Get ready to transport yourself back in time!
Imagine this: it’s the fourteenth century and you’re seated at the town’s tavern. There’s a large fire roaring and a warmth circulating inside. The tavern is a gathering place for everyone in town. It’s a place to unwind and gossip. Ale is a popular and cheap drink, something that both excites conversation and incites disputes. There is chatter, quarreling, and dancing to the tunes offered by the local bard. The sweet notes of a lute filter throughout the public gathering.
This scene may truly be a thing of the past, but there are those dreaming up a revival in the present.
Take YouTube star, Algal the Bard for example. He’s reintroducing medieval style with undeniable flare.
Giving modern hits a historical facelift, Algal is pioneering a sound pleasantly dubbed “Tavernwave” or “Bardcore.”
Taking to his musical virtuosity, he’s claiming songs one by one, playing them on nothing less than the lute itself.
Crossing the roads between pop music and history, this is perhaps a musical trend you never even knew you needed!
Bardcore is an online phenomenon that has recently popped up amid the coronavirus pandemic.
And not only has it popped up—it has exploded! Algal the Bard has reeled in millions of viewers as he covers classics in a classical approach.
Historical musicologist Elina Hamilton is not entirely surprised by this phenomenon. She says that it’s not uncommon for artists to turn to the Middle Ages for inspiration. And this deep pool of inspiration to draw from, coupled with the copious time we’ve all suddenly found on our hands, has flung the door wide open.
“My first reaction was actually, ‘Oh yeah, of course, why wouldn’t we do this?’ Because it is so apt for what we’re going through right now.”
As people find themselves in lockdown, they’ve turned their extra time towards homemaking activities, including cooking, growing their own food, knitting, and of course, making music every which way. Hamilton believes people are drawing a parallel between their current lives and the lives of those in the past. Nostalgic yearning for the past is not uncommon during transitional periods.
41-year-old Álvaro Galán is flirting with just that.
For reference, take his cover of Queen’s classic “Somebody to Love.”
Enchantingly, he takes us on a journey through time and space to the familiar notes of Queen’s hit.
Composing different layers, he covers the song with a tambourine, a flute, and the loot. Just one listen and you’ll be transported right where you are to a faraway land. The rock and roll, operatic song, lends itself well to this gentle rendition. And with 20k likes, the internet approves and agrees!
This is Queen like you’ve never heard them before!
Galán is gaining much attention for his ultra-creative spin on the music scene. This marriage of history and modernity is unique enough to be gaining heavy traction.
In an interview, Galán revealed:
“What I enjoy most about Bardcore is that I can close my eyes and imagine being in a medieval tavern playing for a drunk public wanting to dance! But from a more realistic perspective, I love to investigate the sounds of the past.”
And the minstrels will gather!
Check out Algal put a fresh spin on Queen in the video below and be sure to check out his popular covers across his YouTube channel.
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