By THL Jolicia atte Northclyfe
A lone person, holding their staff of office, stands beside the Crown and, with a few words, makes the crowd fall silent. Using poetry or song, and a commanding stage presence, the Kingdom Bard takes an experience, shapes and shares it so that others feel the glory of the Dream.
This person is a Middle Kingdom Bard – a performer appointed by the King and Queen to provide entertainment during their reign – who lends color and pageantry to the current Middle Ages. Those who have held the role say they hold it sacred.
“The Kingdom Bard fulfills a vital role,” said Mistress Tyzes Sofia called Zsof, who has served as Kingdom Bard for four reigns. “We are keepers of our history. We sing praise songs for people we see doing deeds of glory. We speak with the voice of the crown.”
Kingdom Bards are appointed by Their Majesties, who usually ask for recommendations from the bardic Laurels. They also check out YouTube videos and audio files of performances.
A wide variety of talent and experience can be found in a trio of recent Kingdom Bards.
Mistress Zsof (mka Karoline Kramer Gould), who can be found in the Baronies of Brendoken and Cleftlands, was a professional actress and is founding director of the Pennsic theater troupe the Known World Players. She’s known throughout the SCA as a singer and storyteller.
Maestra Lucia Elena Braganza (mka Kathi Countinho) of the Barony of Sternfeld (Indianapolis, Ind.), has been playing violin since fifth grade. She is a member of Musica Subterranea, which produces CDs of period dance music for the SCA. Maestra Lucia also loves SCA filk songs and telling “No shit, I was there” stories.
THL Honor von Atzinger (mka Rebecca Barrett) of the Barony of the Flame (Louisville, Ky.), took vocal lessons for years and now sings in the a cappella choir at her Orthodox Christian church.
These women are links in the long tradition of Middle Kingdom Bards stretching back decades. A full list of Midrealm Kingdom Bards – also known as skalds, minstrels, harpers or poet laureates -- is at http://www.tilted-windmill.com/midbards/kingdom_bards.html.
The earliest recorded Midrealm Kingdom Bard was John ap Wynne, who served five reigns starting in 1980. Through the 1980s and 1990s, Kingdom Bards were named intermittently; there were only seven during the 1990s. But since 2000, nearly every Crown has named a Kingdom Bard.
Their Majesties may also select a War Bard that presides at Pennsic. Some reigns have a Queen’s Bard, a King’s Bard, or both.
Since the Kingdom Bard is part of the royal entourage, he or she needs what Mistress Zsof called political acumen, or the ability to discern the difference between a landed and court baron, and interpret rank by looking at a coronet. “If you don’t know these things, your fellow bards are there to help,” Mistress Zsof said.
Kingdom Bards usually perform for the Crown and populace during court or feast. THL Honor
sang a cappella as her patrons, Count Nikolai and Countess Serena, and other guests progressed into court to take their thrones.
Frequently Kingdom Bards are asked to learn or write original compositions that fit their patrons’ personas. Maestra Lucia learned early-period century poems to match the Norman and Anglo-Saxon personas of Count William of Fairhaven and Countess Isolde de la Ramee during their reign.
Maestra Lucia also proved her worth when a scribe was late arriving with the scrolls for court. To entertain the waiting crowd, Maestra Lucia flipped through her book of poems and songs, and performed a poem explaining the importance of Oathbinder, the Midrealm sword of state. The poem was written by THL Brendan O Corraidhe.
“I got to stall for time, and make my crown look good,” she recalled. Maestra Lucia was also Kingdom Bard during the reign of Duke Ullr Vindstygge and Duchess Annelyse van Gavere.
As former Crowns, Count Nikolai and Countess Serena wanted their bard, THL Honor, to provide Russian-themed music to fit their personas. At Gulf Wars, THL Honor fulfilled this request and surprised her royal patrons with an original song she wrote for them.
“I wrote the lyrics and melody myself, but based the melody off of pieces of music I found from around their time period (11th-12th-century) in Russia,” THL Honor said. “I utilized the internet and dictionaries to translate the lyrics into Russian, and asked for a little help from some church members.”
THL Honor performed the song – which recounted her patrons’ heroism during severe weather at Gulf Wars -- during court at the Grand Tournament of the Unicorn. She also distributed a pamphlet with the song’s lyrics in English and Russian so the populace could sing along. “That was really cool. It was the only time I made (Countess Serena) cry,” THL Honor said.
Mistress Zsof was chosen as Kingdom Bard for the first reign of Duke EikBrandr Solgyafi and Duchess Runa EidBrandrskona, War Bard for Count Savaric de Pardieu and Countess Julianna de Pardieu, Queen’s Bard for the first reign of King Cellach MacCormaic and Queen Vukasin of Lozengia, and King’s Bard for the first reign of Duke Cameron of Beckenham and Duchess Amalie of Beckenham.
Mistress Zsof’s favorite moment as Kingdom Bard came in the Barony of the Flame. Queen Vukasin asked Mistress Zsof and well-known magician Dr. Henry Best to do something funny at feast. She gave the performers only a few hours to prepare.
Mistress Zsof and Henry Best rose to the challenge, devising an improv skit in which he spoke English as if he were addressing a group of Hungarians, and she “translated” his words into humorous “Hungarian.” Mistress Zsof’s persona is Hungarian and she often tells stories in a Hungarian accent.
“People down there still talk about it,” Mistress Zsof said. “We nailed it. Everybody loved it. It was one of my most fun performances as a bard.”
These former Kingdom Bards felt it was important to further the bardic arts and inspire others to perform.
“We all have something to share,” Maestra Lucia said. “We are all of us storytellers.”
This article first appeared in the Pale in 2017.