Part music songbooks | Folk music songbooks | Dance Music books | Yule Carols
Music is central to many people's enjoyment of the Society for Creative Anachronism, in the Kingdom of Lochac.
Find songbooks and other music resources here!
These are vocal harmony, polyphony or counterpoint - usually needing several different people to sing different lines at the same time (or "choral music"). Rounds/canons are included.
START HERE: The Big Lochac Songbook - Edition by Magistra Constanzia y da Zamora, 2012
This group of rounds and songs has been the starting point for decades; they are catchy, they are fun to sing, and they aren't too hard. You are likely to be able to find at least one other person to join you in these songs - even if just for the rounds.
Rowany Festival Songbook Volume 1 ASXL - Bethan Daniels of Brockwood
Rowany Festival Songbook Volume 2 ASLVI (2022) -Annabel de Swinburne, Bethan Daniels of Brockwood - and
a sheet of notes and fixes;
Rowany Festival Songbook Vol 2 ASLVI webpage separate PDFs and NWC files for all songs
Lant Roll transcription - Transcription from the original by Master Crispin Sexi
The Lochac Virtual Songbook - Dafydd of the Glens
Cantiones Secundae - Elen Benet, Barony of Southron Gaard
Ceoltoiri Aneala Songbook 2017 - Isabel de Annesley
https://sg.lochac.sca.org/home/arts-and-sciences/song-and-dance-music/ - Barony of Southron Gaard
More Complex Madrigals workshop stream, Canterbury Faire 2025
Further reading:
Joan and Crispin's website - with some transcriptions of John Wilbye's works, as well as articles on music and other subjects, and music composed by Crispin in the period style
SCA Medieval and Renaissance Music Homepage - many links to many resources
Choral Public Domain Library (CPDL) - lots of free sheet music to download; some period, most later; modern editions
International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)- many scanned out-of-copyright manuscripts, as well as recordings
These are songs which are usually sung solo (or many people in unison). In the SCA we often call this this 'Bardic' style or campfire singing, and most of the songbooks have a mix of period through to modern folk songs, SCA inventions, and filk (new words to a modern song).
Nunc est Canendum - Kaitorix Avernom, for Inter-College War AS LIX (2024)
The Known Words Songbook - Karl Faustus von Aachen aka Eric the Fruitbat
Ursulan Top Ten Songbook - Bethan Daniels of Brockwood, 2006
A Book of Gwen - Gwen verch David; her own compositions, folk, filk and period
Rowany Festival ASL Bardic Circle Songbook aka John's Bardic Songbook - John Longshanks, 2016
Cattus Lamentatio - Constanzia Moralez y de Zamora & Acacia de Navarre, Barony of St Florian-de-le-Riviere; rounds as well as solo songs.
http://ildhafn.lochac.sca.org/oldsite/ceciliasongbook.htm - Baroness Cecilia, Barony of Ildhafn
Bonfire Songbook for the College of Blessed Herman - NSFW!
Further reading:
SCA Minstrel Homepage https://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/minstrel.html - many links to many resources
The Mudcat Cafe https://mudcat.org/googleresults.cfm - Digital Tradition Folk Song Database and Forum
Songs which are traditionally sung at Yule/Christmas celebrations.
Rowany traditionally sings two songs at their annual Yule Feast - Boar's Head and Gloucester Wassail.
Music is often played at balls or during events, for people to dance to.
Jeneur's excellent Dance Book - for high alto; for low alto
PLEASE NOTE: all the arrangements have permission for use within the SCA, permissions for other uses may require negotiation with the arranger
SCA Renaissance Dance Homepage - http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/dance.html - many links to many resources
Is it even a party if there's no music?