Original pictures (dated)

The Robert Braunche (or Peacock) Brass

St Margaret's Church, King's Lynn
 

Musicians on the left

The feast scene at the foot of the Robert Braunche brass.
Braunche was mayor of Lynn in 1349 and again in 1359. He died 15th October 1364. In 1349 King Edward III and Queen Phillipa visited Lynn and Braunche is reputed to have given them the magnificent peacock feast commemorated here.

Musicians on the right

Nuremberg Town Band

(see Notes & Queries for more details)
 

Pfeifferstuhl by Georg Eberlein

Original mural by Dürer c1500


 

Heinrich Aldegraver(1502-1555)

Trumpets & Sackbut 1538

Ensemble of two slide-trumpets and a trombone: Heinrich Aldegrever (1502-1588), woodcut, 'Music for a wedding dance', from The Great Dances

Crumhorn Players, 1551

(NB same date as publication of 'Dancerye').
These chaps have livery cloaks and badges so, surely, they're stadtpfeiffer? JM.

Femal Sackbut Player

Female Slide Trumpet Player

Stadtgeiger and Stadtpfeiffer from Leonhard Flexel.

Grazer (i.e. from Graz) Schutzenbuch (1568). In Early Music Aug. 1989 p. 409.

Graz Town Band 1568

"Lobsprach des furstlichen Freischeissens" by Leinhard Flexel, Innsbruck, 1569. According to Trevor Herbert in his new book, "The Trombone", they are the Stadpfeifers of Graz.
See also the image above, which is obviously a different version of the same scene.

Bermondsey

Follow the link above to this picture in the collection of the Marquess of Salisbury, I don't know where, but Hatfield House comes to mind? There seems to be another fiddler with a black coat and a colleague up and left of the red coated fellows. J.

Spring Picnic by Lucas van Valkenborch 1587

Speellieden bij een promovendus op de Oude Markt van Leuven

(P. Diveaus, Res Lovaniensis, 1564).

De vier Leuvense
pijpers in de jaalijkse ommegang

(W. Boonen, Geschiedenis van Leuven, 1594, deel 2).

Trumpeter with Instrument Case 1568

by Jost Ammann, a Swiss artist (1539-1591).
See entry in bibliography: Awouters, M, de Keyser, I & Vandenberghe, S
See also Notes & Queries.

Note the instrument case at his feet.

Intrede van de hertog van Anjou in 1582 to Antwerpen

(Brussel, Koninklikje Biblioteek, VH 30876C en VH 27833C).

Intrede van Ernest van Oostenrijk in 1594 te Brussel

(Brussel, Koninklikje Biblioteek, VH 26662’)

The Lepers Festival, Amsterdam, 1604

What certainly appear to be the Amsterdam Stadpeipers. The Livery is apparently the City's (note the XXX upon the Lace, the main charge on the City Arms). In the Amsterdam Historical Museum.
For more on this picture, go to Notes & Queries.

Click to enlarge

Detail showing the X's from the arms of Amsterdam on the sleeve of the livery coat.

Picture from Hans Mons' website

Antoon Sallaert, "Archduchess Isabelle and Archduke Albert at the procession of the maids of the Sablon", 1615 Galleria Sabauda, Turin, Italy,

Town Pipers of Dresden?
1709

Three oboes and one bassoon rather than two and two. Good evidence of the oboe-bassoon waits in the 18th c.

Les Douze Grands Hautbois Du Roi
1715

The Royal wind band of oboes, tenor oboes and bassoons, at the coronation of Louis XV.

Die Feldmusik (Hautboisten) eines Regiments
1720

Kupferstich von Christof Weigels Witwe, Nürnberg. Heeresgeschichtliches Museum, Wien

Netherlands Army 1751

Swiss Guard

Dutch Guard

Band of the First Foot Guards, 1753

See Notes & Queries for details.

The City of London Waits, 1761

Published according to Act of Parl^t   Nov^r 16 1761
Nov^r 17. 1761    Sold by I Smith at Hogarth's H^d Cheapside
A VIEW of CHEAPSIDE, as it appeared on LORD MAYOR'S DAY laft
How their Majesties King George the 3^rd and Queen Charlotte viewed the civic procession from M^r Dav^d Barclay's House opposite Bow Church.

Detail from the picture on the left, showing the City of London Waits playing just below the Royal Box. (except for the horn player on the left, who is having a quick tipple!)

Review of the King's Lynn Yeomanry with band, 1782

Detail of the band

King George III bathing in the sea to musical accompaniment at Weymouth 1789

Royal Dipping

Of purest air and healing waves we tell,
Where, welcome maid, Hygeia loves to dwell.

London, Pubd. by Willm. Holland,
No. 50, Oxford Street, July 15, 1789

In Holland's Exhibition Rooms may be seen the largest collection of humorous prints. Admittance, one shilling.

A contemporary account of the occasion by Fanny Burney states: "Think but of the surprise of his Majesty the first time of his bathing; he had no sooner popped his royal head under water, than a band of music, concealed in a neighbouring machine, struck up 'God save Great George our King'."

City of London Waits on the Lord Mayor's Barge, c1805

Detail

For more on the Lord Mayor's Barge and the City Waits, see
Notes & Queries and Pills to Purge Melancholy

A Wait of 1815
from Berwick
Based on a painting of James Wallace, last of the Berwick Waits.

black & white version

colour version.

James Wallace, the last Waite of Berwick, who appears to have been blind, being led throught the streets by a wee laddie. He carries his instrument (a fiddle?) in his left hand. See Notes & Queries

Christmas Waits

Harper's Weekly January 6, 1872
What once was the wassail is now less poetically known as caroling, some also refer to it as the Christmas Waits. Pictured is a scene of traveling musicians serenading a crowd of elegant ladies and gentlemen. A maid pours drinks while a cellist plays, a boy sings and another plays the accordion.
The page measures 11 x 16 and is in excellent condition and is currently for sale at http://www.toddtarantino.com:80/harpers/wassail.html.

PUNCH cartoon, 22 January 1881

Obviously the cartoon refers to the public bewilderment at Whistler's impressionistic "Nocturnes". I wonder if Whistler is an "occupational" surname for a Wait? David Jackson.

See Notes & Queries.

Early 20th century impression of Lincoln Waits

from a Christmas Card sent by the High Constable of Lincoln, December 1908

For the full story behind this image, and the tradition of "Crying Christmas", visit the Lincoln Waits research website.