Castalian Band
Encyclopedia
The Castalian Band was a group of Scottish Jacobean
poets, or makars, which flourished between the 1580s and early 1590s in the court of James VI and was consciously modelled on the French example of the Pléiade. Its name is derived from the classical term Castalian Spring
, a symbol for poetic inspiration. The principal literary figure to be directly associated with the group was Alexander Montgomerie
. Music also played an important part in performances; some members of the Castalian Band are known to have been musicians and many of the works were set as song
.
James VI was more than simply patron
of the group; as a prolific poet himself, and through his own writing on poetry, the young Scottish King was not only the de facto
head and director, but a practising member of the Castalian Band.
. Poets known to have been firmly associated with the group include:
Membership was fluid and some figures, such as Montgomerie, were already established poets. French influences were particularly important for the King. James himself made translations of work by the Gascon
soldier-poet du Bartas
, and du Bartas in return translated James's own Lepanto
. Du Bartas himself visited the Scottish Court on a diplomatic mission in 1587 during which time James unsuccessfully attempted to persuade him to stay.
Other Castalian makars produced translation as well as original works. William Fowler, whose original poetry includes the sonnet sequence
The Taratula of Love, made translations from Petrarch
, while John Stewart produced an abridged translation of Ariosto's Orlando Furioso. Many Scots translations made by Castalians predated first translations of the same works in England
.
Chief among the Castalians was arguably the soldier, courtier and makar Alexander Montgomerie
. He was the reputed leader of the inner circle after victory over Patrick Hume in The Flyting Betwixt Montgomerie and Polwart (c.1583). His many works include public poems such as The Navigatioun, a long allegory, The Cherry and the Slae, some devotional poems and a large number of personal court lyrics sometimes modelled on poets such as Ronsard. Sonnets on various themes include an autobiographical sequence that deftly charts frustration with "the law's delay
". Even when Montgomerie came to be politically excluded from the court sometime in the mid 1590s, he appears to have remained a favourite of the King.
The group also attracted figures from furth of Scotland. The brothers Thomas and Robert Hudson from the North of England
, were appointed as by James not only as poets but as court musicians helping to lead the musical "revival" he regarded as going hand-in-hand with his literary programme. Like other "brethren" of the band, Thomas produced translation as well as original work. Under James' patronage he was another translator of du Bartas.
Names that may have been on the fringes of the Castalian Band include:
Alexander and Ayton later represented a more anglicised stream of Scottish writing distinct from the principles of the Castalians. They came to prominence more properly after the Union of the Crowns
. Ayton was one of the first Scottish poets to have written explicitly in English, while Alexander wrote rhymed tragedies in a genre sometimes referred to as closet drama
and assisted the King in his metrical translations of the Psalms of David.
s. The modernist Scots poet Hugh MacDiarmid
, one of their detractors, dismissed their legacy in his terms as royalist
and episcopalian
and described their work as "circumscribed in outlook".
More recent critics and scholars have attempted to demonstrate the injustice of such prejudicial factors and seek a more favourable appreciation of their work. The full range of their prolific output has never properly been represented in modern publication and much in their writing, situated in a continuous tradition from the period of earlier writers such as Dunbar
, prefigures the metaphysical poets
in England. Not only are the Castalians of interest in their own right as the last court poets in a purely Scottish context, but at their best, and especially when their language
is correctly appraised, their proficient use of sometimes highly mannered verse forms to express complex ideas and personal emotion can stand with later popular works of figures such as Donne, Herrick
and Marvell
.
on Scots prosody written when he was 19. Casting himself, accurately, as an apprentice in the art of poetry, his intent was to describe the tradition and set general aesthetic and linguistic standards for Scots
poetic composition. As he was well aware, his own ancestor, James I
, was a principal figure in that tradition. Some of the specific tenets of the royal treatise were not always observed by the Castalians, but its focus on language was a defining aspect for the group. James wrote elsewhere that it "best became a king" to "make famous his own tongue", and the Reulis and Cautelis seems principally designed to serve that aspiration. Yet James at the same time conscious of his increasingly likely future accession to the English throne also gave his publisher, Robert Waldegrave, permission to anglicise his Scots manuscripts when going to press
for consumption in England.
Jacobean era
The Jacobean era refers to the period in English and Scottish history that coincides with the reign of King James VI of Scotland, who also inherited the crown of England in 1603 as James I...
poets, or makars, which flourished between the 1580s and early 1590s in the court of James VI and was consciously modelled on the French example of the Pléiade. Its name is derived from the classical term Castalian Spring
Castalian Spring
The Castalian Spring, in the ravine between the Phaedriades at Delphi, is where all visitors to Delphi — the contestants in the Pythian Games, and especially suppliants who came to consult the Delphic Oracle — stopped to wash their hair; and where Roman poets came to receive poetic...
, a symbol for poetic inspiration. The principal literary figure to be directly associated with the group was Alexander Montgomerie
Alexander Montgomerie
Alexander Montgomerie , Scottish Jacobean courtier and poet, or makar, born in Ayrshire. He was one of the principal members of the Castalian Band, a circle of poets in the court of James VI in the 1580s which included the king himself. Montgomerie was for a time in favour as one of the king's...
. Music also played an important part in performances; some members of the Castalian Band are known to have been musicians and many of the works were set as song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
.
James VI was more than simply patron
Patrón
Patrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...
of the group; as a prolific poet himself, and through his own writing on poetry, the young Scottish King was not only the de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
head and director, but a practising member of the Castalian Band.
"Brethren" of the Castalian Band
The Castalian Band was effectively a select circle of favourite poets and musicians of James VI, and thus a reflection of the young king's personal and literary tastes. Their works were principally written in Middle ScotsMiddle Scots
Middle Scots was the Anglic language of Lowland Scotland in the period from 1450 to 1700. By the end of the 13th century its phonology, orthography, accidence, syntax and vocabulary had diverged markedly from Early Scots, which was virtually indistinguishable from early Northumbrian Middle English...
. Poets known to have been firmly associated with the group include:
- King James VI
- Alexander MontgomerieAlexander MontgomerieAlexander Montgomerie , Scottish Jacobean courtier and poet, or makar, born in Ayrshire. He was one of the principal members of the Castalian Band, a circle of poets in the court of James VI in the 1580s which included the king himself. Montgomerie was for a time in favour as one of the king's...
(c. 1544–1598?) - Patrick Hume of PolwarthPatrick Hume of PolwarthSir Patrick Hume of Polwarth and Redbraes was a Scottish courtier and makar , the eldest son of Patrick and Agnes Hume, a major Scottish Borders family with landholdings in The Merse. As eldest son, Patrick Hume succeeded to the family estates, including Redbraes Castle, on the death of his father...
(c. 1550-1609) - Alexander HumeAlexander HumeAlexander Hume was a Scottish poet.The son of Patrick, 5th Lord Polwarth, he was educated at the University of St. Andrews and on the Continent. He was originally destined for the law, but devoted himself to the service of the church, and became minister of Logie in Stirlingshire...
(c. 1557–1609) the younger brother of Patrick Hume - William Fowler (1560–1612)
- John Stewart of BaldynneisJohn Stewart of BaldynneisJohn Stewart of Baldynneis, , was a writer and courtier at the Scottish Court. he was one of the Castalian Band grouped around James VI....
(c. 1567–1605) - Thomas HudsonThomas Hudson (poet)Thomas Hudson, was a musician and poet from the north of England present at the Scottish court of King James VI at the end of the 16th century...
(d. 1605) - Robert Hudson, brother of Thomas
Membership was fluid and some figures, such as Montgomerie, were already established poets. French influences were particularly important for the King. James himself made translations of work by the Gascon
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
soldier-poet du Bartas
Guillaume de Salluste Du Bartas
Guillaume de Salluste Du Bartas was a French poet. A Huguenot, he served under Henry of Navarre. He is known as an epic poet. La Sepmaine; ou, Creation du monde was a hugely influential hexameral work, relating the creation of the world and the history of man...
, and du Bartas in return translated James's own Lepanto
Battle of Lepanto
The Battle of Lepanto normally refers to the 1571 Holy League victory over the Ottoman fleet. There were also three earlier battles fought in the vicinity of Lepanto:*Battle of Naupactus in 429 BC, an Athenian victory during the Peleoponnesian War...
. Du Bartas himself visited the Scottish Court on a diplomatic mission in 1587 during which time James unsuccessfully attempted to persuade him to stay.
Other Castalian makars produced translation as well as original works. William Fowler, whose original poetry includes the sonnet sequence
Sonnet sequence
A sonnet sequence is a group of sonnets thematically unified to create a long work, although generally, unlike the stanza, each sonnet so connected can also be read as a meaningful separate unit....
The Taratula of Love, made translations from Petrarch
Petrarch
Francesco Petrarca , known in English as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar, poet and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch is often called the "Father of Humanism"...
, while John Stewart produced an abridged translation of Ariosto's Orlando Furioso. Many Scots translations made by Castalians predated first translations of the same works in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Chief among the Castalians was arguably the soldier, courtier and makar Alexander Montgomerie
Alexander Montgomerie
Alexander Montgomerie , Scottish Jacobean courtier and poet, or makar, born in Ayrshire. He was one of the principal members of the Castalian Band, a circle of poets in the court of James VI in the 1580s which included the king himself. Montgomerie was for a time in favour as one of the king's...
. He was the reputed leader of the inner circle after victory over Patrick Hume in The Flyting Betwixt Montgomerie and Polwart (c.1583). His many works include public poems such as The Navigatioun, a long allegory, The Cherry and the Slae, some devotional poems and a large number of personal court lyrics sometimes modelled on poets such as Ronsard. Sonnets on various themes include an autobiographical sequence that deftly charts frustration with "the law's delay
Scots law
Scots law is the legal system of Scotland. It is considered a hybrid or mixed legal system as it traces its roots to a number of different historical sources. With English law and Northern Irish law it forms the legal system of the United Kingdom; it shares with the two other systems some...
". Even when Montgomerie came to be politically excluded from the court sometime in the mid 1590s, he appears to have remained a favourite of the King.
The group also attracted figures from furth of Scotland. The brothers Thomas and Robert Hudson from the North of England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
, were appointed as by James not only as poets but as court musicians helping to lead the musical "revival" he regarded as going hand-in-hand with his literary programme. Like other "brethren" of the band, Thomas produced translation as well as original work. Under James' patronage he was another translator of du Bartas.
Names that may have been on the fringes of the Castalian Band include:
- William Alexander, Earl of Stirling (1567–1640)
- Robert AytonRobert AytonSir Robert Aytoun was a Scottish poet.Ayton was the son of Ayton of Kinaldie House in Fife.He and his elder brother entered St Leonard's College in St Andrews in 1584. After graduating MA from St...
(1569–1638)
Alexander and Ayton later represented a more anglicised stream of Scottish writing distinct from the principles of the Castalians. They came to prominence more properly after the Union of the Crowns
Union of the Crowns
The Union of the Crowns was the accession of James VI, King of Scots, to the throne of England, and the consequential unification of Scotland and England under one monarch. The Union of Crowns followed the death of James' unmarried and childless first cousin twice removed, Queen Elizabeth I of...
. Ayton was one of the first Scottish poets to have written explicitly in English, while Alexander wrote rhymed tragedies in a genre sometimes referred to as closet drama
Closet drama
A closet drama is a play that is not intended to be performed onstage, but read by a solitary reader or, sometimes, out loud in a small group. A related form, the "closet screenplay," developed during the 20th century.-Form:...
and assisted the King in his metrical translations of the Psalms of David.
Verse drama
Although there is no direct record of Scottish court drama when the Castalians were active, one verse play in Scots does intriguingly survive from the period, an eminently performable comedy of love, Philotus, which is known today only from an anonymous edition published in London in 1603. Its well-developed structure and language as theatre may suggest that our picture of literary activity in the Scottish court of James is not complete. The exact identity of the dramatist is open to speculation.Context and legacy
For various reasons, the existence of the Castalians has tended to be passed over in general literary histories. For one, Scottish Jacobean writers have largely been overshadowed by the contemporaneous literary scene in London in the age of Shakespeare. Appreciation also has been coloured by the arguable historical view that their work marked a decline and end to the tradition of the makarMakar
A makar is a term from Scottish literature for a poet or bard, often thought of as royal court poet, although the term can be more generally applied. The word functions in a manner similar to the Greek term which means both maker and poet...
s. The modernist Scots poet Hugh MacDiarmid
Hugh MacDiarmid
Hugh MacDiarmid is the pen name of Christopher Murray Grieve , a significant Scottish poet of the 20th century. He was instrumental in creating a Scottish version of modernism and was a leading light in the Scottish Renaissance of the 20th century...
, one of their detractors, dismissed their legacy in his terms as royalist
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of government, but not necessarily a particular monarch...
and episcopalian
Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
and described their work as "circumscribed in outlook".
More recent critics and scholars have attempted to demonstrate the injustice of such prejudicial factors and seek a more favourable appreciation of their work. The full range of their prolific output has never properly been represented in modern publication and much in their writing, situated in a continuous tradition from the period of earlier writers such as Dunbar
William Dunbar
William Dunbar was a Scottish poet. He was probably a native of East Lothian, as assumed from a satirical reference in the Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedie , where, too, it is hinted that he was a member of the noble house of Dunbar....
, prefigures the metaphysical poets
Metaphysical poets
The metaphysical poets is a term coined by the poet and critic Samuel Johnson to describe a loose group of British lyric poets of the 17th century, who shared an interest in metaphysical concerns and a common way of investigating them, and whose work was characterized by inventiveness of metaphor...
in England. Not only are the Castalians of interest in their own right as the last court poets in a purely Scottish context, but at their best, and especially when their language
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
is correctly appraised, their proficient use of sometimes highly mannered verse forms to express complex ideas and personal emotion can stand with later popular works of figures such as Donne, Herrick
Robert Herrick (poet)
Robert Herrick was a 17th-century English poet.-Early life:Born in Cheapside, London, he was the seventh child and fourth son of Julia Stone and Nicholas Herrick, a prosperous goldsmith....
and Marvell
Andrew Marvell
Andrew Marvell was an English metaphysical poet, Parliamentarian, and the son of a Church of England clergyman . As a metaphysical poet, he is associated with John Donne and George Herbert...
.
Reulis and Cautelis
King James VI's conscious desire to determine continuity in the Scottish literary tradition is evident from his prose treatise, the Reulis and Cautelis (Rules and Cautions), 1585, a treatiseTreatise
A treatise is a formal and systematic written discourse on some subject, generally longer and treating it in greater depth than an essay, and more concerned with investigating or exposing the principles of the subject.-Noteworthy treatises:...
on Scots prosody written when he was 19. Casting himself, accurately, as an apprentice in the art of poetry, his intent was to describe the tradition and set general aesthetic and linguistic standards for Scots
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
poetic composition. As he was well aware, his own ancestor, James I
James I of Scotland
James I, King of Scots , was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. He was probably born in late July 1394 in Dunfermline as youngest of three sons...
, was a principal figure in that tradition. Some of the specific tenets of the royal treatise were not always observed by the Castalians, but its focus on language was a defining aspect for the group. James wrote elsewhere that it "best became a king" to "make famous his own tongue", and the Reulis and Cautelis seems principally designed to serve that aspiration. Yet James at the same time conscious of his increasingly likely future accession to the English throne also gave his publisher, Robert Waldegrave, permission to anglicise his Scots manuscripts when going to press
Printing
Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing....
for consumption in England.
See also
- Pléiade
- Metaphysical poetsMetaphysical poetsThe metaphysical poets is a term coined by the poet and critic Samuel Johnson to describe a loose group of British lyric poets of the 17th century, who shared an interest in metaphysical concerns and a common way of investigating them, and whose work was characterized by inventiveness of metaphor...
- Cavalier poets
- Cultural depictions of James I of EnglandCultural depictions of James I of England-Literature:*James is a character in the novel To Have and to Hold by Mary Johnston .*James acts as something of the antagonist in the comic series Marvel 1602 and its sequels ....