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Ardashir
Senior Scribe
USA
544 Posts |
 Posted - 20 Dec 2007 : 17:12:35
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Just wondering: has anything ever been said about the kinds of stories, songs, epic poems, etc, that people in the Realms use and know?
I'd just like some names to drop when using a bard or similar character. I'd also like an idea as to the different styles of song and such in the various lands. I doubt that bards sing the same songs and tell the same stories in the Dalelands as they do in the North or Mulhorand, for instance.
Any help will be vastly appreciated.
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Aravine
Senior Scribe
USA
608 Posts |
Posted - 20 Dec 2007 : 17:27:51
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| I imagine it depends what your character wants to know, for instance, a character that lives in cormyr would probably know a song about the "purple" dragon. I'd also think t would differ for different races. for example, a human composes a song. he teaches it to someone else. the song would evolve a much faster than other races. but the nature of the bard would almost mandate that he/she would be relocating themselves, learning many songs along the way |
The brave don't live forever,the cautious don't live at all |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 20 Dec 2007 : 18:05:51
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Look at the chapter epigrams of much of Ed Greenwood's fiction, FOR4 The Code of the Harpers, Milil's write-up in Faiths & Avatars, and many scattered remarks in regional and other sources. Look through Ed's lore on this site, including here and here (search through for "song"). I remember there's also a reply to me about doggerel in there.
Of all races, singing may be most important to the halflings -- see GAZ8 The Five Shires and note that they often describe lengths of time in terms of songs. Stories are literally vital to everyone.
Those chapter epigrams, by the way, are one of Realmslore's great unsung treasures, and convey better than anything how much more there is of the Realms than what the sourcebooks and novels have dwelt on.
There will be some major bits I've forgotten, but it boils down to "read through everything again". |
Edited by - Faraer on 20 Dec 2007 18:08:52 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 20 Dec 2007 : 18:21:57
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For books, check out Krash's Book List for Tomes in Candlekeep, which builds on Steven Schend's Candlekeep Collection.
I mentioned a couple of songs in my third Hook in the Candlekeep Compendium, Volume VIII, but they were ones I made up on the spot for the hook. And they were just titles, anyway. I did run the details of the one tune by Ed before running with it, though, since it was by Mintiper Moonsilver.
And that was one of two Hooks I've done that was inspired by Disney's "The Little Mermaid".  |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 20 Dec 2007 : 18:58:27
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quote:
Originally posted by Faraer
[Those chapter epigrams, by the way, are one of Realmslore's great unsung treasures, and convey better than anything how much more there is of the Realms than what the sourcebooks and novels have dwelt on.
I totally agree.
Also, I'd assume that most bards will write plenty of their own songs for their own use.  At least, that's how I tend to think bards operate. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 20 Dec 2007 : 23:07:35
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Ah, one of my favorite Realmsian subjects...
In addition to what Ed has told me,
A wide selection of FR sourcebooks [mostly 2e -- for example Code of the Harpers and Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue] provide some details on songs as such. A number of specific song titles, which hint at specific examples of musical styles -- such as ballads -- in the Realms, like "The Cormyte's Boast" from Volo's Guide to Cormyr, have been collated in Krash's listing [found here]. Note however, that it is not "all-inclusive." During my own research of music in the Realms [for my proposed DRAGON articles], I've discovered several titled songs that have not been mentioned on the listing.
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Edited by - The Sage on 20 Dec 2007 23:09:03 |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 20 Dec 2007 : 23:10:57
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quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Also, I'd assume that most bards will write plenty of their own songs for their own use. At least, that's how I tend to think bards operate.
Indeed. I figure improvisation is an important element in the bardic repertoire.
I've speculated in the past that "impromptu improvisations" of traditional Realms musical pieces and/or songs are often practiced by bards and wandering minstrels across Faerun.
In fact, like Beethoven or Handel... I do believe that many bards across the Realms likely improvise a great deal during their public performances. With no core communications network in place across the Realms, it can be extremely difficult for bards to keep up on changes to new and/or original music. Thus, they are ultimately forced to rely on their own musical talents and inspiration when performing -- leading to improvisations. These improvisations may even lead to new styles or pieces of music practiced using instruments or musical generation methods not specifically considered to be appropriate for the style. Spontaneity would be crucial here I think... a style that grabs the bard's attention so much that he or she immediately transforms his/her practice to conform to the style playing in his/her mind.
As a musician myself, I can appreciate this fact... especially when playing in front of a live audience. Patrons aren't always interested in the same and usual musical styles... I've noticed this a lot. They usually come to hear something, maybe just a little different to what they were expecting... or a style they've not encountered before. It's these musical surprises that make public musical performances, as a bard would perform in some low-light tavern in any locale throughout the Realms, a real hoot for the bard/musician and the audience as a whole. They share something special... a feeling like, this music was meant only for them alone and for that moment. You'll never experience it the same way again. It's an important element in musical performances and in bardic roleplaying, as I've come to see.
It would only take the bard a fraction of a second to follow up from a possible deviation in a regular piece of music. To continue with the Beethoven example, during public court performances, he would often have several pieces of parchment in front of him while at the piano with the piece he was to play in notation form. But he'd also have writing implements with him so that he could constantly change and alter scales, tones etc during his playing because he discovered new ways in which to practice the music "while it is being played". Often, at the end of each performance... the original pieces of music he'd noted on parchment before his performance did not match what he ended up with at the end of the day. So many new additions and/or ideas had been added that most musical scholars today have a difficult time discerning exactly what they mean.
I can see this happening in the Realms, during a bardic performance. Spontaneity and the mastery of music that the individual bard commands are factors which must be taken into account though, before something like this is even attempted. Afterall, not every crowd is happy to hear improvisations or variations... and I've had crowds literally "boo" me off stage because I chose to deviate, even a little, from standard notation.
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Songs and Stories in the Realms
