What is bardcore? Thanks for asking!

Prithee, a maiden doth serenade from afar! What enchanting melody be this?

Fear not, Shakira didn’t rip-off a medieval musician when she brought out Hips Don’t Lie in 2005. What you’re listening to was created by medieval minstrels of the 21st century. You might call them bards, as they enjoy creating medieval covers of modern-day hits. This kind of music has been baptised bardcore, or tavernwave.

Another crazy internet phenomenon! Where on earth did bardcore come from?

Modern musicians have been exploring Middle Age music styles and instruments for a number of years. But the bardcore boom is relatively recent, dating back to April 2020. Most of the world’s population was locked indoors, hiding from Covid-19, the modern-day equivalent of the Black Death. 27-year-old Cornelius Link from Germany became perhaps the first ever Bardcore composer. The web developer made the most of his time in lockdown by creating a medieval remake of electronic dance track Astronomia, best known from its use in the coffin dance meme.

Inspired by Link’s work, a number of dedicated Youtube channels sprung up in a short space of time, all posting medieval covers. Some put their sounds together using audio software, while others actually record themselves playing contemporary instruments like the lute, pipe, harp or tambourine. 

Let’s take another listen.When we looked, this cover of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance already had 6.5 million views in just 7 months! Not bad huh?! 

Why do I feel like the words are different? How similar is the bardcore style to real Medieval music? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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