[Bards] Bards in the SCA - Questions

Emily Minier adalia.nyx at gmail.com
Mon Aug 16 14:53:25 PDT 2010


Well said.  Well said, indeed.

On Mon, Aug 16, 2010 at 4:42 PM, Jeffrey Clark <jmclark85 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Also remember that just because an activity is something a bard does, that
> performing that activity does not make someone a bard.
>
> For instance: a herald might be called upon to tell the story of a famous
> or
> recent battle. A recitation of the events of a battle is, necessarily,
> dramatic; and any proper herald would make it so. This telling is not a
> bardic activity, as the herald is simply acting in his capacity as a
> historian for his lord. The "activities" of a bard overlap with the duties
> of many other occupations.
>
> Of course, what a "bard" is changes depending on when and where you are
> talking about. A bard, a scop, a troubador, a trouvere, a jongleur, an
> minstrel were all the "bards" of their time; however each different group
> had its own thematic style, duties, and culture. Compounding the issue, you
> have many occupations which encroached on "bardic" territory, without being
> bards. Many professional musicians and poets in period were not actually
> bards, due to their position or the level of skill they maintained.
> Typically, members of a scola were not bards, however they were expected to
> be able to sing, play instruments, and compose new works.
>
> Then again, SCA culture has lumped disparate "bardic traditions" together
> in
> a way that they never were. A troubador was not (and you would be insulting
> a noble to suggest so) a wandering minstrel. A jongluer probably wasn't
> literate and very well might not have had any formal training; and a noble
> certainly wouldn't employ one for any reason. A scop would not sing a song
> and then tell a story; the acts were intertwined for them.
>
> As a final note, I would like to point out that actual period music (I am
> not sure about poetry or drama, they fall outside of my area of knowledge)
> tends to fail in the SCA. The reasons for this are often speculated upon by
> those who notice/care; and the general consensus seems to be that it
> because
> of issues with familiarity and availability. We do not commonly hear
> Renaissance songs sung outside of the occasional mass settings (I don't
> think I've ever heard one on WRR); and, unless you read music, it is hard
> to
> find them. Even if you do read music, you have to know where to look to
> find
> a good edition, and it might require editing of its own to make it useable
> in an SCA context.
>
> -Alessandro Zorzi
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Aug 16, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Emily Minier <adalia.nyx at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > WIthout trying to be over generalized, I think it best to tackle your
> > questions one at a time.  Most of the answers can be summed up as "It
> > depends." or "it's different for each individual".  For those answers,
> I'll
> > give you my take on them.  Please remember this is simply how I see it
> and
> > not necessarily the only way it can be.  :)
> >
> > What genres of the bardic are there, currently? - All of them, it just
> > depends on where you go and to whom you listen.  In the North (at least
> in
> > the far north), for example, right now we seem to be focused on the
> > Sing-a-Long at a bardic fire...something the audience is part of...not
> just
> > listening to.
> >
> > In the "Myth and History" we're told bards have several titles, how does
> > that manifest today?  Well, many of the pieces we perform are at least
> > 'periodesque', leaning towards the pieces or types of pieces performed in
> > period.  Some will scoff at that answer, but even our modern 'filks'
> harken
> > back to the middle ages, for they too were fond of a good 'filk'...they
> > just
> > didn't have the same genre's of music to filk as we do today.  Some of
> the
> > pieces are actually historically based. Some are SCA Historically based
> > (meaning that the song is done periodesque, but the events in the song
> > happened last year at 'war').  So, in all honesty, it manifests
> differently
> > for each person.  Some will see the history, some will see the bawdy
> (which
> > is also period), some will just see fun, and some will see multple
> > facets...
> >
> > Is any performer called a bard, or are 'Bards' held to a higher standard?
> > This one's a tough one.  Some will call themselves bards because they are
> > performers.  Personally, I became a bard when someone ELSE called me one.
> > It was then that I knew that they held me to that unwritten standard.
> >  Prior
> > to that when someone asked if I was a bard, my answer was "I try", or "I
> > will be", or "I hope so".  But again, that answer is different for each
> > individual.
> > There's a specific etiquette to being a bard? There is, indeed, a
> specific
> > etiquette to being a "good" bard.  You see, it's not just our job to
> > entertain, but also to teach.  The hardest lesson for new bards to learn
> is
> > when to let others have the stage.  I've been at this a while.  There are
> a
> > few songs that I will sing if I am asked for them.  There are still
> others
> > that I will point to a newer bard and say "You know, He/She knows that
> one,
> > lets let them have a turn and we can all sing-a-long".  If there is a
> lull
> > in the circle and it threatens to kill the circle, then by all means, it
> is
> > my job as an experienced bard to perform something that will pull the
> > audience back in, but that doesn't mean that I have to hold the floor for
> > the entire show.  If I run out of songs to sing in a single night, I've
> > held
> > the floor WAY WAY WAY too long.
> >
> > Are bards an official position within the SCA, with ceremonies, rites of
> > passage, and levels of accomplishment?  Or are they more informal?
>  Bards,
> > in general, are more informal.  As you perform at or attend bardic
> circles,
> > you'll start to learn who is whom.  We do have official bardic positions
> in
> > Ansteorra, but you don't have to hold one of them to be a bard.
> >
> > What usually happens in a bardic circle?  How long does it last?  A
> bardic
> > circle is usually a gathering of people/friends around a fire, singing
> > songs, telling stories, laughing and having a good time.  It lasts as
> long
> > as the people enjoying it last.  At some bardic circles there is more
> > formallity...some circles are "Perform, Request, Pass" type circles where
> > someone starts and it goes around the circle and each person at the
> circle
> > MUST either perform, request a piece, or pass their turn
> (formally)...this
> > type of circle if rare, but does occur (usually when there are LOTS and
> > LOTS
> > of strong bards and the organizer doesn't know how to handle the struggle
> > for the spot light).
> >
> > What is a 'NSTIW story circle'? NSTIW is an acronym for "No S&!% There I
> > Was"...these are usually funny anecdotes that actually occurred at an
> event
> > or at a war.
> >
> > What is involved in a 'bardic competition'? A Bardic competition usually
> > has
> > a round format.  Meaning that each competitor will perform once per round
> > (rounds are set by the oranizer) and each round will have a style that is
> > required OR another example would be that each performer must perform at
> > least 2 different styles (poem, song, or story) in a 2 round competition
> > and
> > the performer gets to choose which piece to do when.  This is invaluable
> > experience as another tough lesson to learn is what to perform and when
> to
> > perform it (how to read the audience).
> >
> > If one were interested in becoming a bard, how would one begin? The
> easiest
> > way to begin is to attend some bardic circles at events in your area.  If
> > you want to get started before then, tell us where you are and we'll see
> if
> > we can't get an experienced bard in touch with you privately, to help you
> > on
> > your way.
> >
> > If you choose to attend a bardic circle, bring a pen and paper with you,
> > jot
> > down a line or two of the songs you hear that you like (and the bard's
> > name,
> > if you can catch it), then you can google the songs when you get home to
> > help you build a "song book"....all I ask that you be aware of copyright,
> > and of some authors requests that their pieces not be performed from
> paper.
> >
> > If you'd like to talk more, on or off-list, shoot me an email.  I'm
> > available to talk.  I live in Northkeep (the Tulsa OK area), but I make
> > almost every Northern event.  I'd be happy to help point you in the right
> > direction by showing you what works for me.  It may not work for you,
> > that's
> > okay too...and you may find that some of what works for me and some of
> what
> > works for Svan, and some of what works for Lucas all mushed together will
> > work best for you...That's even better, because then you will be
> developing
> > your own style and not just a duplicate of any one of us.
> >
> > On Mon, Aug 16, 2010 at 7:57 AM, Fields Family Farm <fields at texas.net
> > >wrote:
> >
> > > Thank you for the link to "What Is A Bard:  The Myth and History".
>  Some
> > of
> > > that I at least passingly knew, some was new to me.
> > >
> > > Other questions have presented themselves:
> > >
> > > What genres of the bardic are there, currently?  In the "Myth and
> > History"
> > > we're told that bards are poets, historians, judges, teachers, and
> more,
> > > but
> > > how does this manifest in the SCA today?  Is any performer called a
> bard,
> > > or
> > > are 'Bards' held to a higher standard?
> > >
> > > There's a specific etiquette to being a bard?
> > >
> > > Are bards an official position within the SCA, with ceremonies, rites
> of
> > > passage, and levels of accomplishment?  Or are they more informal?
> > >
> > > What usually happens in a bardic circle?  How long does it last?
> > >
> > > What is a 'NSTIW story circle'?
> > >
> > > What is involved in a 'bardic competition'?
> > >
> > > If one were interested in becoming a bard, how would one begin?
> > >
> > >
> > > Hrethric/Rick
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > >
> > > > Message: 1
> > > > Date: Sat, 14 Aug 2010 22:00:31 -0500
> > > > From: Genie Barrett <maggegene at gmail.com>
> > > > To: Ansteorran Bardic list <bards at lists.ansteorra.org>
> > > > Subject: [Bards] Bards in the SCA, was: Bards Digest, Vol 50, Issue 2
> > > > Message-ID:
> > > >        <AANLkTina28zUa_B7p3kVBBpULZkiobE-j9iQ+iHpCN=e at mail.gmail.com
> >
> > > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
> > > >
> > > > Welcome Hrethrec,
> > > >
> > > > Well, we perform (whatever our particular genre is), we teach (I'm
> > > teaching
> > > > a bardic ettiquette class next weekend at Glaslyn's artisan event),
> and
> > > we
> > > > enjoy each other's company.
> > > >
> > > > I'll amend this question for my fellow bards/scalds/performers....
> > > >
> > > > *What have you done, performance-wise, in the last month or two, and
> > what
> > > > are you wanting to do in the near future?*
> > > >
> > > > I have taught classes, sung around the house, and begun writing a new
> > > song.
> > > > I hope to add bardic performance to my displays at Laurel's Prize
> > Tourney
> > > > and Steppes Artisan.
> > > >
> > > > Of note to all my performing friends out there,
> > > >
> > > > I will also be helping judge the bardic competition at Three Kings
> this
> > > > year, and hope to host a bardic circle there.  Would it be better to
> do
> > > it
> > > > Friday night, or Saturday night?  Anyone want to vote?
> > > >
> > > > Glad that the heat's days are numbered,
> > > > Magge MacPherson
> > > > Bard
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > ------------------------------
> > > >
> > > > Message: 2
> > > > Date: Sat, 14 Aug 2010 22:57:44 -0500
> > > > From: Kihe Blackeagle <kihebard at hotmail.com>
> > > > To: Ansteorran Bards <bards at lists.ansteorra.org>
> > > > Subject: Re: [Bards] Bards in the SCA, was: Bards Digest, Vol 50,
> > > >        Issue 2
> > > > Message-ID: <BLU135-W2195F71995B00023E498B5D59A0 at phx.gbl>
> > > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Maggie, my experience would suggest that a bardic circle at Three
> Kings
> > > may
> > > > do better Friday night than on Saturday night.
> > > >
> > > > Saturday night might do better for the NSTIW story circle....
> > > >
> > > > Ahem - what I've been doing for the last (mumble) months has been
> > mostly
> > > > non-SCA, not-particularly-Bardic (my lady's father has been preparing
> > > for,
> > > > and has now had, reverse shoulder replacement surgery - and he had a
> > > serious
> > > > reaction to something in the process that has slowed his recovery
> > enough
> > > > that we are scrambling to ease his way through the first few days in
> a
> > > > nursing facility).
> > > >
> > > > Although..... in the traditional sense of the Bard, that has very
> much
> > > been
> > > > part & parcel of What Bards Do.  (Yes, I'm working on re-writing /
> > > revising
> > > > The Bardic Paper again.  It will ALWAYS be somewhat of a work in
> > > progress,
> > > > actually.  Two revs back at
> > > > http://bard.ansteorra.org/bardcraft/whatisabard.doc is still close
> > > enough
> > > > for immediate purposes.)
> > > >
> > > > Questioning the answers as usual, I remain
> > > > Amra, curmudgeon-in-training
> > > >
> > > > Adieu, Amra  / ttfn - Mike / Pax ... Kihe
> > > >
> > > > Mike C. Baker / Kihe Blackeagle
> > > > Opinions? I'm FULL of 'em
> > > >
> > > > ************************************
> > > >
> > > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Bards mailing list
> > > Bards at lists.ansteorra.org
> > > http://lists.ansteorra.org/listinfo.cgi/bards-ansteorra.org
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > HL Adalia VonderBerg
> > Titled Bard of Vatavia, Calontir
> > Skald of Skorragardr
> > Herald of Northkeep
> > Apprentice to Sir Finn Kelley O'Donnell
> >
> >
> > Music expresses that which cannot be put into words, but also cannot
> remain
> > unsaid.
> > _______________________________________________
> > Bards mailing list
> > Bards at lists.ansteorra.org
> > http://lists.ansteorra.org/listinfo.cgi/bards-ansteorra.org
> >
> _______________________________________________
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>



-- 
HL Adalia VonderBerg
Titled Bard of Vatavia, Calontir
Skald of Skorragardr
Herald of Northkeep
Apprentice to Sir Finn Kelley O'Donnell


Music expresses that which cannot be put into words, but also cannot remain
unsaid.



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