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Disclaimer: The Persona Biographies noted below are
based on real persons of history, but may contain fictional “filler” in
order to round out the persona and provide a substance for acting at
Renaissance Faires and R reenactments.
The Persona Biographies should not be used as the basis for
historical research.
  Master Benedict
Browne, Sergeant Trumpeter - Benedict Browne was born near
the year 1497, as Benedetto Bruno, in Pavia, a small town of the duchy of
Milano, in Italy. Benedetto was born the son of Giovanni Bruno, a gentleman
of musical ability and court trumpeter to Ludovico Sforza, Duke of the
Republic of Milano. In 1494, the
Duke in his aim to gain favor with France allowed free passage of King
Charles VIII of France through Milan and into Naples. The French invasion
of 1494 failed, but in 1499 another French expedition moved into Italy led
by the new king, Louis XII. The French turned on Ludovico and took Milan,
moving from there into many other areas of Italy. The glory of the Milanese
court collapsed under French control, and the artists and musicians who had
flocked to the city now fled to new locations. Giovanni took advantage of
this change in political climate to move his family north to England as his
disdain for the actions of the French left him bitter. Henry VII was eager to fill his palaces
with the art and music of the Italian renaissance. Giovanni also felt his new approaches
towards musical composition would be better accepted in England. Giovanni and his family arrived in
England in the summer of 1505 and he presented his credentials as a former
Court Trumpeter to his majesty and was quickly accepted into the trumpet
corps. Giovanni soon became the Master of the Trumpets, under his new
English name of John Browne. This
set the stage for Benedict’s destiny.
He would follow his father’s footsteps, learning to play the trumpet
as soon as he could hold it.
In 1513, at the age of 16, Benedict was accepted as an apprentice and
performed on trumpet alongside his father for Henry VIII who ascended to
the throne in 1509. Benedict’s father remained the master trumpeter
under Henry VIII. This position
ensured that Benedict would become very proficient and Benedict was able to
quickly move through the ranks of precedence. On March 1, 1542,
Benedict received denization.
This is the act by which a foreigner becomes a subject of England;
but has not the rights either of a natural born subject, nor of one who has
become naturalized. In 1547, young King Edward VI was placed on the
throne. By this time, Benedict
Browne had been a court trumpeter for 34 years and at the age of 50
received the title of Sergeant Trumpeter to His Majesty. This position of esteem would become the
pinnacle achievement of future trumpeters who aspired to be the best in the
land. Benedict would continue to serve as Sergeant Trumpeter under the
reign of Mary and Elizabeth until his passing at the age of 69 in
1566.
As the Sergeant Trumpeter, Benedict was responsible for the proficiency
and licensing of all trumpeters in England. Upon his appointment, Benedict
was authorized to wear the Collar of SS (Esses), a decoration restricted to
the Lord Chief Justices of the Queen's Bench, the Lord Chief Baron of the
Exchequer, the Lord Mayor of London, the Kings-of-Arms, the Heralds, the
Sergeant-at-Arms, and the Sergeant Trumpeter.
Scott McDonald – Scott retired from 20+ years of
Community Theater in 1995. During his ‘community theater career’ he
participated in every aspect of the theater from acting to technical to
directing. His most memorable role was as Andrew Wycke in the
Suspense Drama Sleuth, by Anthony Schaeffer. In 1980, Scott received
critical acclaim for his portrayal from the toughest theater critic in the
San Francisco theater scene.
When Scott left the theater, he went back to his musical roots of playing
the trumpet. A member of the Prince
William Community Band, Scott is also a member of the Historic Brass
Society and the International Trumpet Guild. The trumpet Scott plays
as Benedict Brown, Sergeant Trumpeter to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, is an
authentic reproduction of a Renaissance Natural Trumpet. With no
valves or finger holes, Scott must rely on breath and lip control to
produce music. Considered the most difficult brass instrument to
play, Scott enjoys the challenge and the fun of recreating the role of a
Renaissance Court Trumpeter.
Scott has the distinction of having performed at Carnegie Hall in New York
City and the Royal Albert Hall in London in the summer of 1971 as a member
of America’s Youth in Concert honor band. The band toured Europe for
a month performing also in Brussels, Belgium; Paris, France; Venice and
Rome, Italy.
Scott has been attending Renaissance Faires as a ‘play-tron’ for over 30
years and decided to move into a more active role to combine his love of
theater, music, and outdoor recreation into a family affair with his wife
Jenifer.
Scott retired from the Navy in 1995 after 20 years of service and is now
employed with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency as Systems
Engineer Test Director. Scott is married to Jenifer McDonald, who
portrays the Mistress of the Hounds, and can always be seen around the
faire with a couple of greyhounds in tow.
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