[Bards] Bardic Documentation: Was: Prose Tales

Kevin Valliquette grimolfr at gmail.com
Thu May 3 18:40:25 PDT 2007


Robert, I'm in agreement with you. The most written documentation I have
ever provided for a competition is the title of the piece, and the author
and date when such are known. I have never yet entered a competition that
required more, and am loath to do so. Why? Because my interest is in
performing, not in writing research papers. If I were to write a research
paper it would be entered into that category in a static A&S competition. I
-do- research, and certainly know the difference between pieces of various
origins in time and place, but I've no interest in writing about my
findings. I simply wish to perform and connect with my audience.
Grímólfr "I just wanna sing" Einarsson ;)


On 5/3/07, Robert Fitzmorgan <fitzmorgan at gmail.com> wrote:

>
>      What follows is a general rant, prompted by Kenneth's comments but
> not directed specifically at him.
>
>       Where is your documentation to show that Bardic Competitions in the
> Middle Ages required this kind of documentation from the competitors?  I'm
> not trying to be a Smart A** here, but we are in theory, attempting to
> recreate selected aspects of the Middle Ages.  What aspect of the Middle
> Ages are you trying to recreate in asking for that kind of documentation
> from a performer?
>     I am not an expert but I think that even in the more structured
> "Bardic" traditions a performer was expected to demonstrate his or her
> knowledge of the forms and  practices by using those forms and practices
> correctly rather than by writing out documentation explaining what he knew
> and how he knew it.
>     I want a performance to feel like something that could have been done
> in period.  I want the performer to make an emotional connection with me, to
> make me feel something.
>     Filk and mundanity are acceptable in some performance venues and not
> others.  In the "Serious" venues I want something that makes me feel a
> connection with my fellow performers and an connection with the past.
> Something that takes me out of the mundane 21st century.  But as soon as you
> start asking for and presenting documentation that what you are doing is
> period, you have ceased doing something period and started doing something
> modern.  It's an intrusion and a distraction from the reason we are there in
> the first place.  The best you can hope for is that it is being done
> unobtrusively.
>      I'm not against doing research, or sharing that research.  Good
> research won't prop up a poor piece, and a good piece doesn't need propped
> up.
>      This is just my opinion and I'm sure that some will disagree with me,
> but I believe that in a competition, the research you have done should be
> judged by what appears in your performance.  If it's not in the performance
> then it's not relevant.
>
>
>    I'm looking forward to what the rest of you think.
>
> Robert "The Opinionated" Fitzmorgan
>
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