[Bards] Kingdom Eisteddfod

Beth celtic_wolff at yahoo.com
Sun Nov 8 19:16:21 PST 2009


Awesome format! Barring some serious impediment, I'll be there. To compete. Again. LOL!
 
Elanor

"Little girls, this seems to say, Never stop upon your way. 
Never trust a stranger-friend; No one knows how it will end. 
As you're pretty, so be wise; Wolves may lurk in every guise. 
Handsome they may be, and kind, Gay, or charming never mind! 
Now, as then, 'tis simple truth... 
Sweetest tongue has sharpest tooth!"

--- On Mon, 11/9/09, Catrin ferch Maelgwn <ladycatrin at gmail.com> wrote:


From: Catrin ferch Maelgwn <ladycatrin at gmail.com>
Subject: [Bards] Kingdom Eisteddfod
To: "Ansteorran Bardic list" <bards at lists.ansteorra.org>, "Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc." <ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org>
Date: Monday, November 9, 2009, 12:26 AM


Unto the good and noble denizens of Ansteorra does Catrin ferch
Maelgwn, Bard of Ansteorra, send greetings.

The time for the passing of the cloak is close at hand.  I have
learned that the Eisteddfod has been awarded to the Barony of
Stargate, and will take place at their Yule celebration on Saturday,
December 5th.

All who wish to vie for the privilege of serving as Kingdom Bard are
invited to compete, and all who wish to hear some of the finest
performers in the Known World at their best are encouraged to attend.
The competition will consist of three rounds; specific requirements
are outlined below.

In addition to the criteria below, please be aware that, in order to
win, at least *one* of your pieces must be a period or period-style
piece, accompanied by documentation.  In which round you choose to
fulfill this requirement is up to you, but please have your
documentation ready and let me know at the time of your performance.
If you need assistance with documentation, there are some very helpful
articles here: http://laurel.ansteorra.org/  under the heading
"writing documentation."  If you have any questions, do not hesitate
to contact me.

Onward!

***Round 1 - Bardic Olympics***

Choose ONE of the following scenarios, and respond in the form of your
first entry.

1.  The battle has raged for days.  Ansteorra's warriors, badly
outnumbered, continue to fight valiantly in spite of their injuries,
hunger, and exhaustion.  On the eve of a clash that will decide the
kingdom's fate, your King looks to you to bolster the hearts of his
men.

2.  The Queen has asked you to entertain at an afternoon tea for
visiting Ladies of the Rose.  Her Majesty has a wicked sense of humor,
but some of her royal cousins possess decidedly more delicate
sensibilities.  Your duty is to delight your monarch without offending
her guests.

3.  You have been commissioned--or, perhaps, inspired--to pen a paean
of love to a subject of adoration.  Unfortunately, you have
subsequently been thrust into a world in which the words "love" and
"adore" do not exist.  The words "pine," "admire," "yearn," and "long
for" are likewise strangely absent from the dictionary.  You get the
picture.  Still, it is absolutely imperative that the pined-for
individual be made aware of your (or your patron's) feelings.

4.  You are invited to share your craft at a local demo for the
public.  You may have heard it said that modern ears "can't
appreciate" period music, or that our attention spans can't hold up to
to period storytelling.  We know that's rubbish, don't we?  Perform a
piece that will teach your listeners just how enjoyable "period" can
be.

5.  You have somehow found yourself charged with the care of a gaggle
of small children.  One is trying to pick a fight with his sister.
Another is experiencing mommy separation anxiety.  A third is an
absolute font of questions for which you have no conceivable answer.
When you ask if they would like to hear a story, they fall silent,
wide-eyed, and nod.  This is your opening.  You must not hesitate.

***Round 2 - Personal Challenge***

Try Something New.

I had originally planned to call this "stepping outside your comfort
zone," but I want people to feel confident, not uncomfortable, while
performing.  I AM asking, though, that you Try Something New.  This is
left to the individual judgment of each performer, of course, but at
the very least I ask that you choose a piece with which you have NEVER
competed before.

Beyond that, it's up to you.  Perhaps you are a singer and would like
to try a spoken piece.  Perhaps you've always wanted to write original
material and haven't yet taken the plunge.  Perhaps you're known for
your dirges, and would like to try to make us laugh.  If nothing else,
this would be a great time to try out a period piece if you don't have
many in your repertoire.  Again, I don't want you to stress yourself
out trying to do something you're reaaally not comfortable with--but I
would like to see people stretching their bardic muscles.  When you
are Premier Bard, you may be asked to try a lot of things you've never
done before, and it's important that you be able to do so with
confidence.  This is good practice!

***Round 3 - Victory Lap (almost)***

You've made it this far.  You're in the finals.  You few, you happy
few, you--well, you get it.  Pull out all the stops.  Choose a piece
that lets you shine!

***

And that's it.  I would love to hear from those of you who are
planning to compete, to give me an idea of what to expect and also
because it's even more exciting that way.  If you are on the fence
about competing, I hope you'll decide to go for it!  This is an event
that never fails to delight because you really get see your fellow
performers excel, even as they support and encourage each other
throughout a very big day.

Any questions?  Anything I missed?  Let me know!  And feel free to
forward this to anyone you think might be interested.

Regards,
Lady Catrin ferch Maelgwn
Premier Bard of Ansteorra
(for a little while longer. :))
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