Mid-Realm Bardic Madness XI

*** REMINDER ***  The hotel block expires this Friday, October 30th.
People should request the group rate under: Barony of the Cleftlands
SCA.

Hilton Garden Inn, Mayfield Village, 700 Beta Dr., Cleveland, OH, 44143
440-646-1777


Greetings and welcome are bid to all Bards, Troubadors, Trouveres,
Minstrels, Minnesingers, Jongleurs, Singers, Storytellers, Poets,
Scops, Skalds, Fillids, Olaves, Griots, Wordsmiths, and Friends of
these arts. Also Musicians, Dancers, Jugglers, Magicians, and Players
as well.

This year's Bardic Madness will take place on November 21st, 2009
(weekend before Thanksgiving). Our hosts will be the Barony of
Cleftlands (Cleveland, OH). Many thanks go to all of them for their
hospitality in helping the bardic community out this year.

The purpose of today's challenges is to encourage the participants'
creativity and artistic growth.  They are not meant to be
competitions - everyone who takes part can consider themselves a
winner.

Your response to the various challenges may be in many different
forms. Song or story are the most obvious choices; however juggling,
magic, instrumental, or dance can also express an idea or tell a
tale.  All of these could be used to answer a given challenge (though
perhaps not all at the same time :-) .  Our desire here is to be
inclusive rather than exclusive.  If you have something to share that
doesn't quite fit or that stretches the definitions a little, then
fire away.

It is our wish to create a "bardic safe zone" - a friendly place
where you may feel free to experiment and try new things.  If you've
never performed before, now's your chance.  You'll be hard pressed to
find a friendlier and more supportive audience.  We would be
delighted to see lots of first time performers.

Please remember, in order to make sure as many gentles get a chance
to perform as possible, we ask that you limit your performances so
that they run less than five minutes.

For more event information, see the website at
http://tilted-windmill.com/bms11/  Additional information will be
posted there as it becomes available.

For questions about the days challenges or participating in the concert
please contact the provost:
     Lucia Elena Braganza
     kcoutinho@...

For questions about the site and logistics, please contact the
autocrat:
     Tyzes Sofia
     216-548-4747
     karoline@...



The Challenges

Fyt the First:

Pass the Tale:
All those who wish to participate get up together, and tell a tale
from beginning to end.  The challenge's patron will 'conduct' by
pointing to the person whose turn it is to continue the tale, and
deciding when it is time to end.

Hail to the Chief:
A queen is often held as the inspiraton of all that we do. Regale us
with a piece about (or for) your faviroite monarch.

Don't Piss Off the Goddess:
Pick a pantheon - Greek, Norse, Roman, Celtic, or something else. Run
ins with goddesses rarely go as expected. Tell us of an... incident.


2nd fyt:

Stir Fry:
Given a list of words, do something artistic with them.

Battle of the Sexes:
Often it boils down t this - the guys vs the gals. Choose your side and
make your case.

Period Piece:
Perform a documentably period piece of music, story, or song (poetry,
prose, and so forth are good too). Dig out those reference books, blow
off the dust (try not to sneeze), and see what wonderful and magical
treasures you can find in them. There is a staggering amount of
fantastic material out there. Find something, be it silly or sublime,
and amaze us with it.


3rd fyt:

A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words:
Members of the populace will draw pictures for this challenge based on
the theme: a great journey (feel free to define this broadly).
Participants will pull both a drawing and a song out of a hat just
before the challenge starts. Write two verses and a chorus about the
picture using the tune.

Form Challenge - Rime Royal:
The rhyme royal stanza consists of seven lines, usually in iambic
pentameter, set a-b-a-b-b-c-c.  Geoffrey Chaucer used it often,
including for four of the Canterbury tales, and James I of Scotland used
it, perhaps inspiring the designation "royal" rhyme. It remained very
influential among English and Scottish poets after Chaucer's death,
finally falling out of fashion during the reign of Elizabeth I.

     The rime royal and royal rhyme's the same
     Good Chaucer liked it, as did James the First
     An a-b-a-b tercet starts the game
     Followed by b-c-c couplet versed.
     If different parsing is to be coerced,
     A terza rima with two couplets endowed.
     But we'll say both are fair and both allowed

Warrior Women:
Joan of Arc led the French army, Penthesilea ruled the Amazons, and the
Farmer's Wife defeated the Three Blind Mice. Tell us of a woman who
bravely battled her foe, regardless of the size.


4th fyt:

Bard Scribe Illuminator:
Given a subject in the morning, compose, calligraph, and illuminate a
text on that subject. This may be done individually or as a team.

Toasting:
Feast time is traditionally when we raise our glasses on high to honor
the crown and other deserving individuals. Given a topic or person at
random, create an appropriate toast for them.

Love & Madness:
Each course of tonight's feast has a dish to inflict madness and another
to relieve it. Little in life inflicts as much madness as love. Give us
a piece about one, the other, or both.



Challenge General Rules

Challenges are not contests. You win by entering and striving to do
the best you can.

Challenges are designed to encourage you to try your hand at
something new, to stretch yourself, to enjoy, and to celebrate the
creative spirit.

Read the guidelines for the challenges carefully, like most
exercises, they are designed to help you develop in specific areas.
Try to follow them as closely as you can, but stretching them in
unexpected directions is good too.

Individuals are welcome and encouraged to give recognition to those
performers whom they especially enjoy.

In order to allow the largest number of people to participate,
challenge entries shall be limited to five minutes or less. Each
person may enter a maximum of one piece in each challenge and a
maximum of eight challenges.

I have seen two recent items of bardic interest on the BBC News online.
The Archdruid Dic Jones, "one of Wales' most distinguished poets" has died.
He won the National Eisteddfod chair in 1966 and "was considered a master of
the craft of cynghanedd, the strict meter of Welsh poetry."  He was chosen
Archdruid two years ago, and presided at the Gorsedd in Cardiff last year,
but lately has been too ill to preside.
I may say that a master of cynghanedd is truly a bard indeed.
More usefully, the British Library has made 20,000 rare music recordings
available free online.  While these are not medieval music, they do include
"popular ballads, music hall ballads, soldiers' songs and folk tales" as well
as' "rowdy pub sessions.'"  Sounds like fun.
They also include the traditional music of the Ugandan royal musicians, who
were disbanded when the king was exiled in 1966.

Count Jehan
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Greetings good friends near and far. . .

As happens with those of us who are stuff inclined, I have accumulated
more instruments than I have hands and hours to play them. . . please
help me find a few of them new homes!

- 12 string alvarez accoustic guitar, no pickups, recently restrung,
with humidifer and std pressboard case
- mountain dulcimer in . . . D I believe, pressboard case
- plucked psaltry / lap harp with hand made wooden plectrum, plywood
hard case, probably needs restringing

I'm not looking to make money on these. . . maybe  . . . $50 for the 12
string, $20 for the dulcimer and $75 for the lap harp . . . . I want
them to live their purpose and make music.


-Gavin

The Bardic Competition information - as promised:

There will be a children's bardic category! Children can sing, tell a story, or
play an instrument.

For those who are slightly older....  There are two categories - Vocal and
Instrumental.  The vocal category includes poetry, singing, and storytelling.
Instrumental can be... well... an instrument - vocal accompaniment is not
necessary.

The event announcement follows.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Briant
Co-Autocrat



Bards and Bows

Shire of Sterlynge Vayle (Sanford, NY)
September 12, 2009

The Shire of Sterlynge Vayle welcomes all back to the new Damp Dragon Inn for
Bards and Bows on September 12, 2009. This event will be held at Camp Amahami,
434 Page Pond Road, in Sanford NY. This is the same beautiful site where Barony
Wars is held. (Hopefully it will be a lot drier!) The site opens at 8:00 AM and
closes when everything is clean on Saturday night. Anyone still lingering after
9:00 PM will be pressed into service for site clean up. To encourage you to
arrive early to enjoy the full day’s activities, there will be a pancake and egg
breakfast for a small charge from 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m.

This event will offer archery events of all kinds including combat archery,
royal rounds, and team archery combat. Though this event does focus on archery,
we will not be ignoring those who want to whack people with big sticks. We are
planning a heavy weapons tourney, as well as fencing combat.

In keeping with the bardic theme of the event, we are hosting performance
events, such as music, singing, and poetry recitals. Bards, come and sing for
your supper! Those who wish to entertain during the day or during the feast will
be offered our wondrous feast at no charge! (Limited to the first bards who
pre-register to claim this reward.)

As always, a wondrous feast is being planned for you to enjoy. Sterlynge Vayle
is proud of its well-deserved reputation of serving wonderful feasts. We will be
savoring the cooking of Lady Anne Diarmat. Please contact her at least two weeks
in advance at anneneib@... with any dietary concerns, including the need
for vegetarian dishes, as we cannot adjust the menu that day. There will be
limited seating for feast, so be sure to get your reservation in early.

The cost for this event is $18.00 onboard/$9.00 offboard. Both will include a
sideboard lunch. Minors aged 13 – 17 are $14.00/$7.00, children aged 5 – 12 are
$10.00/$5.00, and babes under 5 are welcome at no cost, so bring the whole
family. Breakfast is $2.00 for those aged 13 and up, and $1.00 for children aged
0 – 12. We will be collecting the NMS of $3.00 from anyone not carrying proof of
SCA membership. Please make checks payable to “SCA, INC. -- Shire of Sterlynge
Vayle”. Send your reservations to: Lady Caitríona Fhail inghean Uí Chonaill,
called Kayley (mka Michele Greenmun) at 65 Baldwin Street, Binghamton, NY 13903.
As this is just a one day event, there is no camping or sleeping space available
at the site.

As part of our effort to minimize site fees, we will be hosting a silent auction
of items created by our talented populace. Donations are always welcome. Anyone
wishing to teach a Bardic or Archery class is encouraged, just contact the
Autocrats. Merchants are welcome with no fee, but an item donated to the silent
auction is encouraged. Please contact the Autocrats and tell them how much space
you would like. Please address any other questions or concerns to the Autocrats,
Lady Caitríona Fhail inghean Uí Chonaill, called Kayley  (mka Michele Greenmun),
phone:  607-621-2122, e-mail: kayleyofsterlyngevayle@..., living at 65
Baldwin Street, Binghamton, NY 13903 and Lady Briant of Glamorgan (mka Deborah
Gorton), phone: 570-396-0537, e-mail: ladybriant@... , address: 57 Chapel
Street, Windsor, NY 13865.

Site rules: No fires outside of already established firepits and fireplaces. We
are working on permission to make this a damp site. Smoking is strictly limited
to the parking lot *only*, and please police your butts. No animals except for
service animals. Please avoid using incense and scented candles. Please be aware
that cell phone service is unpredictable at the site.

DIRECTIONS: Find your best route to NY Route 17, EAST of I-81. East on Route 17
until you reach Exit 82. Exit the highway and turn left onto Route 41 North
toward Sanford Drive 3.9 miles and turn right onto North Sanford Road. North
Sanford Road will shortly and sharply curve to the left, as should you. Continue
on North Sanford Road approx. 1.4 miles until you discover Page Pond Road on the
left. There is a small Amahami sign at the corner. (If you reach Heath Road on
the right, you went too far.) Turn onto Page Pond Road (unpaved!) & slowly drive
the approx. 2 miles to the camp. Fletcher Lodge is on the right and the parking
lot is on the left. The drive down to the Main Field is down hill from Fletcher
Lodge.

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05:50:00

Greetings, fellow bards and skalds!

Margarita asked me to record some of the Songs of AEthelmearc for her to learn
them (so I wouldn't have to sing them over and over!) and having done so, I
thought: Hey, we could use this!

So, I am forwarding to her (and to all of you) the locations of the MP3 files I
created.

Please note, these are for *learning purposes only!* The quality of these
recordings is pretty crappy. The quality of my voice is not much better. But for
anyone struggling to learn some of our "greatest hits" this is a place to start.
I don't have permission from the authors, but I don't think they'll mind. ;^)

I will try to record more of the songs out of the songbook and will post the
MegaUpload file locations as I do. If some enterprising person (hint, hint!)
wants to save them and ftp them to the aebards website (hint, hint!) that would
probably be very ... embarrassing. But it would help other people learn the
songs, so that's worth a little personal humiliation.

Okay.

AEthelmearc, My Camelot (Court Mix) - First and Last verses only (processional
and recessional):
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NJFNX7HE

The Escarbuncle Banner:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=VEBPYOFZ

Here's to the Escarbuncle (missing 2nd final chorus):
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=FRK36UPN

March, AEthelmearc:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9ZPWU5EV

The AEthelmearc Song:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=P35W3ZIS

We Are the Escarbuncle:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GTJCXCTD



Use them in health. I think the links will last for a month or so.

Gwen

Greetings, one and all, from Michael Alewright!  Once again, the Barony Marche
of the Debatable Lands is hosting its annual bardic circle on the middle Sunday
of War, beginning at "dark-thirty" at the Barony's camp on block N-10.  Consider
bringing something to sit on (seating might be limited), and enjoy the
hospitality of our gracious Baron Byron and Baroness Ariella.  We anticipate
offering a variety of food and drink for your refreshment.  Please join us!

In service and song,
Michael

Where can the books be found??

Rose

--- In aebards@yahoogroups.com, "Michael B. Greenstein" <greenstein@...> wrote:
>
> Greetings from maddened and overextended Michael Alewright!  With apologies
for the late notice, there WILL be Bards by Day and Bards by Night books this
year!  Many have already posted bardic activities, and rest assured that they
will appear in the book.  If you are paranoid or would like to see your activity
appear, please either post it to the list or send it to me directly, and I will
make it happen.  I will need a "blurb" description of the activity, the date(s)
and time(s) ("dark-thirty" is just fine), the location, the block number (if
known and applicable), and any other information you deem necessary.
>
> Sorry for the late notice.  Forward as necessary.  See you at the War!
>
> In service,
> Michael
>