I am having an interesting email conversation with a friend about using/recreating period sources for bardic performance in Caid. From my perspective, I would like to see bards draw much more heavily on period sources than many do now.

I do realize that this can be more challenging with music than with dramatic performance, which is my area. Written music does not go back as far as written story. Still, I chose a long time ago to use period sources for spoken poetry, theater and storytelling, and the occasional song. I will sometimes go outside of period to serve a specific need. An example is a song in competition for a baronial bardic office. I don’t compose often at all, but when I do I set words to period tunes. But last year I composed a more modern tune (more akin to folk songs) for a particular entry. On the other hand, my other 3 performances in the competition all used  period material.

The SCA has great value as its own culture, and I’m not against bardic performances  that pull from our shared experience. “Burden of the Crown,” etc. And some OOP sources do indeed date back to period. (Childe, anyone?) But there is enormous wealth in mining period sources for bardic performance of all types. We have more than a 1000 years’ worth to choose from. Don’t ignore the riches right under your nose, celebrate them.