. Musical professionalism of the Middle Ages: callings and titles 31Chapter two. The artistic world of minstrel 63Chapter three. The Gamer and Society 104Chapter Four. Treatise on juggling genres 137Chapter five. The space of instrumental music-making 159Chapter six. Cantus Publicus 196Chapter Seven. Chanson Rustique - minstrel song 234Conclusion. Relics of juggling 261Notes 270Glossary 342Index of titles and beginnings (incipits) in the original language 345Iconographic appendix 354Bibliographic appendix 368List of illustrations with explanations 398About the author 399