I recall hearing that the ballad Chevy Chase was traditionally recited while the tune of that name was played as a musical accompaniment. Dunno whether that's accurate, but it would be consistent with some of the observations in this thread.

One difference from the Beowulf and Odyssey videos would be that the instrument plays a continuous tune rather than occasional notes or chords.

Marje asked >what's the Welsh one they do with a harp?<
This seems relevant.

Richard