Percival or Percival Schuttenbach is a Polish

folk metal Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for example ...

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary * Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, ...

from

Lubin Lubin (; ) is a city in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland. It is the administrative seat of Lubin County, and also of the rural district called Gmina Lubin, although it is not part of the territory of the latter, as the town for ...

, formed by musicians due to their fascination with

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

and

historical reenactment Historical reenactment (or re-enactment) is an educational entertainment, educational or entertainment activity in which mainly amateur hobbyists and history enthusiasts dress in historical uniforms and follow a plan to recreate aspects of a histor ...

in 1999. The name "Percival" refers not to any historical figure, but to the gnome named Percival Schuttenbach from

Andrzej Sapkowski Andrzej Sapkowski (; born 21 June 1948) is a Polish fantasy writer. He is best known for his series of books '' The Witcher'', which revolves around the eponymous monster-hunter, Geralt of Rivia. The saga has been popularized through television ...

's ''

The Witcher ''The Witcher'' (, ) is a series of 9 fantasy novels and 15 short stories by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The series revolves around the eponymous witcher, Geralt of Rivia. Witchers are monster hunters given superhuman abilities for the ...

'' series of novels. The leaders of the band are Mikołaj Rybacki and Katarzyna Bromirska. They became known for their song ''Lazare'' which was used as a song for the soundtrack of '' The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt'' video game.

Music

The band plays traditional songs of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, mostly

Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...

, and its own compositions referring to

Early Medieval The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Middle Ages of Europ ...

times, such as the

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

era and

pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

Europe. Musicians play traditional instruments: long-necked lute ( saz or Bağlama),

byzantine lyra The Byzantine lyra or lira () was a medieval bowed string musical instrument in the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire. In its popular form, the lyra was a pear-shaped instrument with three to five strings, held upright and played by stopping ...

(rebec), drums, and flutes. Percival presents its music during historical events in Poland (e.g. the biggest Viking and Slavic festival in Poland on

Wolin Wolin (; ) is a Polish island in the Baltic Sea, just off the Polish coast. Administratively, the island belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. Wolin is separated from the island of Usedom (Uznam) by the Strait of Świna, and from mainla ...

island), as well as abroad in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

and

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

. In 2010, the musicians began cooperation with music producer Donatan. Project "Equinox" () combines traditional Slavic sounds with

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

music. They ended their relations in 2013, over a financial dispute. One of Percival's songs, inspired by the game '' The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt'', for which they also wrote music, was added to an e-book, '' Sezon Burz'', by

Albums

*''Eiforr'' - CD - 2007 *''Oj Dido'' - CD - 2008 *''Słowiański Mit o Stworzeniu Świata'' (Slavonic Myth of Creation) - CD - 2009 *''Slava! Pieśni Słowian Południowych'' (Slava! Songs of the South Slavs) - CD - 2012 *''Slava! Pieśni Słowian Wschodnich'' (Slava! Songs of the East Slavs) - CD - 2014 *''Slava! Pieśni Słowian Zachodnich'' (Slava! Songs of the West Slavs) - CD - 2018 *''Slava! Pieśni Słowian Przyszłości'' (Slava! Songs of the Slavs of the Future) - CD - 2023 *Ćwierć wieku muzyki (Quarter of a century of music) - 2025

Awards

* "Virtual Fiddle" plebiscite () – for the best folk record of the year 2007- "Eiforr” - the 6th place * "Virtual Fiddle" plebiscite - for the best folk record of the year 2008 - "Oj Dido” - the 4th place * "Virtual Fiddle" plebiscite - for the best folk record of the year 2009 - "Slowianski Mit o Stworzeniu Swiata” - the 5th place * "Virtual Fiddle" plebiscite - for the best folk record of the year 2012 - "Slava!” - the 4th place * "Virtual Fiddle" plebiscite - "Slava!” - the best cover project by Zuzanna Chanska Wirtualne Gęśle
''Wirtualne Gęśle 2013''
/ref>

References

External links

* {{Authority control Polish folk groups 2005 establishments in Poland Musical groups established in 2005