Experimental workshops comparing the musical performance of vernacular poetry in medieval Wales, Ireland and Scotland

The indigenous 'bardic' poetry of medieval Wales, Ireland and Scotland shares distinct structural and functional similarities. Though all three cultures were highly literate, the sophisticated vernacular verse associated with them was primarily a 'performance poetry': it was designed for aural appreciation and declaimed from memory direct to an assembled audience. Our current tendency to read it silently, direct from the printed page, thus denies a vital layer of the sensory experience that once defined its very identity; the more so because this was once an accompanied poetry. There is strong evidence that music was used to complement its strict metrical qualities, and some of the earliest known texts invoke the self-accompanying poet who sings or declaims to his own harp or lyre (a role later devolved to trained bardic performers). The music of poetic accompaniment was apparently simple, although the evidence regarding its exact nature is partial and ambiguous.

The workshops described here (to be held in Bangor and Edinburgh) will thus venture 'beyond text' by exploring that lost aural dimension of poetic-musical performance. The central theme of the workshops will be the relationship between poetry and music in all three countries, and invited participants will evaluate and compare possible modes of delivery within a historically-informed context. Collaboration between (1) literary scholars, (2) music historians and (3) professional and 'traditional' performers from outside the academic spectrum will be vital throughout the project. Specific questions will be circulated to all participants in advance of the workshops, and the performers will be asked to prepare set materials in different styles.

Since the poetry of Ireland and Scotland displays marked similarities (extending also to linguistic features), the performance practice of both countries will be explored in tandem at the Edinburgh workshop, with significant input from speakers and performers from Ireland. The Bangor workshop will focus more exclusively on the Welsh material, though it will also involve participation from Irish and Scottish participants. The findings of each workshop will be analysed both in their own right and comparatively across the defined regions, and will lead to a series of clear outcomes (including a series of dedicated web pages and associated audio-visual streams).