In medieval Gaelic and British culture (Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man, Brittany and Cornwall) a bard was a professional poet, employed by a patron, such as a monarch or nobleman, to commemorate the patron's ancestors and to praise the patron's own activities.

Originally a specific class of poet, contrasting with another class known as ''fili'' in Ireland and Highland Scotland, the term "bard", with the decline of living bardic tradition in the modern period, acquired generic meanings of an epic author/singer/narrator, comparable with the terms in other cultures: ''minstrel'', ''skald''/''scop'', ''rhapsode'', ''udgatar'', ''griot'', ''ashik'') or any poets, especially famous ones. For example, William Shakespeare is known as The Bard.

Etymology and origin

The word is a loanword from Scottish Gaelic, deriving from Proto-Celtic ''*bardos'', ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ''*g^wrh₂-dh₁-ó-'', from the root ''*g^werh₂'' "to raise the voice; praise". The first recorded example in English is in 1449, Lowland Scots, denoting an itinerant musician, usually with a contemptuous connotation. The word subsequently entered the English language via Scottish English.

Secondly, in medieval Gaelic and Welsh society, a ''bard'' (Scottish and Irish Gaelic) or ''bardd'' (Welsh) was a professional poet, employed to compose eulogies for his lord (see planxty). If the employer failed to pay the proper amount, the bard would then compose a satire. (c. f. ''fili'', ''fáith''). In other Indo-European societies, the same function was fulfilled by skalds, rhapsodes, minstrels and ''scops'', among others, offices that may sometimes also be subsumed under the term "bard" by extension. A hereditary caste of professional poets in Proto-Indo-European society has been reconstructed by comparison of the position of poets in medieval Ireland and in ancient India in particular.

Bards (who are not the same as the Irish 'Filidh' or 'Fili') were those who sang the songs recalling the tribal warriors' deeds of bravery as well as the genealogies and family histories of the ruling strata among Celtic societies. The pre-Christian Celtic peoples recorded no written histories; however, Celtic peoples did maintain an intricate oral history committed to memory and transmitted by bards and filid. Bards facilitated the memorization of such materials by the use of poetic meter and rhyme of time.

During the era of Romanticism, when knowledge of Celtic culture was overlaid by legends and fictions, the word was reintroduced into the West Germanic languages, this time directly into the English language, in the sense of 'lyric poet', idealised by writers such as the Scottish romantic novelist Sir Walter Scott. The word was taken from Latin ''bardus'', Greek ''bardos'', in turn loanwords from the Gaulish language, describing a class of Celtic priest (see druid, vates). From this romantic use came the epitheton The Bard applied to William Shakespeare and, in Scotland, Robert Burns.

Irish bards

In medieval Ireland, bards were one of two distinct groups of poets, the other being the ''fili''. According to the Early Irish law text on status, ''Uraicecht Becc'', bards were a lesser class of poets, not eligible for higher poetic roles as described above. However, it has also been argued that the distinction between ''filid'' (pl. of ''fili'') and bards was a creation of Christian Ireland, and that the ''filid'' were more associated with the church.

Irish bards formed a professional hereditary caste of highly trained, learned poets. The bards were steeped in the history and traditions of clan and country, as well as in the technical requirements of a verse technique that was syllabic and used assonance, half rhyme and alliteration, among other conventions. As officials of the court of king or chieftain, they performed a number of official roles. They were chroniclers and satirists whose job it was to praise their employers and damn those who crossed them. It was believed that a well-aimed bardic satire, ''glam dicenn'', could raise boils on the face of its target.

The bardic schools were extinct by the mid 17th century in Ireland and by the early 18th century in Scotland.

Welsh bards

A number of legendary bards in Welsh mythology have been preserved in medieval Welsh literature such as the Red Book of Hergest, the White Book of Rhydderch, the Book of Aneirin and the Book of Taliesin. The bards Aneirin and Taliesin may be legendary reflections of historical bards active in the 6th to 7th centuries. Very little historical information about Dark Age Welsh court tradition survives, but the Middle Welsh material came to be the nucleus of the Matter of Britain and Arthurian legend as they developed from the 13th century.

Welsh bardic tradition appears to end in the same 13th century, the Welsh campaigns of Edward I supposedly culminating in the legendary suicide of ''The Last Bard'' (c. 1283), as commemorated in the poem ''The Bards of Wales'' by the Hungarian poet János Arany in 1857 as a way of encoded resistance to the suppressive politics of his own time. There seems to be some continuity of Early Medieval Welsh tradition into the Late Middle Ages, with 14th century poets such as Dafydd ap Gwilym and Iolo Goch, and even to the present day with the Gorsedd of Bards.

Revival

Works discussing "bards" 18th and 19th century Celtic revivalism include ''The Bard'' by Thomas Gray, ''Cuma, The warrior-bard of Erin'' by John Richard Best, ''The Bard'' by John Walker Ord, ''The Mountain Bard'' by James Hogg, ''The Bard of Mary Redcliffe'' by Ernest Lacy, among others. The role of bards in Neo-Druidism (such as the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids), in Welsh nationalism and in popular notions on pre-Roman Britain originate in this context. In modern Wales the Gorsedd of Bards (Welsh: ''Gorsedd y Beirdd'') is a society whose honorary membership is extended to those who have done great things for Wales.

From its frequent use in Romanticism, 'The Bard' became attached as a title to various poets,

'The Bard of Avon' (or in England, simply 'The Bard') is William Shakespeare

'The Bard of Ayrshire' (or in Scotland, simply 'The Bard') is Robert Burns

'The Bard of Olney' is William Cowper

'The Bard of Rydal Mount' is William Wordsworth

'The Bard of Twickenham' is Alexander Pope

'The Bard of Armagh' is Patrick Donnelly

'The Bard' is Bob Dylan

'The Bard' is Jim MacCool

In the 20th century, the word lost much of its original connotation of Celtic revivalism or Romanticism, and could refer to any professional poet or singer, sometimes in a mildly ironic tone. In the Soviet Union, singers who were outside the establishment were called bards from the 1960s.

From its Romanticist usage, the notion of the bard as a minstrel with qualities of a priest, magician or seer also entered the fantasy genre in the 1960s to 1980s, for example as the "Bard" class in ''Dungeons & Dragons'', ''Bard'' by Keith Taylor (1981), ''Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish'' by Morgan Llywelyn (1984), and in video games in fantasy settings such as ''The Bard's Tale'' (1985). The MMORPG Forsaken World allows the player to play as a Bard.

See also

Contention of the bards

Aois-dàna

Druid

Vates

Fili

Gorsedd

Gorseth Kernow (Cornwall)

Griot

Skald

''The Bards of Wales''

Bard (Dungeons & Dragons)

Bard (Soviet Union)

References

External links

Irish Bardic Poetry Corpus of Electronic Texts, University College Cork.

Category:Occupations in music Category:Celtic culture Category:History of Wales Category:Irish literature Category:Scottish literature Category:Welsh literature Category:Welsh folk music Category:Medieval Ireland Category:Medieval Scotland Category:Cornish culture Category:Romanticism Category:Druidry Category:Eisteddfod

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Coordinates	3°58′2.96″N122°35′40.92″N
name	Blind Guardian
landscape	Yes
background	group_or_band
origin	Krefeld, Germany
genre	Power metal, speed metal
years active	1984–present
label	No Remorse, Virgin, Century Media, Nuclear Blast
associated acts	Demons & Wizards, Gamma Ray, Helloween, Iced Earth, Iron Savior, Savage Circus, Schattentantz, Power Quest
website
current members	Hansi KürschAndré OlbrichMarcus SiepenFrederik Ehmke
past members	Thomas "Thomen" StauchMarkus DörkChristof TheißenHans-Peter Frey }}

Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in the mid-1980s in Krefeld, West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres. Blind Guardian is a part of the German heavy metal scene that emerged in the mid-1980s.

The band's lyrics, written by vocalist Hansi Kürsch, are inspired by the fiction of fantasy authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien, Michael Moorcock, and Robert Jordan as well as traditional legends and epics. Over the years, a running theme has developed personifying the band members as travelling bards.

Biography

Blind Guardian formed in 1984 in Krefeld, Germany, by Hansi Kürsch (vocals, bass) and Andre Olbrich (guitar) under the name Lucifer's Heritage. The band first released two demos in 1985 and 1986, despite undergoing chaotic lineup changes: Markus Dörk (guitar) and Thomen Stauch (drums) were replaced by Christof Theißen and Hans-Peter Frey, respectively. Finally, in 1987, Marcus Siepen joined and Thomen came back to form the lineup which would stay consistent for the next 18 years.

After Lucifer's Heritage signed a contract with No Remorse Records, the band changed their name to Blind Guardian to avoid any speculations about Satanism (in a bio it was stated that they also wanted to distance themselves from the black metal movement, as their demos were placed in with black metal albums at local record shops). They released their debut album ''Battalions of Fear'' in 1988, which was essentially a speed metal album heavily influenced by Helloween. These two German bands had close ties, and Helloween founder Kai Hansen made a guest appearance on Blind Guardian's second LP, ''Follow the Blind'' (1989), where the band revealed some thrash metal influence. Their third LP, ''Tales from the Twilight World'' (1990), had a much more melodic and "epic" feeling, with usage of choir and classical music influence.

Blind Guardian signed with Virgin Records in 1991, and released their fourth studio album ''Somewhere Far Beyond'' in 1992 and the live album ''Tokyo Tales'' in 1993. Flemming Rasmussen, former Metallica producer, began working with the band in 1994, producing their fifth studio album ''Imaginations from the Other Side'', released in 1995, and ''The Forgotten Tales'', an album that contained half covers and half original work, released in 1996.

In 1998, Blind Guardian released their epic album ''Nightfall in Middle-Earth''. "Complete with anthemic choruses, spoken word story lines, and plenty of bombastic power metal punctuating every dramatic turn", says Allmusic's Vincent Jeffries, "Nightfall in Middle-Earth is perhaps Blind Guardian's most triumphant". A concept album based on J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Silmarillion'', Blind Guardian's music demonstrated some folk rock influence, but also featured heavy use of Queen-style layered backing vocals. Since ''Nightfall'', bass guitar has been played by sessional member Oliver Holzwarth, and Hansi has been able to devote all his attention to singing. ''Nightfall'' was also the last Blind Guardian album produced by Rasmussen.

''A Night at the Opera'', named after the Queen album, was released four years later. On this album, the band's sound lacked almost all influence of their original speed metal. Power and progressive metal abound, with over the top orchestral backing and a consistent vocal and guitar layering throughout. Though not a true concept album, many of the lyrics dealt with the common themes of religion and relations between human and divine powers. It was followed by a live album in 2003 and a DVD, ''Imaginations Through the Looking Glass'', in 2004, which was the last recorded Blind Guardian material to feature Thomen Stauch on drums. He left the band due to musical differences and was replaced by Frederik Ehmke. The first album with Ehmke was ''A Twist in the Myth'', which came out in 2006.

Blind Guardian recently participated in the soundtrack for the ''In the Name of the King: a Dungeon Siege Tale'' fantasy movie (Uwe Boll), which came out in 2008. The band also recorded a theme song for ''Sacred 2 Fallen Angel'' RPG video game, the prequel to ''Sacred''.

A Voice in the Dark was the next single from Blind Guardian that was released 25 June 2010. On July 30, 2010 the album followed, called ''At the Edge of Time''. The band started "The Sacred Worlds and Songs Divine Tour 2010", the European dates will have the opening acts Enforcer and Steelwing. The 22 October in Gothenburg, Sweden only Steelwing was the opening act. The US dates will have Holy Grail and Seven Kingdoms and later they were announced that they would play at Wacken Open Air in 2011.

Musical style

Blind Guardian's first two albums, ''Battalions of Fear'' and ''Follow the Blind'', were more in the style of speed metal than their following works. Beginning with their third album ''Tales from the Twilight World'', Blind Guardian gradually began to write more complicated compositions focusing less on speed. As of their sixth album, ''Nightfall in Middle Earth'', Hansi stopped playing bass to focus on singing. At this point the band began to incorporate large amounts of orchestral arrangements, and utilized the technique of overdubbing, heavily influenced by the English rock band Queen.

Blind Guardian's music features the staccato guitars and double bass drumming characteristic of power metal, as well as the use of overdubs and numerous backing vocals to create a dense sound. This technique, especially notable in the guitar and vocal tracks, creates the impression of a vast army of musicians playing in unison and singing in harmony. This proved significant on all albums after the first two but most particularly on ''A Night at the Opera''.

Another definitive feature of Blind Guardian music is frequent use of folk tunes and instruments, especially in power ballads such as "Lord of the Rings", "The Bard's Song", "A Past and Future Secret", "Skalds and Shadows" and "Curse My Name", among others.

Side projects

Along with Jon Schaffer, the leader and founder of Iced Earth, Kürsch is a member of Demons & Wizards, where he is the lead singer.

Blind Guardian have been working on and off for eight years on an orchestral project writing music about ''The Lord of the Rings'' (negotiations failed to be included on the famous ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy as the soundtrack, because the band wanted to concentrate on their next album). Although it will not be a power metal album, it will be published under the name of Blind Guardian because it matches the theme of the band's lyrics, according to Hansi.

Due to the tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, 2011, Blind Guardian began working with their former record company, EMI Music, and auctioned off an exclusive studio session for two in the Twilight Hall Studio in Grefrath, Germany for charity in which 100% of proceeds would be donated to the tsunami relief efforts. The auction ended on April 22, 2011 with a final bid of £1,171.00.

Line-up

Current members

Hansi Kürsch – Lead vocals (1984–present), Bass guitar (1984–1996)

André Olbrich – Lead guitar (1984–present)

Marcus Siepen – Rhythm guitar (1987–present)

Frederik Ehmke – Drums, Percussion, Flute and Bagpipes (2005–present)

With:

Oliver Holzwarth – Bass guitar (Sessional Member) (1997–)

Michael Schüren – keyboards, Grand piano (Sessional Member) (1997–)

Pat Bender – Keyboards, Sound effects (Sessional Member) (2002–)

Thomas Hackmann – Backing vocals (1990–)

Olaf Senkbeil - Backing vocals (1998–)

Former members

Thomas "Thomen" Stauch – Drums (1984–1985, 1987–2005)

Mathias Wiesner – keyboards, effects (studio) (1989–2002)

Markus Dörk – Guitars (Lucifer's Heritage) (1984–1985)

Christof Theißen – Rhythm guitar (Lucifer's Heritage) (1986)

Hans-Peter Frey – Drums (Lucifer's Heritage) (1986)

Guest musicians

Dirim Ceseroglu - solo violin (Wheel of Time) (2010)

Rolf Köhler – backing vocals, lead vocals (1990–2007—his death)

Martin G. Meyer – Keyboards (2006–2008)

Alex Holzwarth – drums (live) (2002–2003)

Billy King – backing vocals (1992–2002)

Boris Schmidt, Sascha Pierro – Keyboards and sound effects (2002)

Max Zelzner – flute & alto-flute (1998)

Norman Eshley, Douglas Fielding – narration (1998)

Piet Sielck – guitar, backing vocals, effects (1990–1996)

Kalle Trapp – backing vocals, lead vocals, lead guitar (1990–1996)

Otto Sidenius – organ (1996)

Stefan Will – piano (1992–1996)

Jacob Moth – acoustic guitar on (1996)

Ronnie Atkins, Aman Malek – backing vocals (1996)

Kai Hansen – lead vocals, guitar solos, backing vocals (1989–1992)

Peter Rübsam – Scottish and Irish bagpipes (1992)

Niko Trznadl – bass (live) (1988)

Thomas Kelleners – vocals (Lucifer's Heritage) (1984)

Discography

''Battalions of Fear'' (1988)

''Follow the Blind'' (1989)

''Tales from the Twilight World'' (1990)

''Somewhere Far Beyond'' (1992)

''Imaginations from the Other Side'' (1995)

''Nightfall in Middle-Earth'' (1998)

''A Night at the Opera'' (2002)

''A Twist in the Myth'' (2006)

''At the Edge of Time'' (2010)

References

Blind Guardian-Battlefield is the theme song for Robot Unicorn Attack heavy metal version

External links

Official website

Category:German heavy metal musical groups Category:German power metal musical groups Category:Middle-earth music Category:Musical groups established in 1984 Category:Musical quartets Category:Speed metal musical groups

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