{"id":1361,"date":"2014-09-02T18:06:02","date_gmt":"2014-09-02T18:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mbouchard.com\/aneleda\/?p=1361"},"modified":"2016-07-11T15:21:39","modified_gmt":"2016-07-11T15:21:39","slug":"the-weight-of-the-chain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mbouchard.com\/aneleda\/the-weight-of-the-chain","title":{"rendered":"By the Weight of the Chain"},"content":{"rendered":"

This piece requires\u00a0an introduction.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I wrote this song as a song about chivalry, and The Chivalry in the Society, because I felt there should be a song in which the aspirant has agency and acts on a lifetime of work to achieve her or his goal. I didn’t want a narrative song, about another person, but I wanted a first-person account of the love and work and the valor and vowing that is needed to become a Chivalric Peer. Many of the Knights and Masters of Arms I know who have been recognized as such to date have followed a path similar to the one I outline – each in their own way, but the path seemed pretty clear to me. I also wanted it to work for a man or a woman, and for a Knight or a Master. And finally, it had to have some pep and joy because to me the best chivalry is enacted with a heart of joy and forward motion.<\/p>\n

This is that song.<\/p>\n

The public debut was at Pennsic 43 at my concert, though it had been sung for two people before that night, one of whom was in vigil when I brought it as a song-gift.<\/p>\n

There is a recording of the piece as it was first imagined and performed is at the bottom of the page. It has changed in tune, but it’s a good archive of how this stuff evolves.<\/p>\n

The recording below was done at the SCA 50 Year Celebration and features Lady Abhlin and THL Andreas Blackwoode.<\/p>\n