Impressions from Mist's Bardic 41/25
Sep. 10th, 2006 10:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
learnteachBranwen Ferch Emrys will be the 25th Bard of the Mists, being selected after the best competition we had in years. I competed, and performed very well, and had a clear and honest chance at winning, but was not selected. Alys also did very well and had a good chance at winning.
The food was excellent, the organization very good, and the Royalty (Helgi and Oona) involved. Na'arah invited all the past bards, and 16 attended, a record number. Alfred of Carlyle flew Wander out from Arizona, and two bards I've never seen before were there--Muriel (sp?) who wrote "Fair Mistlands", and Helen who is also Cathleen who runs PEERS.
The six who performed were Branwen, myself, Alys, Sula, Rhys, and Oisin. Branwen, Sula and I have all served as Bard of the Mists. Rhys and Alys both had entered for the first time, and Oisin has been Bard of Cynagua, and I believe entered BOtM previously.
It was a very strong competition. Everyone brought out very good works, and displays of their wit, composition ability, musicality, emotive strength, and audience command. No competitor was lacking in any area; all were strong enough to have been chosen. I would say that I was best in audience command, and that my showpiece, "To the West", had the strongest emotive strength. Branwen showed the most range of forms, starting with a story and moving on to poetry both narrative and kenning, and finally to a song, showing a stretch in her abilitites. She was the best composer, I think. Alys had the best musicallity, performing a number of songs. Oisin for his showpiece did a very nice instrumental piece. Sula brought back her old stories, with audience participation (Ho Ho Ho) which was quite funny. And Muriel sang "Fair Mistlands" which she had composed.
I really entered to do one thing. Originally, I had entered because I thought being Bard again would be a good way to honor Siobhan, but after a while that wasn't the reason I was doing it. Leading up to the competition, until the Friday before I was the only competitor I knew of. Branwen hadn't hinted of it at dinner Thursday; (smiley) perhaps my hubris or worry at that point swayed her decision. Alys had been planning to audit, but decided Friday to enter, after phoning me and asking if I'd be her back up in case Ian won. Trying to compose works all week, I was running into the blank sheet wall. Finally, the morning of the composition, the thought came to me that Siobhan's "To the West" should be looked at not as a paean to the West Kingdom, but as a celebration of the mythic journey to the West. Specifically, her journey.
With that stated goal, I sang the song. The meaning was conveyed, and I believe the point gotten across.
My other pieces were "Pastime with Good Company" for the Period Piece; a Sonnet on Bardic (rewritten) for the Piece in a Period form; "Hammered by Rivers of Mead" for the Impromptu, and "Ages" for the Bard's choice.
THE AGES (for Mist's Bardic; Bard's Choice)
In ancient days, the Gods had made
Men of Gold to fill the land;
and there was no work, it was all play,
and thus it was as the Gods had planned
But years pass on and everything
Time beats on with hammer or with gaze;
So of those golden years, we might sing,
But only in memory do they stay
The days of Gold have passed away
But that dream still holds many in it's sway
Silver followed gold, men not quite as strong;
who built from ashes a devotion bright;
From empire fallen and Church standing long
Came their pinnacle, the christian knight
Marshall, Barbarossa, El Cid, Le Crapaud
Down to us their names are said
Time passed on, and they did go
To be with the dreams and of the honored dead
In memory though, they have lived long;
We honor them with deeds and song.
Their age passed, and IRON machines
Made the world all changed anew
Now money was the as glory seen
And honor supplanted with goals cheap and mean
Or noble in a different way;
For knowledge was spread to all who wished
and although Tyranny might still hold the land,
Man's years with less Death were kissed.
And IRON built a mighty world
And upon it, GLASS has been unfurled
The modern age is made of Glass,
and we strive less in body than before
Iron has made much toil pass
So our minds are set free to explore
The Golden Age was of Mythology;
The Silver Age one of Chivalry
The Iron age one of Machinery
The new age, GLASS, well, we shall see--
But here and now we choose to be
Of timeless honor and silvered Chivalry
--(c) John R. Schmidt 9/9/06
There is much more that occurred and I have not commented on the other performances (Branwen killing the knights in the hall in Beowulfric, or Alys' work on Geoffrey Scott, or the Rumi poem of Rhys, or Linda's singing of her own piece.) But time presses.
Time to hold a bardic. October Crown!
The food was excellent, the organization very good, and the Royalty (Helgi and Oona) involved. Na'arah invited all the past bards, and 16 attended, a record number. Alfred of Carlyle flew Wander out from Arizona, and two bards I've never seen before were there--Muriel (sp?) who wrote "Fair Mistlands", and Helen who is also Cathleen who runs PEERS.
The six who performed were Branwen, myself, Alys, Sula, Rhys, and Oisin. Branwen, Sula and I have all served as Bard of the Mists. Rhys and Alys both had entered for the first time, and Oisin has been Bard of Cynagua, and I believe entered BOtM previously.
It was a very strong competition. Everyone brought out very good works, and displays of their wit, composition ability, musicality, emotive strength, and audience command. No competitor was lacking in any area; all were strong enough to have been chosen. I would say that I was best in audience command, and that my showpiece, "To the West", had the strongest emotive strength. Branwen showed the most range of forms, starting with a story and moving on to poetry both narrative and kenning, and finally to a song, showing a stretch in her abilitites. She was the best composer, I think. Alys had the best musicallity, performing a number of songs. Oisin for his showpiece did a very nice instrumental piece. Sula brought back her old stories, with audience participation (Ho Ho Ho) which was quite funny. And Muriel sang "Fair Mistlands" which she had composed.
I really entered to do one thing. Originally, I had entered because I thought being Bard again would be a good way to honor Siobhan, but after a while that wasn't the reason I was doing it. Leading up to the competition, until the Friday before I was the only competitor I knew of. Branwen hadn't hinted of it at dinner Thursday; (smiley) perhaps my hubris or worry at that point swayed her decision. Alys had been planning to audit, but decided Friday to enter, after phoning me and asking if I'd be her back up in case Ian won. Trying to compose works all week, I was running into the blank sheet wall. Finally, the morning of the composition, the thought came to me that Siobhan's "To the West" should be looked at not as a paean to the West Kingdom, but as a celebration of the mythic journey to the West. Specifically, her journey.
With that stated goal, I sang the song. The meaning was conveyed, and I believe the point gotten across.
My other pieces were "Pastime with Good Company" for the Period Piece; a Sonnet on Bardic (rewritten) for the Piece in a Period form; "Hammered by Rivers of Mead" for the Impromptu, and "Ages" for the Bard's choice.
THE AGES (for Mist's Bardic; Bard's Choice)
In ancient days, the Gods had made
Men of Gold to fill the land;
and there was no work, it was all play,
and thus it was as the Gods had planned
But years pass on and everything
Time beats on with hammer or with gaze;
So of those golden years, we might sing,
But only in memory do they stay
The days of Gold have passed away
But that dream still holds many in it's sway
Silver followed gold, men not quite as strong;
who built from ashes a devotion bright;
From empire fallen and Church standing long
Came their pinnacle, the christian knight
Marshall, Barbarossa, El Cid, Le Crapaud
Down to us their names are said
Time passed on, and they did go
To be with the dreams and of the honored dead
In memory though, they have lived long;
We honor them with deeds and song.
Their age passed, and IRON machines
Made the world all changed anew
Now money was the as glory seen
And honor supplanted with goals cheap and mean
Or noble in a different way;
For knowledge was spread to all who wished
and although Tyranny might still hold the land,
Man's years with less Death were kissed.
And IRON built a mighty world
And upon it, GLASS has been unfurled
The modern age is made of Glass,
and we strive less in body than before
Iron has made much toil pass
So our minds are set free to explore
The Golden Age was of Mythology;
The Silver Age one of Chivalry
The Iron age one of Machinery
The new age, GLASS, well, we shall see--
But here and now we choose to be
Of timeless honor and silvered Chivalry
--(c) John R. Schmidt 9/9/06
There is much more that occurred and I have not commented on the other performances (Branwen killing the knights in the hall in Beowulfric, or Alys' work on Geoffrey Scott, or the Rumi poem of Rhys, or Linda's singing of her own piece.) But time presses.
Time to hold a bardic. October Crown!
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no subject
Date: 2006-09-10 06:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-10 08:38 pm (UTC)It was fabulous!
Date: 2006-09-10 09:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-10 10:10 pm (UTC)And OMG, I have never been so happy to lose anything in my entire life!!
no subject
Date: 2006-09-11 04:36 am (UTC)I think it's great that there was such a strong competition! I'm sure it was enjoyed by all...
Peace.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-12 04:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-12 05:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-13 03:06 am (UTC)I had planned to be there, and spent the the week sewing new garb for it, only to get sick on Friday.
Thank you!
Date: 2006-09-13 03:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-14 04:34 pm (UTC)