minstrel: Bardic Competitions etc.

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Mail*Link(r) SMTP               Bardic Competitions etc.

Was  FWD>RE>minstrel: Child ballads and other harangues-

Hi, I actually wanted to change the topic, but this is sort of based on
Ellisif's comment below.  

I have in the last couple of years started competing in Bardic competitions
here in Ansteorra.  But as far as I know, bardic competitions here are almost
always completely separate from other A&S competitions.  

Usually, our bardic competitions are as follows (as far as I have seen):
- they focus on "preforming" songs, poems, stories, instrumental, etc.  (Not
usually allowing other forms of preforming arts like dance,etc.)  
- Also, the piece must be preformed - ie: you can't just hand over scores of
music, or a written poem
- documentation seems to be optional - and it has been my observation that
performance quality/entertainment value is more highly rewarded than
documentability.
- usually, there is either a "theme" like "Warlord" - where, all pieces
preformed must fit within the theme -or- you are expected to preform multiple
pieces from different categories (ie 2 songs and a poem, 2 instrumentals and a
story, etc)
- these can be judged by a single judge/group of judges or they may be judged
by the populas at large (at the event)

This seems to be completely different from what Ellisif is describing below,
where it sounds like Bardic is "lumped" in with other forms of A&S.  I have
often pondered the fact that we (Ansteorra) seems to separate Bardic and other
forms of A&S.

I was wondering if everyone could kind of run through what types of competions
bards compete in your area.  It could be interesting for comparison sake, but
it would also be nice if we could "swap" ideas for new ways to handle
competitions in each of our kingdoms to changes things up.

Crystal

--------------------------------------
Date: 9/24/98 12:45 PM
From: cellio at pobox.com

> Kenneth (my husband) was once actually told not to bother to enter a 
> competition because they were judging the "communicative arts" as a block, 
> and there was no way his original composition could compete with the 
> documentation standards of (that fine medieval art form [editor's note]) 
> the research papers.

That's a pity.  I've won A&S contests with no subcategories -- i.e. my
music competition was judged against garb and scrolls.  It *is* possible.
(I was astounded; I wasn't sure the judges would be able to read music
well enough to understand what I had done, though I also provided 
recordings.  This was polyphonic instrumental stuff, even, not songs.)

Ellisif Flakkari


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