Spielmann

a wandering actor and musician in medieval Germany and Austria. The Spielmann, who was similar to the French jongleur and the Russian skoromokh (itinerant performer), was at once a poet, actor, singer, acrobat, and dancer. In addition to heroic folk narratives, he performed tales and Schwänke (satiric folktales) of his own invention, appearing at fairs, folk festivals, and court celebrations. The art of the Spielmann was often anticlerical and antifeudal.