During this experimental period from the mid-sixteenth to early eighteenth century, maritime performers took cultural practices from the land community and brought them to sea. They brought songs, dances, and plays from England to the decks of ships and from there to banqueting houses in Africa. Aboard ship, they tethered higher and lower classes, performing communal rituals that brought everyone together and communicating amongst members of different ranks. At shore, they mediated diplomatic relations with villagers, dignitaries, political representatives, and commercial traders. They helped establish cross-cultural relations by navigating language barriers, unfamiliar customs, and awkward introductions. Though I have grouped them by rank and type (naval, civilian, professional, amateur), these groupings are not static and sometimes overlapped. Not all remained at sea, and some joined voyages after a full life as a landlubber. Court musicians became marooned sailors, and military trumpeters became pirates. Status and duty shifted with each voyage and experience.

Maritime musicians performed for many occasions and occupied different spaces for work and play. Naval musicians like Richard Purdye, Frobisher's trumpeter, signalled ships at sea, played for processions at shore, and stayed at the ready to sound when needed, whether to find missing men or get the attention of villagers. His role as a signaller, though crucial to the success of the voyage, also made him a target for enemy fire, as Drake's trumpeter at Nombre de Dios understood first-hand.