To: "cynthia j ley" <cley@juno.com>
Date: Mon, 05 Oct 1998 04:19:32 -0700
From: "Wilhelm Frawenlop" <wfrawenlop@mailexcite.com>
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Subject: Re: minstrel: Nature of Bardic Competitions
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I remember when I first starting going to SCA in events, every Batrdic competition was a "documentation" event.  I guessed that was a way of following the idea that we are a research organization.  We have fun, but we really research our personnas and educate ourselves and each other about the way things were done in period.
Then I moved to Trimaris where documentation of Performing Arts categories was strictly limited to the two Art-SCI events held every year.
Down here they have a system that puts the spotlight on original, non-documented songs, poetry and and performing arts.  Entries in the three Laureate competitions have to be period-like, period-sounding.
That is not to say that Bards and Minstrels do not actually do research.
That is displayed very amply at the two Art-Sci's.
---
Herr Wilhelm von Meissen genannt Frawenlop, AoA
A Founding Dean of the Performing Artists Guild of Trimaris
"Purpure, a Recorder and on a Chief Argent Three Musical notes Gules"


On Sat, 03 Oct 1998 22:04:24   cynthia j ley wrote:
>
>On Fri, 02 Oct 1998 22:29:02 -0500 Rex Deaver <rdeaver@swbell.net>
>writes:
>>At 05:00 PM 9/29/98 -0600, yarrowp@mscd.edu wrote:
>>
>>> I want to see some evidence that the entrant understands what he or
>she is 
>>doing, and what about it is period or not and why.
>>
>>Precisely.  It takes very little documentation to show that you have a 
>>clue (or to demonstrate that you do not).  Anything more than that needs
>to 
>>be presented in some other forum.
>
>My personal pet peeve as a bardic judge is when someone holds up a book,
>and says, "I found out all about it in this." That's not research--that's
>ONE book, which in itself does not serve as a comparision for study. It
>also makes the unfortunate assumption that the judges know the source,
>which they may not.
>
>My favorite bardic competitions are those where the judges can spend some
>Q&A time with the entrant(s) after the performance. It gives a chance to
>show what the entrants know.
>
>>When judging performing arts you are judging the ability to perform 
>>and entertain in Period fashion.  Throw a thesis at the judges and they 
>>can easily be forgiven for wondering what you are trying to compensate 
>>for.
>
>IMHO, competitors should offer proof of the subject--explain it a little,
>do a brief findings paper on it in the course of a bardic competition.
>However, there are venues for research papers in competitions at branch,
>regional, and Kingdom levels, and this opportunity should be taken
>advantage of if possible.
>
>>And I must concur with Flieg in questioning the intent of competitions 
>>or competitors who dig so deeply into esoteric corners that they *need* 
>>50 pages to educate the judges enough to be able to judge them.  
>
>Hear! hear! And even the less esoteric, such as explaining a particular
>musical form.
>
>>Would a working minstrel have dumped a research paper in his patron's  
>>lap before a performance?
>
>No. But a musician would be expected to understand what was going on. In
>period, there were three levels of musician--those who listen and
>appreciate, those who compose and imitate (we're talking philosophy
>here--creation of human music as an imitatione Dei), and those who
>understand the esoteric (philosophical, spiritual, and theoretical) angle
>of music.
>
>
>
>					Arlys
>
>
>"It hath beene the opinion of the most wise Philosophers, that the world
>is made of musicke, and the heavens in their moving make a melodie, and
>our soul is framed after the verie same sort and therefore lifteth up it
>self, and (as it were) reviveth the vertues and force of itself with
>Musicke." (Castiglione, THE COURTIER)
>
>
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