Music and the court of Mary Stewart, 1561-1567

In 1561 Mary Stewart, queen of Scotland and dowager queen of France, left the French court and returned to Scotland. For the next six years she presided over a court predominantly based in Edinburgh that sought to function on a similar basis to courts of western Europe. This dissertation examines music associated with Mary's court during this time period.;I begin by reconstructing the court's musical establishment. The queen is often described as a musician, and I evaluate the evidence and implications of her musical training. Through a careful study of archival records, I identify the court musicians. I use ambassadorial and other contemporaneous accounts to investigate the musicians' employment conditions and to provide suggestions for repertoire they would have performed. I argue that recovering the use of music in major court celebrations gives evidence of methods used to position Scotland as part of the Continental mainstream.;The remainder of the dissertation analyzes the roles music played in communications between the court and the burgh at official and unofficial levels. One chapter examines how the music used in the 1561 entry ceremony staged by Edinburgh reinforced implied messages to the queen. Another chapter considers the use of trumpeters to symbolize the queen's authority. The final chapter explores two ballads associated with the court. "Mary Hamilton" is still sung today, while "The King's Complaint" is forgotten. I reveal how "Mary Hamilton" has manipulated perceptions of Mary, Queen of Scots and her courtiers. I clarify how and why "The King's Complaint" might have been sung.;My primary focus of study is how music interacts with people, especially as it circulates within and around the orbit of Mary's reign. Thus I have sought throughout this dissertation to explore the ways that music influenced perceptions of the court and reflected the turmoil in Scotland during this time of intertwining conflict between English and French influence and Catholic versus Calvinistic religious beliefs. Just as the political and religious conflicts cannot be wholly separated, the roles of music as both actor and reflector also overlap. My dissertation contributes to knowledge of music's position in wider events.