How I Tried to Capture the Atmosphere of a Medieval Fair in Music

About a year ago I went to a medieval fair with my daughter. I was excited about the music, the costumes, the food… all the cliché things you’d expect.

My daughter? Not so much.Normally she loves to dance, but that day she just frowned at the bagpipes and drums, grabbed my hand and said she wanted to leave.

Later at home, I kept thinking about it. I didn’t want her memory of the day to be just a grumpy blur of loud music. So I had an idea: what if I wrote a piece of music for her? Something that captured the atmosphere of the fair, but in a way that would make her want to dance.

And it worked. She lit up, grabbed her tambourine, and danced around to it.

Hearing the music before writing it

Sometimes a piece feels like it exists before I even start writing. This was one of those. For hours I heard a melody in my head, looping over and over, until I finally sat down at the computer and recorded it.

For me, medieval music always means flutes and bagpipes, heavy drums to keep the rhythm, and of course a lute playing a counter-melody. This piece almost wrote itself once I started.

The sound palette (Sample Libraries)

For those curious about the technical side: here are the libraries I used to bring this track to life:

• Bagpipes: Efimov Uilleann Pipes

• Gaida & Percussion: Strezov Sampling Balkan Orchestra

• Tagelharpa: Berserkr by Keepforest

• Bass foundation: ProjectSAM Symphobia Cello & Bass combined with Spitfire’s Abbey Road Lows

• Brass & Strings: Orchestral Tools Grimm (Sackbut Ensemble + Lute Ensemble)

• Percussion & Pulse: Wavelet Audio Groth Drums, Ashen Scoring Cello,

• Storm Cello: Crow Hill

• Vocals: Fluffy Audio Echoes of the Earth

My workflow

When I write a piece like this, I usually start by sketching the melody I hear in my inner ear on the piano. Once that’s down, I set the chords, then add a counter-melody, and finally build the structure.

For this track, the flow went like this:

1. Short intro to set the stage

2. Main loop (the melody stuck in my head all day)

3. Combine intro + loop

4. Counter-melody section for variation

5. Break – a quieter, more reflective part

6. Finale – intro, main loop, and counter-melody layered together with more drums, percussion, and short strings for energy

   
   

It felt almost effortless, like the music was just waiting to be written down.

Listen to the track

Here’s the track I wrote inspired by that medieval fair, feel free to listen while you read on:

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Fun fact

Did you know that medieval fairs often used instruments like bagpipes and hurdy-gurdies not just for “atmosphere,” but because they were loud enough to cut through the chaos of a crowded market? Subtle wasn’t really the goal — people had to hear the rhythm over shouting merchants and clashing mugs of beer.

So if my daughter thought the live music was too much that day… she’s probably not wrong.

What I take from it

What made this special wasn’t just finishing another track. It was the reminder that music can shape how we remember things. That day could have been just another disappointing outing. But now, when my daughter hears the tune, she smiles, dances, and bangs her tambourine in rhythm.

And for me, that’s what composing is really about: turning experiences into sound, and giving them meaning beyond the moment.