I thought this to be a strange question because it implied that we had 
to do original works only. We are studying the time period between the 
Fall of Rome and 1600 by creating a construct of a medieval kingdom. 
As performers we are suppose to help create the magic of this Kingdom. 
To do this there is what I call the letter of the Art and the Spirit 
of the Art. The Letter is what we do at A&S competitions. We research, 
we  document and we stand up there and do everything as historical 
correct as best we can. Usually there is very little magic in this 
kind of performance. When we go to a event, we have a fire, we have 
lovers and fighters and people living their personas. We try to set 
the mood. We try to lead people away from the everyday and into a  
special time. Standing up and saying, "This is a 14th century ballad 
that I found in such and such book." would destroy the  mood. It is 
mundane as much as coke cans. You might do a 14th century ballad or 
you might do a  modern piece that sounds right and doesn't bring 
people back to the 21th century. You might a poem written by Tennyson 
in the Medieval style or a SCA work. You might talk about what love is 
in period, or what war meant to people. You might talk about glory in 
our Kingdom and what war means for us. You might do a story about 
something that happened in period or do a period piece. It is Ok to 
create your own pieces, It is OK to redo other peoples pieces,( with 
their permission if they are still around. Don't give credit if the 
piece is Coping's or Yeats. That jars the mood. ) It is Ok to do 
period work. In fact it is encouraged, but again don't introduce it as 
such and such period found in such and such book. That would also jar 
the mood. You need to look for pieces that make people believe they 
are in Ansteorra. They shouldn't be too long. Many of our populace 
have a very short attention span. It is good to have pieces that have 
different moods. We need to keep our audience interested so it is good 
to have pieces that bring up the energy level. But we are also wanting 
to get the audience to feel so sometimes it is good to have mood 
pieces. A good Bard/performer will have a balance of pieces. 

To start you might look at the traditional folk songs. A few Irish 
revolution songs are good (through I might get drummed out of the 
Laurelete for saying so.) Try staying away from the ones that stress 
the modern conflicts. Try to keep your style of music to something 
that could be in period. Country Western and rock styles jar people 
into the modern world. Show tunes are cute, but again they make people 
remember that they are in the 21th century. There are events that have 
very little atmosphere and times that those kinds of songs and pieces 
are a lot of fun, but when we are trying to catch the spirit of 
Ansteorra is upsetting to be reminded that we are really in Texas, 
USA. 

Building spirit has a lot to do with being a successful 
Bard/performer. When I say a successful Bard/performer I mean being 
well respected by the people not getting awards. Most of us love the 
Dream. We love feeling that we are in a magical place. Bards and 
Performers that take us to that magical place have a special place in 
our hearts. 

Write me or  call me if you need more information. 
Willow de Wisp
817-794-0320  


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