Beowulf: The Epic in Performance - Benjamin Bagby, voice and medieval harp

[@ScytheriaReborn]

Imagine sitting with your entire village in a fire-lit wooden hall, huddled under wooden blankets and furs as the wind howls outside. The bard enters, the bard enthrals. For two hours your world is one of kings, monsters and battles, not a harsh world of toil. This is what entertainment should be.

[@AncientAbsWisdom]

I first heard this performed in Old English in just such a location..... West stow anglo saxon village...1987

[@avzarathustra6164]

@@AncientAbsWisdom That’s pretty cool.

[@abrahemsamander3967]

Your description is exquisite! That’s the feeling I want, to listen to a bard of old times.

[@abrahemsamander3967]

Ancientabswisdom. Ooh cool! Apparently they’re making a Beowulf inspired trail there.

[@Myzelfa]

I've heard that people work more now than they did in the middle ages, and I think it's probably true. Maybe we don't all work as hard, but labor used to be seasonal and now it's continuous, with no laxity allowed by winter or night. Perhaps we need performances like this even more today.

[@morribcanlon7140]

Just the fact that he remembers every line and every note is insane.

[@AlecFortescue]

Same story with poets and bards memorising iliad.

[@masonmorgan4]

that's literally his job as a Scōp

[@elyastoohey6621]

This is how they did it back then. And people would add to it or take thinks away. The Beowulf text we have is the Christian version, as any lines praising the Germanic gods is replaced with the Christian god.

[@Fry09294]

​@@elyastoohey6621 there's no evidence the Christian elements weren't present in the original.

[@elyastoohey6621]

@@Fry09294 Depends when it was first sung. The original oral tradition was likely pagan. But by the time it was first written down the angles and saxons were firmly Christian.

[@Grendelcynn]

Beowulf performed in Old English on the Anglo-Saxon Lyre (not medieval harp) exactly as the heroic poems tells us how it was performed (sung with emotion not recited dryly by posh BBC actor). This is as close to a time capsule to the dark ages as you can get.

[@staffnsnake]

@@astrophilsydenham8319 You know what he means. The sub-Roman period. Known as “dark” because of the dearth of literature from the period. Beowulf itself was only discovered among the collection in Cotton’s library in the 16th century.

[@robertjordan355]

I disagree. I think this is way off the mark. He's narrating it like it's prose. Beowulf is a *poem* . It should have a heartbeat and the alliterative words should be stressed in each line. This is a poor interpretation tainted by our modern understanding of what storytelling should sound like.

[@DrJohnWatson8]

Don't pretend you know how poetry contemporary to Beowulf's author(s) was performed lol nobody does!

[@robertjordan355]

@@DrJohnWatson8 actually we do know. And our source? A passage from Beowulf. After Beowulf has killed Grendel and restored (temporary) peace to Heorot, one of king Hrothgar's Thanes recites a poem as part of the celebrations. We are told that he "improvised a new poem linked in true metre." In other words, it was rhythmically structured, and there was a true, or right, way of structuring the rhythm of a poem, and a wrong way. The correct way was to do so using alliteration within each line. The poems therefore literally tell you which words need to be stressed by which words alliterate. These stresses create a rhythm that runs steadily through the poem. My problem with this dude is that he seems to be paying no heed to these alliterative stresses, and is instead letting his own sense of the narrative dictate where the stresses fall, as if he's reading a child a bedtime story!

[@robertjordan355]

@@DrJohnWatson8 and yes, as the original commenter pointed out, a lyre would have been used, but most likely to keep rhythm, not to add the occasional melodic embellishment every now and them.

[@aragorn1780]

I'm a skald for a Viking reenactment group I'm in based in the midwest and I took on the task of one day recreating this performance (even if it takes me the next 20-30 years to do so), so far I'm only a few lines in, and I did take Old English in college so theoretically I should be at an advantage... even so, it really is a herculean task learning this in its entirety, this guy clearly spent thousands upon thousands of hours memorizing and practicing and then practicing even more so the memorized performance could be sang with the thunder this guy has I myself can only hope to one day bring a fraction of Benjamin's energy to the stage and even if I somehow become world famous doing it I will always be looking back to this man and Professor Tolkien as the real masters.... wish me luck!!

[@Hrothgar_Scop]

Clearly it's doable but a shorter poem may be more achievable. Old Norse I find easier to pronounce than old English. Havamal would be cool do this with.

[@gentlesoft6627]

Im a skald for a viking reenactment group doesn't even need a punchline

[@aragorn1780]

​@@Hrothgar_Scop oh I been learning Old Norse poems as well and they are easier if only by virtue of being much shorter 😂 Even so Beowulf is on the list of grand ideas that most likely won't ever happen ahaha

[@feles_optimae_sunt]

I wish you luck! This is an incredible undertaking and I hope you continue to pursue your dream of memorizing the poem in its entirety.

[@Suth1172]

For anyone wondering, this isn't a performance of the full Beowulf but ends at line 1061.

[@phunanon]

If it ended at 1066 it would have been beautifully ironic

[@edawgrules]

I love how the alliterative verse makes this like one long tongue twister.

[@SaintJoi]

I was lucky enough to see him perform this live and it was even better than the video. Just spectacular.

[@bobthabuilda1525]

I'm so jealous

[@charlesturley5200]

Likewise…amazing performance at U of Oregon back in the day.

[@daveemerson6549]

I saw him perform this in New York in 2017. Absolutely magical.

[@SaintJoi]

@@daveemerson6549 completely spellbinding. He makes you understand how a scop could have kept a whole hall of people entertained for a long night

[@nathanm5653]

Oh my word, that's awesome. I'm half jealous, half glad that you got to experience that. It sounds absolutely breathtaking.

[@behr1638]

Amazing, amazing performance. If anyone is curious this performance covers the first 1062 lines of the full poem which is 3182 lines in total. This first section involves Beowulf vs Grendel. The remainder of the story involves Grendel's Mother and a Dragon.

[@mooseman3232]

I love the sound of this harp and this language with the song.

[@mooseman3232]

its really crazy how he knows all of this by heart.

[@ReplyToMeIfUrRetarded]

Agreed.

[@Marco_Venieri]

if they had framed the screen it would have been much nicer. However this man is a living treasure, this performance is one of the greatest show i've ever seen

[@imperialhistorian4201]

1:08:30 If anyone is interested, this portion is the portion where Grendel attacks the mead hall; considered the best part of the epic and it can only be appreciated in Old English.

[@elyastoohey6621]

Mate, spoilers.

[@admiraldick]

@@elyastoohey6621 😅

[@Skkrraaa]

Thanks for the timestamp!

[@ReplyToMeIfUrRetarded]

Beautiful

[@DrJohnWatson8]

Breathtaking, beautiful, enchanting. A true Bard, he elevates the very station! This would have a million views if they only kept the translation up the whole time.

[@VergilArcanis]

not sure. after a point, how he does the performance entertains more than the actual content itself.

[@3seven5seven1nine9]

We don't need the subtitles, it's English after all 🤭

[@rbsz6202]

We are witnessing thousands of hours of passion and practice. Awesome.

[@Ozgipsy]

This is fantastic. Subtitles would be magical.

[@12inter88]

I played this for my class and they’re psyched for Beowulf after going over some Viking myths

[@Catonius]

Beautiful production. No need for cheesy props or effects. The performance speaks for itself. Magic.

[@ReplyToMeIfUrRetarded]

I agree completely. I wish music was still like this. this is absolutely beautiful.

[@caseyglick5957]

This is amazing. I do wish they had captions available. They don't keep the camera on the translation long enough.

[@arthurzetes]

Back maybe 15 years ago I found this guy doing his performance with a lyre. Sadly it got deleted from KZbin. I’m so glad this is back

[@Survivethejive]

þæt wæs god scop!

[@hokoriadventures.6745]

I knew you would lurk here at some point.

[@mrbenn2209]

He is here.

[@Ian-yf7uf]

LoL, I always find you on videos I'm interested in

[@keanulondon4437]

I know I'm kinda off topic but do anyone know of a good website to watch newly released movies online ?

[@keanulondon4437]

@Atlas Stanley thank you, signed up and it seems like a nice service =) I really appreciate it!!

[@scobeymeister1]

I came here to experience this the way the original audience did, but the lack of captions half the time severely impeded that. One of those rare times the lack of accessibility options harms everyone instead of just the disabled. Please caption your videos. All of them, always. The arts are for everyone.

[@SionainnMI]

Absolutely Wondrous! Only improvements would be 1) steady bilingual captions for the youtube viewer, 2) the rest of the poem (vs. Grendel’s mother…and the dragon), and 3) the man deserves better than a plastic waterbottle! give him a bronze or golden beaker! 🏆

[@JezuzDisciple]

We need more of this kind of cultural genius in our modern world!

[@nikolasversteeg]

35:55 sounds like he says minecraft lol. In all seriousness though, what an amazing production!

[@Vsevolod2002]

Minecraft on this moon creeper

[@akirasunshine7187]

I heard that too

[@RichardMarderian]

This is a super trip back 1,000 years, almost like Martina McBride's "This One's for the Girls" (not about specific phrases of life) but a ballad about fighting conspicuous adversity to the panting, bitter end. I OWN SEAMUS HEANEY'S POEM FOR "KEEPS"--PUN INTENDED.

[@moiramaclellan3564]

Sorry, just realized it is Old English. I love the passionate way he sings, seems like he puts his heart and soul into it.

[@Artyomi]

I remember back in highschool trying to memorize the first 52 lines, which after 3 months and many hours I finally got it down which I can still recite back as he says it to this day. For reference, those lines ended at 6:55. Having to remember the 1000+ lines is an absolutely ridiculous Herculean task.

[@tuanngothanh9800]

No wonder that many said beowulf is the most translated and important in the old English literature. I simply just adore the culture of storytelling, and admire the way the narrator express the story with the harp. It drew my mind as if I were sitting in a bonfire, hearing the story with my beloved family and friends. :D

[@douglasblowe805]

brilliant. I am a history teacher and a bit of a historian. I love to study culture especially music. To know a people, you must know their music. I have no clue what he is saying/chanting but it firs the blood as much as bagpipes do.

[@haydar1989]

Imagine how amazing that was seemed to the Anglo-Saxons themselves.

[@keighlancoe5933]

I guess this was their equivalent of going to the cinema, so this to them would be like watching Lord of the Rings

[@solovevkiril]

Good bard was like Michael Bay at those times.

[@stephencrompton4352]

Imagine yourself in the mead hall, perhaps with fellow thegns, celebrating victory in battle, and your lord has hired a top bard for entertainment.

[@AmalcarinLambengolmo]

This is great! Greetings from Russia! I love Old English here and I'm learning it. And I want to express my great respect to the performer of the poem. Thank you!

[@axelbatalha2830]

Then, join our Old English Whatsapp group to use the language on a daily basis.

[@Fernsehenpfanger]

Привет!!! Я же пока только слушаю этот древний поэтический язык, и уже получаю удовольствие, я из города Электросталь.)))

[@НастяХомастя]

@@Fernsehenpfanger Почти сосед! Приятно увидеть земляков - я слушаю это прекрасное выступление из Железнодорожного

[@Fernsehenpfanger]

@@НастяХомастя Супер, мне тоже очень приятно!

[@НатальяЧернавская-и2ч]

Браво! Браво! Браво!

[@mcnedelsky]

This is fantastic, but the video cuts away from the surtitles too quickly to read them. Is it possible to add the translations as captions into KZbin?

[@philhersh]

Amazing memorization

[@henrysmiley5878]

This is stunning. Old English is difficult enough, but to memorize the text and then accompany himself on a harp, Bagby is simply amazing.

[@AndreaRKent]

Many years ago I saw him perform a portion at the Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum. The experience was so exciting and so fascinating that it stayed with me for many years. And now that I have a grown son who is interested in studying his own English and Scandinavian cultural heritage, and the history of warfare, I am en-joyed to share this rich beauty with him. It is marvelous to light a fire in the evening and listen to this. Thank you!

[@jrb4935]

What does the Temple of Dendur have to do with Anglo-Saxon culture?

[@AndreaRKent]

@@jrb4935 What venue in New York City would you have preferred? This site offered brilliant acoustics as well as adequate space for the audience.

[@jrb4935]

@@AndreaRKent Well something vaguely Anglo-Saxon would be nice. Ancient Egypt has nothing to do with Beowulf.

[@AndreaRKent]

@@jrb4935 kindly suggest a true Anglo-Saxon venue for musical performances in Manhattan. I can’t think of one.

[@jrb4935]

@@AndreaRKent Well they could have done it somewhere that wasn't fucking Ancient Egyptian, at least.

[@sanjuancb]

Single most epic performance I have ever seen. Incredible. Thanks for sharing and a horn lifted high to Mr. Bagby!

[@justinhernandez2217]

þæt wæs god cyning!

[@musicloverlondon6070]

Hwaet, indeed it was, totally agree! 😊

[@Glassandcandy]

All men are god cynnings

[@jadenrickards7987]

@@Glassandcandy Ealle menn synd gode cyningas!

[@lahsilaz6880]

@@jadenrickards7987eallinga riht, freond min!

[@abrahemsamander3967]

Wow! I heard about Mr.Bagby’s show a year ago and have wanted to get a dvd or see it live! I’m so happy this was released! I’m gonna try reading along with it, but mainly focus on the performance.

[@wilsonMelo6]

Such an astonishing performance.

[@XianVivre]

Sometimes a static shot is better than multiple camera angles. It would be better if the English subtitles were always viable in the shot, instead of in every second shot. The editing severely hurts his fantastic performance.

[@hanskotto8630]

Cænn ƿe æt léast bring bæck þe cool letters? Þætt ƿóuld be níce.

[@WAEVOICE]

bōcstafas = letters swēte = nice

[@johannesschutz780]

@WAEVOICE swēte

[@colinjones5379]

I've never seen a performer cut off their applause like that. He brings such an unbelievable, spellbinding energy to the performance right from word one.

[@mustafakamal-jt1db]

One "Hwæt!" And everyone was silenced

[@meihwadeclerk3147]

This was truly a magnificent performance and a wonder of the Arts. Brought to live in this captivating performance and brilliant talent displayed, it gave me all of the emotions and kept me engaged the entire time. Beautifully done, so grateful to have stumbled upon it.

[@NiallMor]

This was absolutely fascinating! Thank you, Mr. Bagby, for making this epic story come alive in a way I have never experienced before.

[@SlaughterMePlease]

This is an amazing performance, thank you to all involved with making it and bringing it to KZbin!

[@sheilaray6601]

Such a talented and mesmerizing performer.

[@JT-tr5cz]

Energetic performance for 1:37:19 without even taking a sip of water

[@timfellows2]

Stunning performance. I know about 50 lines from various bits of this poem and that was hard enough to learn.

[@teferasime-o9y]

Thanks

[@teferasime-o9y]

I nwyrok.

[@turmuthoer]

I know it's a more 'theatrical' version of the language than the one that would have been spoken by people in real life, but Old English sounds so beautiful. Perhaps it's because it was relatively free of non-Germanic vocabulary, thus more 'natural', but it just seems to have a much better flow when compared modern English.

[@jasonsomers8224]

A big part of that is the poetry. It is intentionally alliterative.

[@Bbbbbbbbbbhhhhhhh]

I personally think the way that they spoke normally sounds a lot more beautiful, from what I’ve seen people say they sounded like, it was a very soft accent that was quite and beautiful just like it’s Anglo Frisian roots but softer

[@kennethsideas84]

1:40

[@RealChiliConQueso]

47:17 Interesting how "any other man" sounds exactly the same.

[@Atrigraphy]

What a breathtakingly wonderful performance!

[@DullSkaterBlade]

This is just what I was looking for. Absolutely amazing. Just wish there were more videos like this at this length or longer😅

[@jakobkarb573]

VI 34:52 VII 41:31 VIII 45:57 IX 52:40 X 1:02:14 XI 1:09:28

[@LisaBreaux-h7l]

So beautiful. Thank you.This makes me want to dance. Wonderful. Moving.

[@VergilArcanis]

how a bard performs the magic of music

[@labibasahlah]

Goosebumps!

[@mobeenkhan824]

8:24 is my favourite. And 22:23

[@lyxthen]

I have no idea what he is saying but this sure is pleasant to listen to

[@marthahazevoet9309]

Benjamin Bagby is such a wonderful story teller. I have seen him live in Beowulf twice and it was tremendously exciting.

[@philhersh]

There really are some videos on KZbin I should be able to like twice.

[@IvoryMaestro]

Wow! This is impressive. Like TOTALLY EPIC. I wish there was something like this for Virgil or Homer.

[@ahoymatey6654]

my english teacher showed us this video and i cant stop thinking about it

[@royalwayne7244]

His old English is so good its like going back in time

[@funntidassi2159]

Wow, this is great.

[@thecuriousrabbit9980]

For anyone who is interested in reading along with the poem, there's a 2007 version with the storyline in English subtitles available.

[@thecuriousrabbit9980]

@lambdatau118ful Old English isn't modern English any more than Latin is modern French, Portuguese, or Italian.

[@thecuriousrabbit9980]

@lambdatau118ful I'm curious, where are you that you learned old English in grade school?

[@thecuriousrabbit9980]

@lambdatau118ful, Yeah... That sounds more like private or religious schooling rather than public schooling. I'm nearly 50 and from California so there could be serious differences between our educate systems, seeing as U.S. education isn't really standardized in any way. I got lucky by having well educated parents who encouraged and inspired a love of learning in me. I always want to know more about the world around me.

[@thecuriousrabbit9980]

@lambdatau118ful I still haven't read Canterbury Tales, I read an English translation of Beowulf when I was 10-12 yrs old, unfortunately it was written in the late 1800s or maybe early 1900s and the language was still difficult for me. I remember having to look up a lot of words...lol. I think about how cool it would have been to have the internet available like it is today when I was a kid... I'd know so much more today.

[@roysutherland9729]

@lambdatau118ful I am 71 from Columbus, Ohio, no old English.

[@mrminer071166]

I'll be reciting Beowulf at the Twisted Horn Meadery in Vista, San Diego, CA on 10/31, Halloween, 2021, 2:30-4:30pm. I don't do harp, I don't do much of a singing voice. I'm good with psychomachy between Grendel and Beowulf.

[@aav56]

How did it go?

[@mrminer071166]

@@aav56 Very nice venue! Also did Sir Gawain & The Green Knight there early 2022.

[@aumoaum]

Thank you so much for sharing this!

[@bobthabuilda1525]

30:12 Anglo-Saxon Eminem

[@danhurley6152]

Wowe! Sat on the banks of the Severn 'English side watched the sun dip down behind the Welsh hills listening to this think i just had a spiritual moment !!😲!!

[@bencopeland3560]

Awesome!

[@hermenegildakociubinska6665]

Will there be a part two with Grendel'a mother?

[@grendel292]

I am hoping for that too !!!

[@TheSeanoops]

🤞🏻

[@setadriftonfishandchips]

Excellent

[@Qu0thTheRaven]

this is cool. this honors beowulf.

[@IBMUAK99]

At 35:52 he says "That hay. Three diggy man is Minecraft, Thomas Mooncripper."

[@draken_ryuuguji]

true

[@1101millie97]

After years of practice, he probably dreams in Anglo-Saxon...

[@KorsarNik]

Dungeon Masters of their time =)

[@banditbykko8798]

Where is the part from evolution of music video?

[@regismartel8772]

It's at about 22:32 They changed the key of it.

[@banditbykko8798]

@@regismartel8772 thank you bro you are a helper

[@ABAlphaBeta]

@@banditbykko8798 I got that from an earlier performance of his than this!

[@justkevinlol]

1:53 beginning

[@johanjonsson6504]

This is so impressive!

[@debbiewilson9712]

This is amazing!!

[@FJMLAM]

Absolutely amazing.

[@marshallross3373]

Ya, well, if you are going to recite the old English version of this poem, this is the way to do it. Very cool.

[@marinamaccagni5253]

The awesomest video on youtube. Definitely. Sir Benjamin is my new god!

[@dbadagna]

Magnificent! Could you add where and when this performance was filmed to the video description above?

[@cynthiae6837]

from notes above: "Singer/harpist/performer Benjamin Bagby brought his one-man performance to our stage last January, evoking an entire ancient world with just voice and six-string harp. The sold-out production left the audience enthralled" At 96th Street YMCA in NYC 2020.

[@ninanai]

anyone know what scale the instrument is tuned to? i can't get enough of it. i'll figure it out myself when i get time and return here with the info if no one else has it. I was also curious what anyone has to say about the instrument, etc.

[@ferncrafted]

would y'all consider adding the translation to the closed captions? thanks!!!

[@mysigt_]

Believe it or not, I don’t speak old English. Makes it hard to follow along when they keep cutting away from the translation.

[@SaintJoi]

You can get a dvd on his website that has full subtitles. Bagbybeowulf.com

[@CreightonDevers]

Grab the Heaney bilingual edition. Original English to follow and modern English to translate.

[@jrb4935]

Well it's all online, why not just read along with it from a website.

[@beksc9209]

I can hear how Old English influenced Tolkien in his writings.

[@frekitheravenous516]

This sets my Anglo-Swedish blood on fire !!!!

[@thesmallnotesduo]

Awesome.

[@marcusaurelius5742]

Incredible

[@scrimmyjim2]

it is cold in my house and there is a storm outside, but in here i have candles, and blankets, and a skald.

[@BKNeifert]

Such a wonderful age we live in. It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. This is the best. Muckbanging and 24/7 News are the worst.

[@WarLordXavier]

wish it stayed on the camera where you can see the subtitles

[@filippovigini4154]

WOW.

[@Wheeintage]

This is amazing what a vibe

[@Mceffe-ld3xx]

13:14 17:30 48:52 1:13:24 1:23:04 play on 2x speed and I lost it😂

[@resistingreader]

They had a 'B' camera and a 'C' camera and, by God, there were going to use them. Sur titles be damned.

[@virginiamooney4105]

Timestamps for my own benefit: Hail, Hrothgar! 37:53

[@virginiamooney4105]

13:47 the thanes weep