h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Youtube has spawned a new genre of music, which I absolutely love. It's called 'Bardcore', and it consists of musicians playing pop or rock songs on medieval instruments, or with the 'medieval instrument' settings of their keyboards. Here's a startlingly beautiful Bardcore cover of 'Jolene' by Dolly Parton.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugqQlB5fpuc

Actually, audiences in the Minnesang era would probably have liked 'Jolene'.

The lyrics are either of the 'Ye Olde' fake English variety - what I call 'Howard Pyle English' after the guy who 'translated' Robin Hood and such in my childhood. He tossed in many 'forsooths' and said 'I wot not' a lot.

The really educated Bardcore musicians may even venture into real medieval dialects, such as this version of 'The House of the Rising Sun' in Old French.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvAEMz64O9c

Obviously, this sort of thing takes its inspiration from 'The Knight's Tale', the film that features Queen music at jousting matches.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqR-8928R3s

Want more? Google 'bardcore' and enjoy this enthusiastic musical genre!

And now, I bring you my own semi-bardcore version of Walther von der Vogelweide's Palästinalied, with some really cool knightly combat footage. It's from a 1958 television show called 'Lancelot'. This show no doubt inspired Monty Python, because Camelot is truly a silly place.

Drumroll for 'Game of Throwns'. Nobody is beheaded in the making of this feature.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nJ-F6hmABo

Hope there's a training montage...

Hi Dmitri! I've been listening to these for a while. Some of the songs don't sound plausible ... chord progressions unlikely to have been possible or even imaginable (maybe) back in the day. But 'Jolene' and 'HOTRS' sound like they work! Not sure about the old French pronunciation though.

Your own vid is cool too! Those scenes do look like they might have come from Monty Python rather than a straight serious movie.

Thanks, Willem! I agree, the quality on these efforts is, er, uneven. But I'm glad they're having fun.

The tv show I took those from billed itself as serious...but it wasn't a good time for filming the Middle Ages.

Yes, Jolene is excellent as Barcore. House of the Rising Sun sounds good in various versions, as it is a folk tune - that's one of my favourite pieces to play http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKjMfMTa_FE

Knight's Tale was amusing - I watched it for the Queen songs

Love 'Game of Throwns' - that's the sort of swordfighting I can enjoy and the soundtrack and tapestries are impressive

Thanks, Sasha.