Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Music & vocals by Farya Faraji. For this year's Nowruz song, I wanted to do the complete opposite of last one's. Last year's was a straight, raw song in Mazandarani village style. With this one, I wanted to pay homage to a now more than 200 year old established tradition within Iran of fusing Western music with Iranian elements, something my grandfather was specialised in, and this composition owes much to his style. From 1805's onwards, the piano, especially, has been an instrument that had presence within the academic and intellectual circles of Iran, and has been used to play the Iranian microtonal system of modes, often accompanied with Western harmony, which is what is happening here.
The lyrics are extracted from modern Zoroastrian community prayers, and are in the Avestan language, an Iranic language distantly related to Persian, which was the language of Zoroaster if he existed, and has since been the liturgical language of the religion.
Lyrics in Avestan:
Khshnaothra Ahurahe Mazdāo!
Chithrem Buyāt Ahmi nmāne.
Pithwem Buyāt Ahmi nmāne.
Tokhma Pithwem Buyāt Ahmi nmāne.
Staomācha rāzarecha bareñtu,
Dathushô ahurahe mazdāo
Ameshanãm speñtanãm!
Māchim gerezānāo pārayañtu
Hacha ahmāt nmānāt,
Ahmākemcha Mazdayasnanãm!
English translation:
With satisfaction for
Ahura Mazda!
May there be seed in this
home!
May there be fertility in this
home!
May there be fertility for the
generation in this home!
May they carry the prayers
and gifts to the Creator
Ahura Mazda and the Holy
Immortals!
May they never leave this
Mazdayasni home with
lament!
Music & vocals by Farya Faraji. For this year's Nowruz song, I wanted to do the complete opposite of last one's. Last year's was a straight, raw song in Mazandarani village style. With this one, I wanted to pay homage to a now more than 200 year old established tradition within Iran of fusing Western music with Iranian elements, something my grandfather was specialised in, and this composition owes much to his style. From 1805's onwards, the piano, especially, has been an instrument that had presence within the academic and intellectual circles of Iran, and has been used to play the Iranian microtonal system of modes, often accompanied with Western harmony, which is what is happening here.
The lyrics are extracted from modern Zoroastrian community prayers, and are in the Avestan language, an Iranic language distantly related to Persian, which was the language of Zoroaster if he existed, and has since been the liturgical language of the religion.
Lyrics in Avestan:
Khshnaothra Ahurahe Mazdāo!
Chithrem Buyāt Ahmi nmāne.
Pithwem Buyāt Ahmi nmāne.
Tokhma Pithwem Buyāt Ahmi nmāne.
Staomācha rāzarecha bareñtu,
Dathushô ahurahe mazdāo
Ameshanãm speñtanãm!
Māchim gerezānāo pārayañtu
Hacha ahmāt nmānāt,
Ahmākemcha Mazdayasnanãm!
English translation:
With satisfaction for
Ahura Mazda!
May there be seed in this
home!
May there be fertility in this
home!
May there be fertility for the
generation in this home!
May they carry the prayers
and gifts to the Creator
Ahura Mazda and the Holy
Immortals!
May they never leave this
Mazdayasni home with
lament!


![Seigneurs Sachiez - Medieval French Crusader Song feat. Anna Vasylchenko
Reupload of an earlier version made in 2023 that can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/c07tEwg4j3I This reupload fixes the unfortunately common mistake in many historically informed renditions of using the chien of the hurdy-gurdy, a buzzing rhythmical sound not attested until the very late Middle-Ages, and also adds the sound of the vielle. This is a historically informed approximation of Medieval music based on research and our current available data.
Arrangement & vocals by Farya Faraji, vielle by Anna Vasylchenko, bagpipe by Antonio Bustabad, lyrics and music by Thibault de Champagne (also called Theobald of Navarre in English). Thibault de Champagne was a 13th century count, later king, and also trouvère. He initiated the Baron’s crusade of 1239-1241, for which this was composed.
The arrangement is in accordance with historical principles of Medieval European music. The arrangement is heterophonic, where all the musical lines play the same melody with various degrees of individual ornamentation, all of them improvised spontaneously as per medieval practice. The vocals are highly melismatic and ornamented, as per medieval vocal practice, a subject I analyse more deeply in this video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hxcH7S2BaiQ
The instruments used are the bagpipe, played by Spanish musician Antonio Bustabad, the hurdy-gurdy, gittern, lute and a bowed lyra.
The pronunciation uses Old French pronunciation which differed significantly from Modern French.
Lyrics in Old French:
Seignor, sachiés : qui or ne s’en ira,
En cele terre ou Dex fu mors et vis,
Et qui la crois d’Outremer ne penra,
A paines mais ira en Paradis.
Qui a en soi pitié ne ramembrance,
Au haut Seignor doit querre sa venjance,
Et delivrer sa terre et son païs.
Tuit li mauvés demorront par deça,
Qui n’aiment Dieu, bien, ne honor, ne pris.
Et chascuns dit ” Ma feme, que fera ?
Je ne lairoie a nul fuer mes amis”.
Cil sont cheoit en trop fole atendance,
Qu’il n’est amis fors de cil, sans doutance,
Qui por nos fu en la vraie crois mis.
Or s’en iront cil vaillant bacheler,
Qui aiment Dieu et l’ennor de cest mont,
Qui sagement vuelent a Dieu aler,
Et li morveux, li cendreux, demorront;
Avugle sont, de ce ne dout je mie,
Qui j secors ne fait Dieu en sa vie,
Et por si pou pert la gloire dou mont.
Diex se lessa en crois por nos pener,
Et nos dira au jor que tuit vendront :
“Vos qui ma crois m’aidastes a porter,
Vos en irez la ou mi angles sont;
La me verrez et ma mere Marie.
Et vos, par cui je n’oi onques aie,
Descendrés tuit en Enfer le parfont.”
Chacuns cuide demorer toz haitiez,
Et que ja mes ne doie mal avoir;
Ainsi les tient anemis et pechiez
Que il n’ont sen, hardement ne pooir.
Biax sire Diex, ostés leur tel pensee,
Et nos metez en la vostre contree,
Si saintement que vos puissons veoir.
Douce dame, roïne coronee,
Proiez por nos, Virge bien aüree,
Et puis aprés ne nos puet meschoir.
English translation:
Lords, be aware that those who will not travel,
To the land where God died and lived,
And will not take the Holy Cross abroad,
Will not likely get to Heaven.
He who pities himself and forgets
That the Lord on High must seek His vengeance,
To free His land and country.
All the shameless will remain behind,
They do not love God, good, honor or have pride.
Each one says: “What will happen to my wife?
I cant leave her with any of my friends,
For they joined [the Crusade] in hasty folly.
So that there is no friend, without a doubt,
For us, except for those who crusaded themselves.
Instead, the courageous bachelors will go,
They who love God are proud of His Mount,
And wisely want to go to God.
But the coward and lazy will remain behind;
They are blind, of this I have no doubt,
Those who refuse to assist God during their life,
And, for so little, lose the glory of the Mount,
God let himself be crucified for us,
And will tell us on Judgement day, we all will see:
“You who helped Me to carry My Cross,
You will go there where my Angels are;
There you will see Me and My Mother Mary.
But you, to whom I owe nothing,
You will go down to the depths of Hell.”
So, each one must take care to be vigilant,
To not fail to accomplish his mission,
Even if he is tempted to by enemies and sins.
This should not happen, absolutely not.
Good Lord God, prevent us from having this thought,
But bring us into Your Land,
Make us saints so that we can see You.
Sweet Lady, crowned Queen,
Pray for us, Majestic Virgin,
So that nothing can stop us. Seigneurs Sachiez - Medieval French Crusader Song feat. Anna Vasylchenko](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q0wZP9oAOKc/mqdefault.jpg)







