> What is defined as =22traditional=22?  how much of it would be pre 1600, or=
>  at least passable at a bardic/minstrel circle?

This is discussed a bit in my Frequently Asked Questions for this
mailing list -- it's a topic on which there are many opinions.
Traditional, as used by Child, means "something old which people have
passed down to the present". Most contra dance music, for example, is
labeled with an author of "traditional", because it's been passed down
for a hundred years or more and nobody remembers who wrote it.

Most traditional music is unlikely to be older than 1600.

What is "passable" at a bardic circle depends on your opinion. Many
scadians consider "Barret's Privateers" to be passable even though it
mentions the year (1769?) in the song, and the entire genre of sea
songs, especially those involving pirates, seems to have developed
well after 1600.

If you want to encourage period and period-style song at your local
bardic circles, I'd suggest learning some, performing it, teaching it,
and enjoying yourself in the process.

If you want to get some of the other minstrel-type arts going
(i.e. consort music), I'd suggest seeking out people who studied music
in grade school, or who still play, and teach them recorder. If you
know how to read music and some basic ensemble skills, it's easy to
play with a recorder group. From there you can have a base to learn
part-songs or other instruments or train folks with no formal music
experience.

Gregory Blount

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