Sons of Asena - Epic Turkic Music Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2026-04-02 | Music based on Altai traditional music, vocals by Farya Faraji, lyrics by Giuseppe Régimbeau and Maëlle Cadieux, flute by Paul Johnson. The Epic Turkic Music is a project where the sounds of the current, living traditions of the Turkic peoples are used as a framing device to explore themes relating to the mythology, folklore and history of the Turkic peoples. These are not historical recreations nor "epic music" in the cinematic soundtrack sense, but a project of ethnomusicological research and performance that showcases the epic narrative repertoire of the Turkic people through their living musical traditions. This song is rooted in the Altai musical tradition as it exists today, and the melody is taken from the traditional Altai air "Kara Suu" (Spring Water), which can be heard here performed by the band Altai Kai: youtube.com/watch?v=jUZOjNqAY-AAltai traditional music as it exists today is marked by the synthesis of traditional native elements with Western elements inherited from Soviet musical influence. Nowadays, the tovshuur, the dombra-like lute of the Altai, is often used to accompany the main melody by providing a Western, tonal chord progression, albeit with dyads, since the instrument only has two strings. Throat-singing drones are also nowadays used to provide additional harmonic support rooted in Western tonal harmonic logic. Melodies are most often in a pentatonic scale, but also include diatonic, heptatonic intervals as accidentals, something also heard in alot of Mongolian or Chinese music. The instrumentation of this piece is based on current practices in Altai and neighbouring music traditions, which employ the frame drum, tovshuur, and flutes, as can be seen in this video: youtube.com/watch?v=F8WonjlKg70 Check out the works of the band Altai Kai in order to learn more about the style of music this song emulates. The lyrics are original and relate the origin-myth of the Turkic peoples, wherein the she-wolf Asena raised a young boy who would become the ancestor of all the Turkic nations. Note that the lyrics are in Old Turkic, but due to the philological challenges of historical languages, they may be grammatically incorrect or of uncertain historical inaccuracy. I'm not a philologist and can only rely on the best educated guesses of my colleagues, so please bear this in mind, as the lyrics are exactly that: an educated guess based on linguistic evidence. Lyrics in Old Turkic:Öŋre köp yıl burun, üze kök tengri altında.Bir balık kamag yok boltı, üze kök tengri altında.Bir oglan tirig kaltı, kaçıp yïraka bardı.Anda turup ölüm kütti, üze kök tengri altında.Bir tişi böri anı tapdı, alıp ulug tagka bardı.Ol böri ol oglanı asradı, üze kök tengri altında.Ol böri anı asradı. Oglan er bolganta,ol böri birlä yatdı, üze kök tengri altında.Ol böri on ogul tugdı.Ol ogullar ulug er boltılar, alp boltılar,üze kök tengri altında.Biz anıŋ ogullarıyız.Biz ol erniŋ ogullarıyız.Biz Asena ogullarıyız, üze kök tengri altında.Translation:Long years ago, under the great blue sky above.An entire settlement was destroyed; all the women and children died.One child remained alive and fled into the far open lands.There he waited for death, under the great blue sky above.A female wolf found him and carried him to a great mountain.That wolf cared for the boy, under the great blue sky above.That wolf raised him. When the boy became a man,he lay with that wolf, under the great blue sky above.That wolf bore ten sons.Those sons became great men; they became heroes,under the great blue sky above.We are their children.We are the children of that man.We are the sons of Asena, under the great blue sky above.
No Te Vayas de Zamboanga - Filipino Spanish Song Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2026-03-28 | Music & lyrics by Juan Cuadrado, vocals & arrangement by Farya Faraji. I've been wanting to slowly get into the fascinating musical landscape of the Philippines, and so this is a first step into that by staying into the linguistic comfort of Romance languages. Indeed, the Philippines were long under the colonial domination of of Spain, and Spanish language art, music and poetry abound in the country's history.Allegedly a song by Juan Cuadrado, the story goes that it was written by the Spaniard as he stayed in the city even after Spanish troops left the country at the end of the colonial domination. There are different versions of the song, some with lyrics even pleading for the lover to not *go* to Zamboanga instead of not leaving it, but I chose to go with this version.Filipino music is defined by profound influence from Spanish culture, perhaps moreso than in many areas of Latin America. The piano and classical guitar represent this in this piece, as well as the usage of the mandolin, inherited from Spanish folk. The primary texture of Filipino music is found in the rondalla, the prototypical ensemble of plucked stringed instruments with a bright, shimmering, plucky quality. Filipino songs are often defined by light, simple rhythms derived from forms like habanera, jota, etc, and very often remain in major tonality, with simple, light melodies. Lyrics in Spanish:No te vayas, no te vayas de Zamboanga Que me puedes, que me puedes olvidar. No te vayas, no te vayas, no me dejes Porque sin ti no puedo estar.No llores, paloma mía, no llores, que volveré, No llores, que cuando llegue, paloma mía, te escribiré.Con una pluma de ave, con un pedazo de papel, Con la sangre de mis venas, paloma mía, te escribiré.English translation:Don’t go, don’t go from Zamboanga,For you might, for you might forget me.Don’t go, don’t go, don’t leave me,Because without you I cannot be.Don’t cry, my dove, don’t cry, for I will return,Don’t cry — when I arrive, my dove, I will write to you.With a feather from a bird, with a scrap of paper,With the blood of my veins, my dove, I will write to you.
Rossignol y Chante - French Song Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2026-03-24 | Vocals & arrangement by Farya Faraji. This is a French folk song using the ubiquitous theme of the nightingale, found across plenty of folk songs in France.Lyrics in French:Derrièr’ chez nous, le rossignol y chante,Soir et matin, à la pointe du jour.J’entends qu’il dit, dans son charmant langage :Les amoureux sont malheureux toujours.Petits oiseaux, qui volez par la plaine,Vous êtes heureux, moi j’en suis malheureux.Vous êtes heureux, les uns avec les autres,Et moi, j’en suis au rang des malheureux.Derrièr’ chez nous, il y a-t-une fontaine,Tout’ entourée de beaux beaux lauriers d’amour.Allons-y donc, ma charmante que j’aime,Nous y prendrons les plaisirs les plus doux.Derrièr’ chez nous, il y a-t-une montagne.Moi, mon aimant, nous la montons souvent.En la montant, hélas ! qu’il y a de peine !En descendant il y a du soulagement.Translation:Behind our home, the nightingale sings,Evening and morning, at the break of day.I hear it say, in its charming language:Lovers are always unhappy.Little birds, flying across the plain,You are happy, while I am unhappy.You are happy, with one another,And I am counted among the unhappy.Behind our home, there is a fountain,All surrounded by beautiful laurels of love.Let us go there, my charming beloved,There we shall take the sweetest pleasures.Behind our home, there is a mountain.My beloved and I climb it often.As we climb, alas, there is so much hardship!But going down brings relief.
Nowruz-e-Mazdayasnanam - Iranian Song Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2026-03-20 | 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 mazdāoAmeshanãm speñtanãm!Māchim gerezānāo pārayañtuHacha ahmāt nmānāt,Ahmākemcha Mazdayasnanãm!English translation:With satisfaction forAhura Mazda!May there be seed in thishome!May there be fertility in thishome!May there be fertility for thegeneration in this home!May they carry the prayersand gifts to the CreatorAhura Mazda and the HolyImmortals!May they never leave thisMazdayasni home withlament!
Scandinavian Music with Emelie Waldken - Epic Conversations Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2026-03-19 | Make sure to subscribe to @EmelieWaldken's channel for more informational videos and performances of Scandinavian trad music.
Mest ü Hayranım - Turkish Song feat. Buğrahan Kaya Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2026-03-15 | Tanbur by Buğrahan Kaya, ney by Ali Farbodnia, oud by Can K, vocals by Hasan Güneş and Farya Faraji.This is a Turkish ilahi, an Islamic religious song from the Sufi repertoire, a genre that emphasises rhythm to help the congregation enter a trance-like state as they sway their heads in motion with the rhythm and emit breaths to accentuate the rhythmic flow of the music. Whilst the music comes from anonymous sources in time, the poem is by Kuddusi, an important Sufi poet of the 19th century whose poems have become an integral part of the Turkish Sufi repertoire. Lyrics in Turkish:Mest ü hayrânımZâr u giryânımHer dem lisânımHû demek isterGözümden yaşlarAkmaya başlarCümle kurt, kuşlarHû demek isterTerk et sivâyıOlma mürâiSeven HüdâyıHû demek isterİrfân isteyenİhsân isteyenCânân isteyenHû demek isterHû ism-i A’zâmHû hû de hocamKuddûsi her demHû demek isterEnglish translation:I am utterly bewildered,I am lamenting and weeping;At every moment my tongueWishes to say “Hu.”From my eyes tearsBegin to flow;All creatures—beasts and birds—Wish to say “Hu.”At night standing in prayer,By day fasting,The people of Truth alwaysWish to say “Hu.”Abandon all that is other,Do not be a hypocrite;Whoever loves GodWishes to say “Hu.”Who seeks gnosis,Who seeks divine grace,Who seeks the BelovedWishes to say “Hu.”Hu is the Greatest Name,Say Hu, Hu, my master;Kuddusi foreverWishes to say “Hu.”
Dushko Moja - Ukrainian Song feat. July Vitraniuk Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2026-03-12 | Vocals by July Vitraniuk, fiddle by Anna Vasylchenko, hurdy-gurdy by Max Kerner. This year's foray into Eastern Europe continues with Ukraine, and the next songs of the region will delve into Belarusian and Baltic music. This is a folk song from Ukraine, attributed to the Rusyn, a Slavic ethnolinguistic group whose language is variably categorised as a dialect of Ukrainian or a separate but closely related Slavic language. Whatever the taxonomy of Rusyn as a language, their music is firmly situated in the Carpathian musical ecosystem, characterised by very raw fiddle playing styles, and a strong beat on the buben drum on every first beat of a simple one-two rhythmic structure, a sonority one can find in many other neighbouring countries bordering the Carpathians. Historically, the instruments that were dominant used to be the dulcimer, buben and fiddle, and arguably, the hurdy-gurdy, though musicologists I've consulted disagree on the degree to which it was a folk instrument, and whether it was uniquely used for genres of epic poetry recitatiom. Whilst most of these instruments are still prevalent, newer additions include the double-bass to provide a harmonic bass line, and the accordion.Lyrics:А ти мила,А ти мила, што-сь думала.Кедь сой ввечер,Кедь сой ввечер зо мноу спала.Тота єдна думка моя,Же ти не мій, я не твоя, душко моя.Чого єш ся,Чого єш ся погнівала.Кой єсь щиро,Кой єсь щиро не думала.Забудь мила то гнівання,Бо то было на прощання, душко моя.Од тих думок,Од тих думок серце болить.Хто на двоє,Хто на двоє любов ділить.Моя любов знат лем тебе,Не ходь ку двом, придь до мене, душко мояTranslation:And you, my dear,And you, my dear — what were you thinking,When in the eveningWhen in the evening you slept with me?This is my one thought:That you are not mine, and I am not yours, my dear soul.Why have you,Why have you become angry,When you did not thinkWhen you did not think sincerely?Forget, my dear, that anger,For it was only at our parting, my dear soul.From these thoughts,From these thoughts my heart aches.Who would divide,Who would divide love in two?My love knows only you.Do not go to another — come to me, my dear soul.
Girêsîra - Kurdish Song feat. Ali Farbodnia Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2026-03-09 | Mey and ney by @AliFarbodnia, long neck saz by Ido Romano, vocals, kopuz and cura by Farya Faraji. This is an Kurdish folk song in the Kurmanji dialect, native to the Anatolian Kurds. The arrangement employs the typological features of Anatolian folk music of that regin: emphasis on saz family instruments, the mey, an Anatolian variant of the duduk, and primarily duple metre dances.Lyrics in Kurdish:Girêsîra bi nîsk e, lê lê lê MeyroGir xopanê bi nîsk e, toliciwanê MeyroGirêsîra bi nîsk e, lê lê lê MeyroGir xopanê bi nîsk e, toliciwanê MeyroWa siwara îskeîsk e, lê lê lê MeyroXwestiyê Meyro babilîsk e, toliciwanê MeyroGirêsîra bi sîr e, lê lê lê MeyroGir xopanê bi sîr e, toliciwanê MeyroGirêsîra bi sîr e, lê lê lê MeyroGir xopanê bi sîr e, toliciwanê MeyroWa siwara hîrehîr e, lê lê lê MeyroXwestiyê Meyro wezîr e, toliciwanê MeyroGirêsîra bi ce ye, lê lê lê MeyroGir xopanê bi ce ye, toliciwanê MeyroGirêsîra bi ce ye, lê lê lê MeyroGir xopanê bi ce ye, toliciwanê MeyroWa siwara heyûhey e, lê lê lê MeyroXwestiyê Meyro file ye, toliciwanê MeyroEnglish translation:Girêsîra is with musk, hey hey MeyroThe mountain shepherd smells of musk, beautiful MeyroGirêsîra is with musk, hey hey MeyroThe mountain shepherd smells of musk, beautiful MeyroThat rider sparkles brightly, hey hey MeyroMeyro’s beloved shines like a jewel, beautiful MeyroGirêsîra is with garlic, hey hey MeyroThe mountain shepherd is with garlic, beautiful MeyroGirêsîra is with garlic, hey hey MeyroThe mountain shepherd is with garlic, beautiful MeyroThat rider is shining brightly, hey hey MeyroMeyro’s beloved is a vizier, beautiful MeyroGirêsîra is with place/position, hey hey MeyroThe mountain shepherd has a place, beautiful MeyroGirêsîra is with place/position, hey hey MeyroThe mountain shepherd has a place, beautiful MeyroThat rider cries “heyû hey!”, hey hey MeyroMeyro’s beloved is a beautiful one, beautiful Meyro*Translation I got may be flawed so Kurdish viewers are welcome to offer better ones.
Can Historical Music Be Reconstructed? Eh... Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2026-03-06 | organic being from solar system uses vocal sounds to communicate concepts.png00:00 intro05:10 depends on the time/place07:28 I'm pessimistic11:26 historically informed, not historically accurate16:26 it is a legitimate scientific field22:00 compartmentalising a performance23:54 the spectrum of accuracy29:22 level of accuracy36:50 how we can do approximations46:50 uninformed "skepticism"
Het Daghet In Den Oosten - Dutch Medieval Song Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2026-02-27 | Vielle by Anna Vasylchenko, vocals by Farya Faraji. This is a historically informed approximation of a medieval song written down in the 1500's, with indications of it being a "very old song," a claim supported by the archaic morphology of the melody and its modal, medieval nature. I arranged this with the known parametres of late Medieval music: second voice polyphony now largely reflective of proto-tonal tastes, meaning without dissonances, with a largely modal rendering of the melody through instrumental and vocal ornamentation; I refer you to my video essays on this subject for more information. The phonology I utilised is based on other ensembles' and seems to be a rendering of earlier Dutch phonology, though I cannot speak for the accuracy of it.Lyrics in Medieval Dutch:‘Het daghet inden Oosten,het lichtet overal;hoe luttel weet mijn liefken,och waer ick henen sal!‘Och, warent al mijn vriendendat mijn vianden zijn,ick voerde u uuten lande,mijn lief, mijn minnekijn.’- ‘Dats waer soudi mi voeren,stout ridder wel gemeyt?Ic ligge in myns liefs armkens,met grooter waerdicheyt.’- ‘Ligdy in uws liefs armen?Bilo, ghi en segt niet waer:gaet henen ter linde groene,versleghen so leyt hi daer.’Tmeysken nam haren mantelende si ghinc eenen ganckal totter linde groene,daer si den dooden vant.‘Och ligdy hier verslaghenversmoort al in u bloet!dat heeft gedaen u roemenende uwen hooghen moet.‘Och ligdy hier verslaghen,die mi te troosten plach!wat hebdy mi gelatenso menigen droeven dach.’Tmeysken nam haren mantelende si ghinc eenen ganckal voor haers vaders poorte,die si ontsloten vant.‘Och is hier eenich heere,oft eenich edel man,die mi mijnen doodenbegraven helpen can?’Die heeren sweghen stille,si en maecten gheen geluyt;dat meysken keerde haer omme,si ghinc al weenende uit.Si nam hem in haren armen,si custe hem voor den mont,in eender corter wijlen,tot also menigher stont.Met sinen blancken swaerdedat si die aerde op groef,met haer snee witten armenten grave dat si hem droech.English translation:**“It dawns in the East,the light shines everywhere;how little my dear one knowswhere I shall go!“Oh, if all my friendswere my enemies instead,I would carry you out of this land,my love, my little darling.”— “And where would you take me,bold and handsome knight?I lie in my beloved’s arms,with great delight.”— “You lie in your beloved’s arms?By God, you do not speak the truth:go to the green linden tree —slain, there he lies.”The maiden took her mantleand she went on her wayall to the green linden tree,where she found the dead man.“Oh, do you lie here struck down,stifled all in your blood!It was your fameand your proud courage that did this.“Oh, do you lie here struck down,you who once comforted me!What have you left mebut many a sorrowful day?”The maiden took her mantleand she went on her wayto her father’s gate,which she found unlocked.“Oh, is there any lord here,or any noble man,who can help mebury my dead?”The lords kept silent;they made no sound.The maiden turned awayand went out weeping.She took him in her arms,she kissed him on the mouth,for a short while —yet as though for many an hour.With his bright swordshe dug into the earth;with her snow-white armsshe bore him to the grave.
Little Omie Wise - American Folk Song Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2026-02-24 | Vocals & arrangement by Farya Faraji. This is an American folk song from the 19th century that belongs to the category of the murder ballad, a repertoire of folk songs dealing with grizzly deaths at the hands of killers, also found in English folk music. Omie Wise was a real woman who was killed by the equally real John Lewis. As with most pieces of oral tradition, diverse versions exist with different lyrics, and this is the permutation I picked. Lyrics:I'll tell you a story about Omie Wise,How she was deluded by John Lewis's lies.He promised to marry her at Adams's spring;He 'd give her some money and other fine things.He gave her no money, but flattered the case.Says, "We will get married; there'll be no disgrace."She got up behind him; away they did goThey rode till they came where the Deep River flowed."Now Omie, little Omie, I'll tell you my mind:My mind is to drown you and leave you behind.""Oh, pity your poor infant and spare me my life!Let me go rejected and not be your wife.""No pity, no pity," the monster did cry."On Deep River's bottom your body will lie."The wretch he did choke her as we understand;He threw her in the river below the mill dam.Now Omie is missing as we all do know,And down to the river a-hunting we 'II go.Two little boys were fishing just at the break of dawn;They spied poor Omie's body come floating along.They arrested John Lewis; they arrested him today.They buried little Omie down in the cold clay."Go hang me or kill me, for I am the manWho murdered poor Naomi below the mill-dam."
Ilya Muromets & the Bandits - Epic Slavic Music of Russia Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2026-02-21 | Vocals by Anastasia Kareva, flute by Fraser Fifield, pishik by @antplat Anton Platonov, check out his YouTube channel and store here, where he makes a variety of instruments including traditional reeds like the Russian zhaleika, pishik, and even ancient aulos: youtube.com/@antplat?si=DdC-5Ikw96vysf8Xfacebook.com/antplat.instruments The Epic Slavic series is a project where the sounds of the current, living traditions of the Slavic peoples are used as a framing device to explore themes relating to the mythology, folklore and history of the Slavs. These are not historical recreations nor "epic music" in the cinematic soundtrack sense, but a project of ethnomusicological research and performance that showcases the epic narrative repertoire of the Slavs through their living musical traditions. Based on the recording by Yegor Strelnikov: youtu.be/gCIk-CDb6XE?si=-0PZcZimGwyIbjf8To what degree this song is Strelnikov's original composition or traditional, I was unable to ascertain; I was able to find an online repository of traditional Russian ballads containing part of the melody heard here, but it may be that the rest is his, or also traditional. This is a traditional bylina; byline are descended from the repertoire of East Slavic epic poetry, delivered sung-recited by the minstrels of East Slavic medieval culture, and are a shared cultural heritage of Eastern Slavs such as Ukrainians, Russians and Belarusians, with figures like Ilya Muromets being prominent in all those cultures, often a point of heated contention due to the current political climate where some of the groups engage in historical revisionism to claim the tradition belongs only to them, was stolen by the other, you know the drill if you know anything about history and politics. This specific song and text are Russian, but tales of Muromets can also be found across Ukrainian and other East Slavic speaking spheres. Byline were historically performed either with the gusli or acapella, but more recent performances like Strelnikov's include additional instruments like the flute. In this case, we went with a traditional ensemble of gusli, flute, and pishik, a traditional reed instrument of pre-Westernisation Russian that was one of the dominant folk instruments before the arrival of the accordion, balalaika, and more modern instruments. Byline focus on the heroic deeds and actions of folk heroes, in this case, Ilya Muromets, a bogatyr, which is a knight-errand style stock character in the epic corpus of East Slavic legends. Given superhuman strength by Svyatogor, Ilya travels the vast lands of the Kyivan Rus on heroic adventures, and is characterised in the epics as kind, if not always the brightest. Lyrics are available in the pinned comment as they were too long for YouTube's description word limit.
Ye Girls of Old Ontario - Canadian Song Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2026-02-18 | Vocals & arrangement by Farya Faraji. This is a folk song from Ontario, from the rich repertoire of work songs, sung by the woodworkers of the land when the wood cutting industry was still arguably the leading industry of the country in the 19th century. I arranged this in the style of 19th and early 20th century music, where salons and cafés would prominently feature the piano, an era in which this instrument was arguably central to the performance of local music. Lyrics:Ye girls of old Ontario, please listen to what I sayWhile raftsmen travel down the rapid river every dayAnd drivin' down those rapid streams, as raftsmen they must doWhile the lazy and loafin' farmer boys they stay at home with youWhile the lazy and loafin' farmer boys they stay at home with youThe lazy, loafin' farmer boys, they tell the girls great talesThey tell them of the danger when they're crossin' o'er the fiеldsAnd the cuttin' of the grass and weeds is all that they can doWhilе the burly, courageous shanty boys are drivin' down the SaultWhile the burly, courageous shanty boys are drivin' down the SaultAnd when the sun is goin' down, their ploughs they cast asideThey jump upon their horses' backs and homeward they do rideAnd when the clock strikes eight or nine, then into bed they crawlWhile out in Lac Saint-Louis we're a-runnin' in the squallWhile out in Lac Saint-Louis we're a-runnin' in the squallAnd when the springtime rolls around, the foreman he will say"Lay down your saws and axes, boys, we drive the river today"And the wind blows from the mountains which tosses us upside downAnd it sets us in confusion for fear we'll all be drownedOh, it sets us in confusion for fear we'll all be drownedSo, it's lee-bore-down and lee-bore-round and set your sails arightAnd we'll sail out immediately and leave the lakes behindYes, we'll sail out immediately and bid the lakes adieuWe'll steer a course for old Quebec, our sorrows to subdueOh, we'll steer a course for old Quebec, our sorrows to subdueAnd when we get to Quebec town, the girls will jump for joySays one unto another one, "Here comes me shanty boy!"So 'til the drive is over, my girls, just do the best you canAnd you're sure to be glad you waited for your rovin' shanty manOh, you're sure to be glad you waited for your rovin' shanty man
Sto Parathiri Provale - Greek Song feat. Dimitris Kazanis Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2026-02-15 | Violin by Dimitris Kazanis, check out his instagram and site here:instagram.com/dkazanis/?hl=enviolinonstage.comVideo, vocals, laouto and santouri by Farya Faraji, additional vocals by Panagiotis Athanasiou, Kelareh Kabiri and Eleni Dimopoulos, with many thanks to Aurora Aguilar for helping out with the video. This is probably my favourite song from the Nisiótika repertoire, the folk songs of the Aegean islands, characterised by the unmistakeable ensemble of violin, laouto, santouri, darbuka, and for half a century now, the electric bass, which I also used here, as it is now effectively a veritable part of the lived tradition. The violin is played by my colleague Dimitris Kazanis, an expert player from Santorini who lended his amazing skills to this rendition. Stay tuned for an upcoming discussion we filmed back in April where I interview him about the specificities of Greek violon styles, a style which is very much rooted in the modal, dromos/makam background of Greek music and relies on expressive, ornate melodic articulation that operates outside the bounds of Western temperament.This song is in Hitzaz Makam, equivalent to the Western Phrygian Dominant. Lyrics in Greek:Στο παραθύρι πρόβαλεΛίγο να σε δω καλέΠρόβαλε πρόβαλε στο παραθύριΚάνε μου το χατήριΣτο παραθύρι πρόβαλεΛίγο να σε δω καλέΝα σου πω πως σ' αγαπώΤης ζωής μου άγγελεΤου παραθυριού τη γρίλιαΆνοιξε για να σκάσουν απ' τη ζήλιαΣτο παραθύρι πρόβαλεΛίγο να σε δω καλέΓια το πείσμα των γειτόνωνΚαι να πάψω να χω πόνοΣτο παραθύρι πρόβαλεΛίγο να σε δω καλέΝα σου πω πως σ' αγαπώΤης ζωής μου άγγελεEnglish translation:Come out at the windowJust so I can see you a little, my dearCome out, come out at the windowDo me this favorCome out at the windowJust so I can see you a little, my dearSo I can tell you that I love youAngel of my lifeOpen the window’s shutterSo they burst with jealousyCome out at the windowJust so I can see you a little, my dearOut of spite toward the neighborsAnd so I may stop feeling painCome out at the windowJust so I can see you a little, my dearSo I can tell you that I love youAngel of my life
Old Romanian Music with Constantin Răileanu - Epic Conversations Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2026-02-12 | Consider supporting Constantin's amazing work on Old Romanian music by purchasing his ensembles' songs here:Ensemble Anton Pann Bandcamp:antonpann.bandcamp.comAnton Pann Choir Bandcamp:corulantonpann.bandcamp.com/album/cantari-psaltice-pe-8-glasuri-din-compozitiile-lui-anton-panOfficial site:https://www.antonpann.ro/Facebook pages:facebook.com/AntonPannfacebook.com/CorulAntonPann00:00 Intro01:50 Westernisation16:26 Byzantine Chant and secular music21:12 Manele32:42 Romania and the oriental modal region
Étaín of Ulaidh - Epic Celtic Music of Ireland Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2026-02-09 | Melody based on a synthesis of musical patterns and motifs found in Irish trad music, fiddle by @MICHAELBURNYEAT, flutes by @fraserfifieldmusic bodhrán by Rodhri McDonnagh, and phonetic direction by Saoirse Hayden. The Epic Celtic series is a project where the sounds of the current, living traditions of the Celtic peoples are used as a framing device to explore themes relating to the mythology, folklore and history of the Celts. These are not historical recreations nor "epic music" in the cinematic soundtrack sense, but a project of ethnomusicological research and performance that showcases the epic narrative repertoire of the Celts through their living musical traditions. Étaín is an important figure in Irish mythology. She is the protagonist of the Tochmarc Étaíne, or Wooing of Etain, an Old Irish text dated to around the 8th or 9th centuries, forming part of the corpus of the Irish Mythological Cycle. Étaín is described so in a later Middle Irish text: "a gently, womanly dignity in her voice; a steady, stately step, the walk of a queen. She was the fairest and most perfect and most beautiful of all the women in the world; men thought she was of the Síde, and they said of her: 'Lovely anyone until Étain. Beautiful anyone until Étain."The text sung here is a portion of the aforementioned Tochmarc Étaíne which can be found in this link, on the CELT text corpus: https://celt.ucc.ie/index.html Saoirse Hayden assisted me with the pronunciation, with the Old Irish text being pronounced in modern, current-day Irish pronunciation. The music emulates the sensibilities of modern Irish traditional music, with a hexatonic-scale melody played over a triple metre supported by the bodhrán. The approach of the melody is primarily monophonic, with the main melody expressed in heterophonic ornamentation by the different instruments, and the harmonic progression, when present, being kept minimal, with only two chords, a power chord and a major one, as music of the Gaelic-speaking regions maintains a primarily modal character to it, with harmonic progressions kept relatively simple so the emphasis remains on the melody.Lyrics in Old Irish:Etain andiu sund amné.óc Sídh Ban Find iar nAilbe.eter macu beca dí.for bru Indbir Chichmaini.Is í ro ícc suil an rígh.a topor Locha Dá Licc.is si asibedh sin digh.la mnaí Edair a hairdigh .Is tria hagh dosib in ri.inna eonu di Theathbaei .& baidfidh a dha each.i lind Locha Da Airbreach.Biat imda coicthe ili.triat agh for Echaidh Midhibeidit togla for sidhib.& cath for ilmilib.Is i ro laigedh is tír.is si arcosnai in rígh.is i Be Fhind friss doghair.is i ar nEdain hí iar tain.Translation in English:This is Étaín here to-dayat Síd Ban Find west of Ailbeamong little boys is sheon the brink of Inber Cíchmaine.She it is who healed the King's eyefrom the well of Loch Dá Líg:she it is that was swallowed in a drinkfrom a beaker by Étar's wife.Because of her the King shall chasethe birds from Tethbaand drown his two steedsin the pool of Loch Dá Airbrech.Full many a war shall beon Eochaid of Meath because of thee:there shall be destruction of elfmoundsand battle against many thousands.'Tis she that was sung of in the land;'tis she that strives to win the King;'tis she who is called Bé Find,She is our Étaín afterwards.
This Too Shall Pass این نیز بگذرد - Epic Iranian Music Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2026-02-06 | Music by Farya Faraji, ney by Ali Farbodnia, lyrics from a 14th century poem by Saif Farghani.Lyrics in Persian:هم مرگ بر جهان شما نیز بگذردرونق زمان شما نیز بگذردای تیغتان چو نیزه برای ستم درازاین تیزی سنان شما نیز بگذرددر مملکت چو غرش شیران گذشت و رفتاین عوعوی سگان شما نیز بگذرد آن کس که اسب داشت غبارش فرو نشستگرد سم خران شما نیز بگذردبر تیر جورتان ز تحمل سپر کنیمتا سختی کمان شما نیز بگذردباد خزانِ نکبت ایام ناگهانبر باغ و بوستان شما نیز بگذردزین کاروانسرای، بسی کاروان گذشتناچار کاروان شما نیز بگذردبادی که در زمانه بسی شمع ها بکشتهم بر چراغدان شما نیز بگذرداین نوبت از کسان به شما ناکسان رسیدنوبت ز ناکسان شما نیز بگذردEnglish translation:Death upon your world too shall pass,The glory of your age too shall pass.O you whose blade, like a spear, is stretched for oppression—Even the sharpness of your spearhead shall pass.In this realm, the roar of lions came and went;So too shall the barking of your dogs pass.He who rode a true horse—his dust has settled;The dust from the hooves of your donkeys too shall pass.Against the arrows of your tyranny we raise the shield of endurance,Until even the strain of your bow shall pass.The autumn wind of ruin and misfortune will suddenlySweep over your garden and your orchard as well.From this caravanserai, many caravans have passed;Inevitably, your caravan too shall pass.The wind that in its time extinguished many candlesWill pass over your lampstand as well.This turn of power has fallen to you—unworthy men;The turn of you unworthy men, too, shall pass.
AI Songs Are Pretending to Be Authentic Historical Music Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2026-01-24 | homo sapiens talks about the clanker takeover.png00:00 Intro04:42 Vibes based music vs musicology10:28 AI historical music = generic slop17:33 When AI music is presented as authentic30:31 AI replacing traditional musicians41:47 AI music emulates Western music theory58:45 Authenticity = not being popular1:04:03 Realising you created a monster
Kostantinos O Mikros - Epic Byzantine Music feat. Dimitrios Dallas Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2026-01-18 | Artwork by Dimitris Skourtelis, vocals by Dimitris Kap, kaval, gaida and lyra by Dimitrios Dallas, daouli by Stefanos Athinaios, ison vocals by Farya Faraji. The Epic Byzantine series is a musical project that uses the sounds of modern Greek traditional music to explore the themes, myths, and folklore that originated in the medieval Eastern Roman (Byzantine) period. These works are not reconstructions of medieval Greek music, but an ethnomusicological project reflecting the living tradition of Greek music as it exists today. The repertoire of Greek traditional music is a direct continuation of the narrative traditions that crystallised in the Byzantine period, including the Akritic songs and other local legends. Likewise, Greek traditional music continues the modal and monophonic musical language of medieval Greece, preserved in forms such as Byzantine chant. The Epic Byzantine series therefore explores Byzantine-era epic narratives through modern Greek traditional music, understood as a direct continuation of that earlier cultural and musical world.This is an akritic song from Northern Greece. The Akritic Repertoire is a body of folk stories and songs originating in the Middle-Ages, centred around the Akritai, the border guards of the frontiers of the Eastern Roman Empire. All the border regions, like Crete, Cyprus, Anatolia and Thrace have their own songs rooted in the regional style of that area. In this case, we are dealing with Thracian music, a style grounded in the usage of the gaida bagpipe, the daouli drums, kaval flute, laouto to provide the backing chords or drones, and Thracian lyra, a gut-stringed lyra. Lyrics available below.
Trajan - Epic Roman Music Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2026-01-15 | Music, vocals & instrumentation by Farya Faraji, lyrics by Giuseppe Régimbeau, with additional aulos recordings by Greco-Roman music experts. Please note this isn't an attempt at a speculative reconstruction of ancient music, but music using ancient Roman instrumentation and music theory without sticking exclusively to methodological norms of reconstruction. The instrumentation consists of two different aulos models, a cornu, frame drums, cymbalums, and a reconstructed ancient Roman pandoura made by Steffano Landucci. The melody takes into account the natural prosody of Latin with its long and short vowel distinction and resulting stress accent. The melody is primarily in the Diatonic genus of Ancient Greco-Roman music, however, emulating the tendencies evidenced in Mesomedes' compositions, also includes chromatic alterations rooted in the Chromatic genus. Lyrics in Latin:Ex Hispāniā vēnī,Latīnō sanguine nātus.Magnae urbis vocem audīvī.Hinc mea fabula orta est.Felicior Augustō, melior Trāiānō —haec Rōmānī cecinērunt, postquam terrīs excessī.Mīles factus sum. Ad arma vēnī.Pro patriā pugnāvī.Inter ordīnēs fama mea crēvit.Sic Nerva mē hērēdem appellāvit.Felicior Augustō, melior Trāiānō —haec Rōmānī cecinērunt, postquam terrīs excessī.In mundī septentriōne labōrāvī.Germanicus factus sum, illīs in terrīs.Deinde hōra mea advenit.Postrēmō Caesar appellātus sum.Felicior Augustō, melior Trāiānō —haec Rōmānī cecinērunt, postquam terrīs excessī.Rēgem Decebalum vīcī.Imperium auxī, ad fīnēs mundī.Monumenta per urbēs surrexērunt.Sic Rōmānī nōmen meum canunt.Felicior Augustō, melior Trāiānō —haec Rōmānī cecinērunt, postquam terrīs excessī.English translation:From Hispania I came,born of Latin blood.I heard the voice of the great city.From this my story arose.I was made a soldier. I came to arms.For my fatherland I fought.Among the ranks my fame grew.Thus Nerva named me his heir.In the north of the world I labored.I was made Germanicus in those lands.Then my hour arrived.At last I was called Caesar.I defeated King Decebalus.I expanded the empire, to the ends of the world.Monuments rose throughout the cities.Thus the Romans sing my name.“Be happier than Augustus, better than Trajan” —so the Romans sang, after I had departed the world.
Greek Bagpipes with Yannis Pantazis - Epic Conversations Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2026-01-11 | A conversation with my friend Yannis Pantazis in the Symposion of Santorini.
Hymn to Kalliope - Ancient Greek Song feat. SEIKILO Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2026-01-03 | Lyra & vocals by Lina Palera, aulos by Stefanos Krasopoulis, vocals by Farya Faraji, video by Christophe Chapleau and Farya Faraji. This is one of the few extant pieces of Ancient Greek music from Antiquity, with surviving notation and melody by Mesomedes of Crete, an important musician of the second century A.D. The middle section is an improvisation by Lina Palera based on our knowledge of the Ancient Greek modes. The arrangement is a historically informed approximation of Ancient Greek music based on our current evidence. The instrumentation consists of ancient lyres, aulos, drums and ancient cymbals. The melody is interesting in that it shows a copious use of chromaticism, something that will remain integral to later Greek music, including Byzantine chant of the Middle-Ages, as well as modern Greek music. The pronunciation system used is the Samosatene variant of the Lucian pronunciation, a pronunciation system devised by Raphael Turrigiano & Luke Ranieri which strives to be an optimal pronunciation system for Ancient Greek, mostly for the Koine Greek of the era of Roman rule. Given that it was devised around the era of the 2nd century, I believed it to be the most applicable pronunciation system as Mesomedes himself lived around that time period. Of course, the pronunciations would have varied immensely across regions and dialects, as represented by the many variants of Lucian, but for the sake of convenience, I chose to go with Samosatene. A more in depth explanation of the phonological system can be found in this introductory video by Ranieri and Turrigiano which I highly recommend you check out: youtube.com/watch?v=Dt9z5Gvp3MMThe video was shot in november of 2024 with my friend Christophe in Termessos, Turkey, the same trip during which we shot Severim Ben Seni.Lyrics in Ancient Greek:Καλλιόπεια σοφά,Μουσῶν προκαθαγέτι τερπνῶν,καὶ σοφὲ μυστοδότα,Λατοῦς γόνε, Δήλιε Παιάν,εὐμενεῖς πάρεστέ μοι.English translation:Oh wise Calliope,leader of the gracious Muses,you whose wisdom initiates the mysteries,son of Leto, Delian, Paean,help me with your favor.
Chantons de Voix Hautaines - French Christmas Carol Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-12-31 | Vocals & arrangement by Farya Faraji. This is a traditional Christmas chant from France. Vocals in French:Chantons de voix hautaine.En joie et tous débats.Pour la nature humaine,Remise en tous états.O bonté souveraine !Ne nous oubliez pas.Qu'un chacun se souvienne,Qu'elle fut mise en bas,En prison souterraine,Pour un mauvais repas.O bonté…Le serpent par sa haineLui dressa tel appas,La coulpe fut soudaine,Cause de grands débats.Dieu pour l'ôter de peineEt rompre tous ses lacs,Du céleste domaineLui vient tendre les bras.Il prend donc chair humaine,Il choisit en ce casUne vierge d'ancienneRace du Messias.Gabriel pour enseigneLui dit : Tu concevrasUn fils, chose certaine,Que Jésus tu nommeras.Bien agile et bien saine,Neuf mois le porteras,Et sans aide mondaine,Vierge l'enfanteras.De terre aussi lointaine,Survinrent à grans tasTrois rois pour faire étrenneAu vrai roi de Judas.English translation:Let us sing with lifted voices,In joy and without quarrels.For human nature,Restored in every state.O sovereign goodness!Do not forget us.Let everyone rememberThat it had been cast down,Into an underground prison,Because of a wicked meal.O goodness…The serpent, through his hatred,Set such a snare for her;The fault came swiftly,The cause of great disputes.God, to free her from painAnd break all his bonds,From the heavenly realmCame to open His arms to her.He therefore takes human flesh;And in this matter He choosesA virgin of ancientLineage of the Messiah.Gabriel, as a sign,Says to her: “You shall conceiveA son — this is certain —And you shall name Him Jesus.”Swift and in good health,You will bear Him nine months;And without earthly assistance,As a virgin you will give Him birth.From lands far awayThere came in great numbersThree kings to bring giftsTo the true king of Judah.
Brightest and Best - American Christmas Carol feat. Michael Burnyeat Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-12-27 | Fiddle by @MICHAELBURNYEAT, vocals & arrangement by Farya Faraji. This is a Christian hymn whose lyrics were written in 1811 by the English bishop Reginald Heber, and has since entered the mainstream of American culture as a carol, specifically in the case of this melody, as other melodies also exist. The first verse of this rendition was added subsequently in American hymnals and does not belong to Heber's original text. This rendition showcases the typological features of American folk music of today, with the instrumentation consisting of an acoustic guitar, mandolin, electric bass guitar, and the fiddle played by Michael.Lyrics:Hail the blest morn, see the great MediatorDown from the regions of glory descend!Shepherds, go worship the babe in the manger;Lo, for his guard the bright angels attend.Brightest and best of the sons of the morningDawn on our darkness and lend us Thine aidStar in the east, the horizon adorningGuide where our infant Redeemer was laid!Cold on His cradle the dew drops are shiningLow lies His bed with the beasts of the stallAngels adore Him, in slumbers reclining,Maker and Monarch, and Saviour of all,Say, shall we yield Him, in costly devotion,Odors of Edom and off’rings divine?Gems of the mountain and pearls of the ocean,Myrrh from the forest, or gold from the mine?Vainly we offer each ample oblation,Vainly with gifts would His favor secure;Richer by far is the heart’s adoration,Dearer to God are the prayers of the poor.
Anarhos Theos - Byzantine Christmas Carol feat. Dimitris Kap Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-12-24 | Vocals by Dimitris Kap and Farya Faraji, violin by Dimitrios Dallas, video by Farya Faraji.This is a Greek Christmas kalanda (carol) that originates in the religious repertoire of Greek music, commonly called Byzantine music. It has for a long time entered the mainstream of folk Greek music and is now usually played as a folk piece with instruments. Modern renditions are adapted to the Western equal tempered tuning framework, but with this version, I wanted to stick to Byzantine Chant's older microtonal tuning in Tone 1, with a microtonal second interval slightly flatter than the Western minor. The instruments used are the toumberleki, kanonaki, lavta and violin. Lyrics in Greek:Άναρχος Θεός καταβέβηκεν,και εν τη Παρθένω κατώκησεν.Έρουρεμ, έρουρεμέρου, έρου, έρουρεμ, Χαίρε Δέσποινα!Βασιλεύς των όλων και Κύριοςήρθε τον Αδάμ αναπλάσασθαι.Έρουρεμ, έρουρεμέρου, έρου, έρουρεμ, Χαίρε Άχραντε!Γηγενείς σκιρτάτε και χαίρεσθε,τάξεις των αγγέλων ευφραίνεσθε.Έρουρεμ, έρουρεμέρου έρου έρουρεμ, Χαίρε Δέσποινα!Δέξαι Βηθλεέμ τον Δεσπότην σου,Βασιλέα πάντων και ΚύριονΈρουρεμ, έρουρεμ,έρου, έρου, έρουρεμ, Χαίρε Άχραντε!Εξ Ανατολών Μάγοι έρχονται,δώρα προσκομίζοντες άξια.Έρουρεμ, έρουρεμέρου, έρου, έρουρεμ, Χαίρε Δέσποινα! Χαίρουσα η φύσις αγάλλεταικαι πανηγυρίζει κι ευφραίνεται.Έρουρεμ, έρουρεμ,έρου, έρου, έρουρεμ, Χαίρε Άχραντε! English translation:The God without beginning has descended,and has dwelt within the Virgin.Erourem, erourem,erou, erou, erourem — Rejoice, O Sovereign Lady!The King of all and the Lordhas come to re-create Adam.Erourem, erourem,erou, erou, erourem — Rejoice, O All-Pure One!Earth-born people, leap and rejoice;orders of angels, be glad.Erourem, erourem,erou, erou, erourem — Rejoice, O Sovereign Lady!Receive, O Bethlehem, your Master,the King of all and the Lord.Erourem, erourem,erou, erou, erourem — Rejoice, O All-Pure One!From the East the Magi are coming,bringing gifts worthy of Him.Erourem, erourem,erou, erou, erourem — Rejoice, O Sovereign Lady!Rejoicing, creation exults,celebrating and overflowing with joy.Erourem, erourem,erou, erou, erourem — Rejoice, O All-Pure One!
Ia Sculați Voi Gazde Mari - Romanian Christmas Carol Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-12-22 | Nai by Carlos Carty, video, vocals & arrangement by Farya Faraji. This is a Romanian colindă—colinde are the Christmas carols of Romania and Moldova, a rich and varied repertoire from a wide array of regions. This one is arranged in the traditional folkloric style of modern day Romania, with the țambal, double bass, acoustic guitar and nai pan flute forming the instrumentation.Lyrics in Romanian:Ia sculați voi gazde mariIa sculați români plugariCa vă vin colindătoriNoaptea pe la cântători,Nu vă vin cu nici un rău,Ci v-aduc pe Dumnezeu,Dumnezeu cel mititel,Mititel și-nfășățelDe la ușe pân' la masăFașa-i dalbă de mătasăCu scufie de bumbacMoale să-i fie la capLa mulți ani cu sănătateSă vă dea Domnul de toate.English translation:Rise up, great hosts, arise,Rise up, Romanian ploughmen,For the carolers are coming to you,In the night, among the singers.They come to you with no evil,But they bring you God,God the little one,Little and swaddled.From the door all the way to the table,His swaddling cloth is white silk,With a cotton cap,Soft upon His head.Many years, with health to you,May the Lord grant you everything.
Pedicabo Ego Vos - Roman Song Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-12-18 | Vocals & music by Farya Faraji. This is another approximation of what ancient Roman music could have sounded like based on the available data, once again using period poetry as the basis for the reconstruction. Roman poetry used the language's short vs long vowel distinction and subsequent stress rules to create poetry based not on rhymes, but on the prosody, creating a rap-like effect with different metres. Therefore, the poems already contain a blueprint of a melodic skeleton with natural indication of where pitch should rise and fall, and applying to this a melody using the attested Greco-Roman modes and their instruments, one can achieve a workable approximation based on the limited data we posess. For more information on Ancient Roman music with academic sources, I refer you to the Epic Talking playlist of video essays on the channel. The mode used here is one of the Greco-Roman chromatic modes, a genus with a distinctly jazz-like sound to our ears due to the close aggregation of direct semitones one after the other. The instruments used are frame drums and aulos. This is one of Catullus' famous poems. Catullus (c. 84–54 BC) was a Roman lyric poet whose short, intensely personal poems transformed Latin literature by shifting it away from public epic and political themes toward private emotion. Drawing on Greek lyric models, he introduced a new poetic voice centered on love, jealousy, friendship, grief, and invective, written with technical precision and emotional immediacy. His work—especially the poems addressed to Lesbia—set the foundation for later Latin poets such as Virgil, Horace, and Ovid, and permanently established lyric subjectivity as a central mode of Roman poetry.Lyrics in Latin:Pēdīcābō ego vōs et irrumābōAurēlī pathice et cinaede Fūrī.quī mē ex versiculīs meīs putāstīsquod sunt molliculī parum pudīcum.nam castum esse decet pium poētamipsum, versiculōs nihil necesse estquī tum dēnique habent salem ac lepōremSī sint molliculī ac parum pudīcīet quod prūriat incitāre possintnōn dīcō puerīs sed hīs pilōsīsquī dūrōs nequeunt movēre lumbōsVōs quod mīlia multa bāsiōrumlēgistis male mē marem putātis.Pēdīcābō ego vōs et irrumābōEnglish translation:I'll fuck you in the ass and down the throat,Anal Aurelius and facial Furius,For deeming me indecent and effete,A pansy author writing small soft verses.A goodly poet's life must needs be pious,But it's unnecessary in his verses.Lines lie unspiced, unwanton and unwittyUntil they get indecent, with small, softTicklings enough to stoke the nether needsNot in young boys, but aged and bushy-backedMen with arthritis of the crotch. You readThe thousand kisses from one woman packedIn my tight lines, and call me girl? Take note:I'll fuck you up the ass and down the throat.
Dá-me O Deus Menino - Portuguese Christmas Carol Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-12-15 | Vocals & arrangement by Farya Faraji. A carol from Portugal, I arranged this one using a combination of more archaic instruments, namely the bagpipe and Beira square frame drums, and the more recent mandolin and acoustic guitar.Lyrics in Portuguese:Ó meu Menino Jesus! Ó meu Menino tão belo!Logo vieste a nascer Ao rigor do caramelo Oh meu menino Jesus Não queiras menino ser Ao rigor do Caramelo A neve te faz gemer O menino da senhoraChama pai a S. JoséQue lhe trouxe uns sapatinhos Da feira de Santo André O menino chora chora Chora pelos sapatinhos Haja quem lhe dê as solas Q’eu lhe darei os saltinhos Dá-me o deus menino Não dou não dou não douDá-me o deus meninoVai à missa que lá vou Dá-me o deus menino Não dou não dou não dou English translation:Oh my little Jesus,Oh my little one so beautiful!You came to be bornIn the harshness of the cold.Oh my little Jesus,Do not wish to be a child;In the harshness of the coldThe snow makes you shiver.The Lady’s little childCalls Saint Joseph his father,Who brought him little shoesFrom the fair of Santo André.The Child cries and cries,Cries for his little shoes;Let someone give him soles,And I will give him the heels.Give me the little God!I won’t give him, I won’t, I won’t!Give me the little God,Go to Mass, I’ll be there soon.Give me the little God!I won’t give him, I won’t, I won’t!
The Snow It Melts the Soonest - English Song Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-12-12 | An English folk song with a beautiful melody, very typologically representative of much of the music of Great-Britain with Dorian and pentatonic modal structures. Not too much to say here: a basic acoustic guitar chord progression, and the hammered dulcimer, an archaic and nowadays less widely used but still real part of the British tradition, provides the melody. The melody has roots in the 1800's, possibly dating back to the late 1700's. Lyrics in English:O, the snow it melts the soonest when the winds begin to sing;And the corn it ripens fastest when the frosts are setting in;And when a woman tells me that my face she'll soon forget,Before we part, I wad a crown, she's fain to follow't yet.The snow it melts the soonest when the wind begins to sing;And the swallow skims without a thought as long as it is spring;But when spring goes, and winter blows, my lass, an ye'll be fain,For all your pride, to follow me, were't cross the stormy main.O, the snow it melts the soonest when the wind begins to sing;The bee that flew when summer shined, in winter cannot sting;I've seen a woman's anger melt between the night and morn,And it's surely not a harder thing to tame a woman's scorn.O, never say me farewell here -no farewell I'll receive,For you shall set me to the stile, and kiss and take your leave;But I'll stay here till the woodcock comes, and the martlet takes his wing,Since the snow aye melts the soonest, lass, when the wind begins to sing.
The Tale of Zareran - Epic Iranian Music Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-12-09 | Ney by Ali Farbodnia, tar by Erfan Motakeyyai, tanbur improvisations by Edgar Viens, kamancheh by Amir Hossein Eskandari, composition by Farya Faraji. The Epic Iranian series is a musical project where the sounds of modern Iranian music are used as a framing device to explore themes pertaining to the history of Iranian civilisation. This is a musical adaptation of the Ayadgar-i Zariran, meaning Memorial of Zarer. It's one of the earliest known and attested examples of Iranian epic poetry, read and enjoyed in the Sasanian era, and set in an earlier mythological time when the legendary king Wishtasp had just converted to Iran to Zoroastrianism. This text is in Middle-Persian, but the consensus is that, like many Middle-Persian pieces of literature, it was an adaptation of an earlier Parthian tale. The text in this song was compiled from me by colleague Farzad Baranji, and as far as I understand, is not the original text verbatim, but a collage of different versions with original material written in to create a coherent lyrical flow.This is one of the best examples of Iranian mythology as preserved in the heyday of Zoroastrianism. The music is rooted in the general classical tradition of Persian music, with the improvs by Edgar on the tanbur from Kurdish Iranian folklore, which uses a very specific mode not found in the rest of Iranian music.Lyrics in Middle Persian:u-š Wištāsp xwadāy ī šāhānfraz āxwāst rāst kūtār,ud warz ī rāst,dād ud ruwān-šāy,šāhān šāh ī ērān.pad ān zamān Zarēr ī Wištāspān,sardār ud spāhbed ī ērān,fraz šud andar nērang ī hamāg spāh,fraz nibišt pad āsmān.ud nē ānōh-iz fraztarkē pad ērān zamīg,ō nē ānōh-iz nāmwarkē pad Wištāspān spāhandar zāmān būd.pad ān zamān Wištāsphamāg sardārān ud spāhānpad handarz āxwāst,ud xwāstag andaršān kard.ud ān Arjāsp ī xyonānfrēstād payk,andarōz kard ō Wištāsp:“bē-raw dēn ī Ohrmazd,bē-raw andarōz ī Zarathuštrō,bē-gir dēn ī kadīm,ōy kē tōy būd pēs.”guft Zarēr ī Wištāspān,sardār ud spāhbed ī ērān:“az tan ī man agar ruwān bē-bud,nē āzād bawēm,bē dēn ī Ohrmazdzindagī ud āzādī nē.”andarōz šud andar nērang ī spāh,gumbedōmand ud gōhrōmand,ēnōh ud ānōh ōy nibišt,ōy būd pad nibišt ī yazdān.Arjāsp ī xyonān fraz āmad,paykān az kaman frēstād,andarēz kard andar tan ī Zarēr,andar dīl ī sardār ī ērān.ud hamāg ērān šōd frāz,zanān ud abāxtarān,dād ud dāmān ud mardān.Bastvār ī Zarēr fraz āmad,guft: “az sardār ī ērān zādag ī man,āzād bawēmandar dēn ī Ohrmazd.”paykān girift,andar tan ī xyonān andarēz kard;ēk ud dō ud sēbē andarēz kard,bist-ud-sē mardpad dast ī Bastvār nibišt.Wištāsp šād šud,ērān šād šud,andarōz ān dōšmanpad xāk nibišt.English translation:And Lord Wištāsp, King of Kings,proclaimed the righteous Law,and the true Faith,just and worthy of the soul,the King of Kings of the Iranians.Then Zarēr, son of Wištāsp,commander and general of the Iranians,rose forth before the whole army,his fame written in the heavens.And there was none greaterin the Iranian land,nor more renownedin Wištāsp’s hostin that time.At that time Wištāspsummoned all the commanders and hosts,he spoke to them with counsel,and bound them with his will.Then Arjāsp, king of the Khyon,sent forth his envoy,who spoke to Wištāsp:“Abandon the Faith of Ohrmazd,forsake the word of Zarathustra,take up again the old religion,that was yours before.”Zarēr, son of Wištāsp,commander and general of the Iranians, replied:“Even if my soulshould no longer be in my body,never shall I be unfree,for apart from the Faith of Ohrmazdthere is neither life nor liberty.”Then battle was joinedin the ranks of the army;helmets gleamed, nobles arrayed,one against another they stood —so it was written by the gods.Arjāsp, king of the Khyon, came forth,he loosed the arrow from the bow,he drove it into Zarēr’s body,into the heart of the Iranian commander.And all Iran raised a cry —the women and the children,the nobles and the warriors.Then Bastvār, son of Zarēr, came forth.He said: “I am bornof the commander of the Iranians.I shall live freein the Faith of Ohrmazd.”He seized the arrows,and drove them into the bodies of the Khyon;one, then two, then threehe struck down;twenty and three menfell by the hand of Bastvār.Wištāsp rejoiced,Iran rejoiced,for that enemy hostwas written down in the dust.
Csordapásztoroknak - Hungarian Christmas Carol Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-12-06 | Violin by Iriny Markevych, cimbalom and overall arrangement by Anna Molnár, vocals by Farya Faraji, arrangement closely modeled after Dobroda Zenekar’s which can be heard here https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0rDDpzTFI1YThe melody of this version is identical to another Hungarian air, Napot is Szererem, which can be heard here:• youtu.be/-Oi7Q-2M0sY?si=vWiBrdmKlMx1hy6R• youtu.be/tssJ6uFjgR0?si=zYkU3PmLH-hpwHDH• youtu.be/KKd-PwfQB0o?si=YMc_ElW_MIC6dZZXNapot is Szererem seems to be a song from the Csángós community, ethnic Hungarians who live in the Bacău region of the Moldova region in the country of Romania. Csángós music is defined by different typlogical features than those found in the music of Hungary proper, such as more pronounced Balkanic features, like the usage of the Phrygian Dominant scale heard here. The Csordapásztorok tradition is a family of related Hungarian songs telling the story of the Nativity, most traditional versions being in archaic pentatonic versions with ample melismata youtube.com/watch?v=Hlvl7XgCOug This version of Csordapásztorok therefore seems to be a retroactive modification by the band Dobroda Zenekar that arranged it in a typologically Csángós musical style, including the usage of the Phrygian dominant. Hungarian music like this, which uses this scale, became more common within Hungary itself from the 20th century onwards, when this Hijaz-family / Double-Harmonic-type sound grew in popularity in urban café music in the cities of Hungary, to the point that many Hungarian Classical composers adopted it into their language, solidifying a relationship between it and Hungary in Classical circles.This scale, however, is not indigenous to Hungary, and its closest indigenous analogue is the Hungarian Minor scale, which does use the same Hijaz-like gaps of the Double Harmonic Major, but in different tetrachordal configurations. Adding to this, the cimbalom models used here are a mix of folk and classical concert cimbaloms. This instrumental aesthetic, along with the more modern Double Harmonic Sound, showcases how the archaic Hungarian folk repertoire is currently being re-stylised with newer aesthetics, in this case some of them due to external influenced. It should be clarified that this specific Dobroda Zenekar rendition is not a traditional field-recording version of a Csordapásztorok from any village, but rather, a richly syncretic rendition that showcases the various influences of the modern, evolving sound of Hungarian traditional music, this rendition being rooted in the Csángós musical tradition, and aligning with the more recent stream of Hungarian music that uses the Phrygian dominant scale. Bálint Sárosi and Zoltán Kodály documented this more recent stream of Kávéházi zene/Keleties hangzás Hungarian music in their writings which I recommend those interested to read:• Folk music of Hungary by Kodály Zoltán, 1972:archive.org/details/folkmusicofhunga0000koda/page/7/mode/1up?q=phrygian• "Gypsy music" by Sárosi, Bálint, 1978archive.org/details/gypsymusic00saro/mode/1upLyrics in Hungarian:CsordapásztoroknakNyájat őrizőknekNappal az erdőben,Éjjel a mezőben.Oly nagy félelemmelTelik meg ő szívekOly nagy félelemmelTelik meg ők szívük.Isten engyalaiJövének melléjekÖrömet mondani,Hogy ők ne féljenek.Menjetek hát gyorsan,Gyorsan a városba,Ott megtaláljátokJézust a jászolyban.Nem fekszik ő ágyban,Sem friss palotában,Szénán bágyadozik,Rongyok között nyugszik.Nincsen őnekijeBársony takarójaÉs sem a városbanEgy jó akarója.English translation:To the herd-shepherds,To those watching their flocks,By day in the forest,By night out in the fields.A great fearFills their hearts,A great fearFills their very souls.God’s angelsCame down beside themTo speak good tidings,So that they need not fear.“Go now quickly,Quickly into the town;There you will findJesus in the manger.”He lies not in a bed,Nor in a fine palace,He droops upon the hay,He rests among the rags.He has notA velvet covering,Nor, in the whole town,Even a single well-wisher.
The Ilkhanate - Epic Music Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-12-03 | Vocals by Ali Reza Berenjan & Farya Faraji, kamancheh by Amir Hossein Eskandari, ney by Ali Farbodnia, lyrics by Kyan Kabiri, music by Farya Faraji based on traditional Mongolian and Iran musical motifs. This song uses the sounds of modern Iranian and Mongolian music as a framing device to explore this part of Eurasian history. Like with Timur and The Chagatai, I thought it would be interesting to explore what a meeting of Mongolian and Iranian music would produce, so I used the theme of the Ilkhanate to achieve this: one of the offshoot states of Genghis' united empire that corresponded to Iran. The Mongolian rulers over the course of a few generations converted to Islam and were Iranianised, and developped an interesting dual Mongolian-Iranian cultural identity marked by both pride in their ancestry, but also their local identity. Lyrics in Classical Persian:برخاست بادِ خوناز دشتِ تاتَرانغُرّید چون تندرچَنگیزِ خاقانانمرو چون خاک و خون،بخارا چو وهم و ریش.سمرقند چون غباری،در باد شد پریش.خون بر فلک بریخت،چو موج بحر شور.بر باد شد گنجشک،در خاک شد سروردل گشت روشن از نور،زِ ایمانِ مصطفی.ما تیغِ حق گرفتیم،در راهِ کبریا.ایمان زِ ما شکفت،چون گل به صبحِ نور.ما بندگانِ حق،در خدمتِ دستور.فرّ انوشیروان،نور ساسان بر تاج.دادِ خسرو به دلها،نمادِ عدل و تاج.زِ خاقانزادگانیم،فرزندانِ آسمان.به حکمِ چرخِ برین،بر خاستیم جاودان.چون فریدون به پیروزی،چون جمشید در جلال.چون کیخسرو درخشان،تاج از نورِ جاودان.چو چنگیز در شکوه،چو خайдُو در امان،فرّ ما زِ آسمان است،تاج از حکمِ یزدان.English translation:A storm of blood arose,from the plain of the Tatars.It roared like thunder—Chengiz, the Khāqān of kings.Marv became dust and blood,Bukhārā became a vision and a wound.Samarkand, like a drifting mote of dust,was scattered upon the wind.Blood poured upon the heavens,like the waves of a briny sea.The sparrow was swept away,the mighty fell into the dust.Our hearts were illumined with light,from the faith of Muṣṭafā.We took up the sword of Truth,upon the path of Divine Majesty.Faith blossomed within us,like a flower at dawn’s first light.We are the servants of the Truth,in service to the heavenly decree.The farr of Anūshīravān,the light of Sāsān upon the crown.Khosrow’s justice in the hearts,the emblem of righteousness and crown.We are of the line of the Khāqāns,the children of the heavens.By the command of the turning sky,we arose eternal.Like Farīdūn in victory,like Jamshīd in majesty.Like Kay Khosrow, radiant—a crown from the eternal light.Like Chinggis in splendor,like Qaidu in security.Our farr is from the heavens,our crown from the decree of the divine.
Qadish Moryo - Aramaic Christmas Chant Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-11-30 | Kanun and oud by Abeeb & Sireen, ney by Ido Romano, vocals by Farya Faraji. This is a Christian chant of the Aramaic speaking Christian communities, the peoples of the Middle-East who speak various Aramaic dialects. Aramaic is a Semitic language and the language Jesus spoke, closely related to Arabic and Hebrew. Aramaic music reflects the geographical location of its origin, with the music being entirely placed in the makamic, modal tradition and its instruments, this song being in Makam Bayat for example. Having had a lot of first hand experience with Middle-Eastern Christians in Montréal as a wedding photographer, I have myself witnessed the tendency for Aramaic chants to be harmonised with Western tonality, something I did here with a vocal chord progression underlying the rest of the makamic melody in Bayat. Lyrics in Aramaic:Hallel hallel hallel hallelunoy, Bar Alloho akmo d-hallel w-halluyHallel hallel hallel hallelunoy, Bar Alloho akmo d-hallel w-halluy’Iray rawmo bgaw Bet-Lhem,’Iray rawmo bgaw Bet-Lhem.Qadish qadish qadish Moryo,Lhidoyo d-Alohutho.Qadish qadish qadish Moryo,Lhidoyo d-Alohutho.Qadish qadish qadish Moryo,Dadnah forqo I-kul beryotho.Qadish qadish qadish Moryo,Hothem roze danbiyutho!Qadish qadish qadish Moryo,Hothem roze danbiyutho!Qadish qadish qadish Moryo,Qo’yo ’Ito b-haymonutho!Mshiho, dab-yaldeh, farqan men tu’yay,Qabbel teshmeshtan, w-etraham ’layn!Moro d-malake, w-rishay malake,Qabbel teshmeshtan, w-etraham ’layn!English translation:Hallel hallel hallel hallelujah, Praise the Son of God as in times of oldHallel hallel hallel hallelunoy, Praise the Son of God as in times of oldThe angels of the highest in Bethlehem,The angels of the highest in Bethlehem.Holy holy holy Lord,Only begotten of the Father.Holy holy holy Lord,Only begotten of the Father.Holy holy holy Lord,Our salvation, which is shining for all.Holy holy holy Lord,Jewel of secret prophecies!Holy holy holy Lord,Jewel of secret prophecies!Holy holy holy Lord,The promise of allegiance is true faith!HallelujahChrist by His birth, saved us from misguidance,Accept our service, and have mercy on us!Lord of angels, and archangels,Accept our service, and have mercy on us!
Mogami of Yamagata - Epic Japanese Music feat. Mamoru Ogata Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-11-27 | Instrumentation by Mamoru Ogata. It was about time I begun showcasing the rich musical traditions of Japan on this channel, and the Epic Japanese series will endeavour to use the sounds of modern traditional Japanese music as a framing device to explore the mythology and history of the island-nation. In this case, I wanted to post a piece of music that has a thematic relevance to the Mogami clan, a feudal clan of the Sengoku period who ruled over territories now found in modern Yamagata as daimyōs.The song is Hanagasa Ondo, a traditional dance and sung piece from the Yamagata region of Japan, often played during a summer festival native to the area. The instruments heard here are the shamisen, koto and shakuhachi, and were performed by Mamoru Ogata. The drums consist of the traditional Japanese taiko drums.
Staffan Var En Stalledräng - Swedish Christmas Carol Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-11-23 | Reupload from 2023 to fix issues. Arrangement & vocals by Farya Faraji. This is a traditional Christmas carol from Sweden. Many different versions exist in different melodies, some of the more well known one being in the major scale and arranged for choirs. This one however is from a less well known version in the minor scale, and my arrangement owes a lot to Folk & Rackare's rendition.The instrumentation I used consists of a Scandinavian zither and a Swedish nyckelharpa, alongside sleigh bells. The combination of the zither and nyckelharpa gives this an older and more traditional touch, as much of Scandinavian folk used such instruments rather than more newly introduced ones like the acoustic guitar or accordion. The video was filmed in Sweden across Stockholm, Visby, and the Sápmi region of Sweden north of the Arctic Circle.Lyrics in Swedish:Staffan var en stalledräng,Håll dig väl, fålen min! Han vattna sina fålar fem.Allt för den ljusa stjärna. Ingen dager synes än, synes än!Men stjärnorna de blänka på himmelen. Två de voro röda,Håll dig väl, fålen min! De tjänte väl sin föda.Allt för den ljusa stjärna. Och de voro vita,Håll dig väl, fålen min! De var varandra lika.Allt för den ljusa stjärna. Den femte han var apelgrå,Håll dig väl, fålen min! -Den rider Staffan själv uppå!Allt för den ljusa stjärna. Ingen dager synes än, synes än!Men stjärnorna de blänka på himmelen. Innan tuppen galit har,Håll dig väl, fålen min! Han i stallet redan var.Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Hastigt lägges sadeln på,Håll dig väl, fålen min! -Innan solen månd uppgå.Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Skinnpäls och mössa,Håll dig väl, fålen min! -Hundar och bössa.Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Ingen dager synes än, synes än!Men stjärnorna de blänka på himmelen. Framme han till skogen var,Håll dig väl, fålen min! -Innan någon vaknat har.Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Orrar och tjädrar,Håll dig väl, fålen min! -Hundarna vädrar.Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Dagen den lider,Håll dig väl, fålen min! -Fålen hemskrider.Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Ingen dager synes än, synes än!Men stjärnorna de blänka på himmelen. Lutfisken luktar,Håll dig väl, fålen min! -Bränvinet fuktar.Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Kära far i huset,Håll dig väl, fålen min! -Ge oss ut i kruset.Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Får vi inget brännvin i våra krus,Håll dig väl, fålen min! -Slår vi era fönster ut.Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Ingen dager synes än, synes än!Men stjärnorna de blänka på himmelen. Kära mor vid lullan,Håll dig väl, fålen min! -Låt oss smaka bullan.Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Kuse och kake,Håll dig väl, fålen min! -Låt oss få smaka.Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Låt oss mera dricka få,Håll dig väl, fålen min! -Innan harpan börjar gå.Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Ingen dager synes än, synes än!Men stjärnorna de blänka på himmelen. Drängarne hoppa,Håll dig väl, fålen min! -Piporna stoppa.Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Nu rider Staffan å gåle,Håll dig väl, fålen min! -Han kommer ej igen förr'n ett åre.Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Uppå Julen, broder Knut,Håll dig väl, fålen min! -Som på visan gör han slut.Hjelp Gud och Sancte Staffan! - Ingen dager synes än, synes än!Men stjärnorna de blänka på himmelen.English translation:Stephen was a stableboy,- Steady now, steed of mine! -He watered his horses five.- All for the shining star.- No dawn is yet seen, yet seen!But the stars they sparkle in the sky. Two were red,They earned their keep well. And they were white,They were eachother alike. The fifth he was dapple-grey,That one Stephen is riding upon himself! No dawn is yet seen, yet seen!But the stars they sparkle in the sky. Before the rooster has crowed,He already was in the stable. Quickly the saddle is put on,Before the sun is risen. Leather coat and cap,Dogs and rifle. No dawn is yet seen, yet seen!But the stars they sparkle in the sky. He reached the forest,Before anyone has awaken. Black and wood grouses,The dogs are sniffing. The day is reaching its end,The steed proceeds home. No dawn is yet seen, yet seen!But the stars they sparkle in the sky. The stockfish is smelling,The brandy is moisturing. Dear father in the house,Give us in the tankard. If we don't get any brandy in our tankards,We will bang your windows out. No dawn is yet seen, yet seen!But the stars they sparkle in the sky. Dear mother by the cradle,Let us taste the bun. Bread and cake,Let us have a taste. Let us get some more to drink,Before the harp starts sounding. No dawn is yet seen, yet seen!But the stars they sparkle in the sky. The farm-workers jumpThe fifes stop.Now Stephen is riding thence,He will not return until after a yearUpon Christmas, brother Knut,Like the song he ends with.Help God and Saint Stephen. - No dawn is yet seen, yet seen!But the stars they sparkle in the sky.
Laudar Volio Per Amore - Medieval Italian Song Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-11-20 | Vocals by Kelareh Kabiri & Farya Faraji, hurdy-gurdy and bagpipes by PaulFlute. This is a historically informed approximation of medieval Italian 13th century music, the music and lyrics being from the Laudario di Cortona, a musical manuscript from the latter half of the 13th century that preserves a collection of laude—Italian devotional sungs that were not liturgical, but merely vernacular songs that the laity sang. It is the earliest known source of music written in the Italian vernacular, and the only surviving Italian musical source from the thirteenth century. The music of the manuscript is often incomplete and difficult to reconstruct and decipher, so any melodies that have become the "canonical" renditions you will hear across different recordings will inevitable be scholarly approximations that became academic norms. Therefore, like with all historically informed approximations, this rendition should be approached as an idiom-wide approximation of Italian music of that century, rather than an attempt at recreating what this particular melody would have sounded like.The instruments consist of a hurdy-gurdy played without the buzzing chien, a development that'll emerge later, in the 1400's, (this anachronistic sound is shockingly common in historically informed approximations), as well as a variety of bagpipes, with the lute and a selection of tambourines and frame drums. The arrangement uses the hurdy-gurdy's drone as well as organum polyphony—I refer you to my video essay "Organum : The Birth of European Polyphony," and its bibliography in the pinned comment for more info on this subject. The vocal style is based on the various European folk styles ranging frkm Ireland to the Mediterranean that use a more modal, ornamental approach to vocals, something academia has solidly established as being the norm of Medieval vocals, and a practice still alive and well in modern Italian folk music styles—I refer you to my video essay "The Medieval Vocal Styles," and its bibliography in the pinned comment. Lyrics in Medieval Italian:Laudar vollio per amorelo primer frate minore!San Francisco, amor dilecto,Cristo t'à nel suo cospecto,perhò ke fosti ben perfectoe suo diricto servidore.Tutto el mondo abandonasti,novell'ordine plantasti,pace in terra annuntiasti,como fece el Salvatore!In tutte cose lo seguisti,vita d'apostolifacesti,multa gente convertistia ludare elsuo gran nome.Tre ordine plantasti:li minori in prima vocasti,e puoi li donnireserasti,li continenti a perfectione.
My Collaborators : The Real Heroes Behind This Channel Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-11-17 | I opened this channel back in 2018 as a personal place to upload stuff to free up space on my hard drive, so I just created a channel with my Google account name. Had I known this channel would become what it became, I would have chosen another name than mine, as the channel being called Farya Faraji has the unfortunate effect of implying that this is a singular artist's musical vision and identity. When it comes to this channel, I'm a gatherer of sounds, not a creator of them. The melodies, the instruments, the soundscapes, all of it is rooted in research and investigation of musical traditions, and most importantly, working with the specialists of those traditions. From the musicians who play the traditional melodies you hear to the many musicologists I speak with behind the scenes who guide the arrangements with their input, this channel is a collective project of cultural representation, and the reason it succeeds is thanks to *them* I'm just the guy who finances the operations and puts the results here for you to enjoy, so I want to make sure to shout out the essential importance of collaboration that makes this channel what it is. 00:00 Why I'm making this video22:27 My collaborators and our musicological process
Jan Mynen Man - Flemish Song Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-11-14 | Vocals & arrangement by Farya Faraji, many thanks to Loïc Thaler for helping with the pronunciation and Maëlle Cadieux for ethnographic assistance on Flemish musical traditions. This is a folk song from French Flanders. Lyrics in Flemish:Jan, mynen man, jou ruyter wezen,Kon hy geraken aen een peird.’k pakke den besme ment zynen steirt,Daervan heeft Jan, mynen man, een peird.Jan, mynen man, rui ruyter wezen,Kan hy geraken aen een peird.Jan, mynen man, zou ruyter wezen,Kon hy geraken aen een zael.’k Breek een ey en ’k geef hem de schael ;Daervan heeft Jan, mynen man, een zael.Jan, enz.Jan, mynen man, zou ruyter wezen,Hon hy geraken aen een toom.’k Neme zyn hemd’ en ’k scheur den zoom ;Daervan heeft Jan, mynen man, een toom.Jan, enz.Jan, mynen man, zou ruyter wezen,Kon hy geraken aen een spoor.’k Breek eenen pot en ’k geef hem d’oor ;Daervan heeft Jan, mynen man, een spoor.Jan, enz.English translation:Jan, my husband, would be a rider,If only he could get himself a horse.I grab the broom and its tail,And thus Jan, my husband, has a horse.Jan, my husband, would be a rider,If only he could get himself a horse.Jan, my husband, would be a rider,If only he could get himself a saddle.I break an egg and give him the shell;And thus Jan, my husband, has a saddle.Jan, etc.Jan, my husband, would be a rider,If only he could get himself a bridle.I take his shirt and tear the hem;And thus Jan, my husband, has a bridle.Jan, etc.Jan, my husband, would be a rider,If only he could get himself a spur.I break a pot and give him the ear (handle);And thus Jan, my husband, has a spur.Jan, etc.
Kül Tigin - Epic Turkic Music Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-11-10 | Artwork by Dosbol Kassymov, vocals by Farya Faraji, music closely based on folk motifs from Altaic music, with thanks to Murat for input on the arrangement. The Epic Turkic Music is a project where the sounds of the current, living traditions of the Turkic peoples are used as a framing device to explore themes relating to the mythology, folklore and history of the Turkic peoples. These are not historical recreations nor "epic music" in the cinematic soundtrack sense, but a project of ethnomusicological research and performance that showcases the epic narrative repertoire of the Turkic people through their living musical traditions. This song primarily uses the musical sounds found in Altai and Central Asian modern traditional music, and follows closely in the footsteps of bands such as Altai Kai. Modern Altai music often uses heptatonic minor scales alongside the more typical Central Asian and East Asian pentatonic phrasings, and also incorporates harmonic progressions inherited from Soviet influence on the dombra/topshur lutes. The instruments used are the Kazakh dombra, the Altai ilkili, and a flute. The text is historical and extracted from the surviving Old Turkic language inscriptions called the Kul Tigin inscription, part of the larger Orkhon inscriptions found in the Orkhon valley of Mongolia, the oldest known Turkic monumental texts. Lyrics in Old Turkic:Üze kök Teŋri asra yağız yer qılınduqda, ikind ara kiši oğlı qılınmış.Kiši oğlınta üze eçüm Bumın Qağan, İstemi Qağan olurtmış.Türük bodun yoq bolmasun tiyin, Teŋri atam Qağan’ğa il berti, il tutdı.On altı yaşında Ertiş öŋre süq apardı. Boduŋ üzer yürüdü. Süŋü sinmiş er boltı.Türgiš bodun ile qağılım boltı. Kül Tigin er at binip süŋü urdı. Boduŋ yoq boltı.Qırq yer süŋü sinmiş, er at yügürmiş, yürek yırtılmamış.English translation:When above the blue Heaven and below the dark Earth were created, between them were created the sons of men.Among those sons of men, my ancestors Bumın Khagan and İstemi Khagan sat enthroned.So that the Turkic people might not perish, Heaven gave my father the realm, and he held it.At sixteen he led an army beyond the Irtysh. He advanced upon the enemy. His spear broke in battle, and he became a man.We met the Türgish host in battle. Kül Tigin mounted his steed, thrust his spear, and the host was destroyed.His spear was broken in forty places; his horse galloped through forty fields; his heart never tore.
Oi Antres Oi Fanisimoi - Greek War Song feat. Dimitrios Dallas Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-11-07 | Instrumentation by @Dimitrios_Dallas, daoulaki by Dimitri Papadimitriou, vocals by Farya Faraji and Panagiotis Athanasiou, video by Farya Faraji.This is a Cretan folk song that praises the valour of the Cretan warriors, specifically the freedom fighters who fought against the Ottoman Empire. I wanted the video to more broadly showcase the fighting spirit of the Cretans at large, and therefore expanded its thematic to include rebels and fighters from across the ages, from those who fought the Venetian occupation to the resistance in WW2. Within the Greek world, the Cretans are notorious for their fiercely independent, warlike character, and that character of them through the ages rendered them unruly rebels that fought against foreign occupation time and time again. The music is arranged with the traditional parametres of Cretan folk music and instrumentation: the Cretan laouto provides the main rhythmic background with the characteristic Cretan βούρτσα, a harsh, strong strum against the mostly muted chords of the laouto. The Cretan lyra and askomandoura (Dimitrios' is a traditional model with a microtonal second interval equivalent to the Shur or Bayat modes of Maqamic music) provide the main instrumentation, as well as the boulgari, or saz, an instrument that almost went extinct in Crete but is now seeing a resurgence. The filming locations were mainly around Sfakia, the home of the Sfakiots, a people considered warlike and harsh even by Cretan standards, and a historical home of countless rebellion and resistance shaped by the dry, harsh landscape that yielded warriors for centuries. The palm forest of Preveli is also shown, with the Stagakis museum in Rethymno and Mr. Stagakis himself in the video, playing the modern Cretan lyra that his family ushered forth.Lyrics in Cretan Greek:Έλα μια κι άλλη μιαΟι άντρες οι φανήσιμοικι οι καστροπολεμάρχοι.Έλα μια κι άλλη μιαπως είν’ οι μπάλες δανεικέςκατέχουν ντο στη μάχη.Έλα μια κι άλλη μιακι αν πληγωθούν ή σκοτωθούνδε θέλουν μοιρολόγια.Έλα μια κι άλλη μιαθέλουν στεφάνια δάφνινατραγούδια για τα `ξόδια.Έλα μια κι άλλη μιαΔε θέλουν γι’ άντρες κλάηματαμήδε και γονοκλίσια.Έλα μια κι άλλη μιαΜα θέλουν μνήμα σε κορφήκαι σε ψηλά ξωκλήσια.Έλα μια κι άλλη μιαΓια να θωρούν τσ’ αδερφοχτούςκαι τσ’ άλλους συντοπίτες.Έλα μια κι άλλη μιαΠώς δεκατίζουν την Τουρκιάπώς πολεμούν οι Κρήτες.μια κι άλλη μιαΝα βλέπουν και τη λευτεριάόντε θα ξεπροβάλλει.Έλα μια κι άλλη μιαΑπό τ’ αστάχι του γιαλούτσ΄αχτίδες τση να βγάλει...English translation:Come once, and once again,The illustrious men,The castle-fighters.Come once, and once again,For the bullets are but borrowed,They know what awaits in battle.Come once, and once again,And if they’re wounded or slain,They want no laments.Come once, and once again,They want laurel wreaths,Songs for their funerals.Come once, and once again,They want no weeping for men,Nor kneeling prayers.Come once, and once again,But they want a grave on a mountaintop,And at lofty chapels.Come once, and once again,So they may watch their brothers-in-arms,And their fellow countrymen.Come once, and once again,How they decimate the Turks,How the Cretans fight.Once and once again,To see Freedom herself,When she appears,Come once, and once again,From the foam of the sea,To lift her shining rays.
Tigranes the Great - Epic Armenian Music Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-11-04 | Music from traditional Armenian melodies, duduk by @AliFarbodnia, davul by Stefanos Athinaios, zurna by Ofer P, vocals by Farya Faraji. The Epic Armenian music series is a musical project where the sounds of modern Armenian music are used as a framing device for themes pertaining to the history of the Armenian people. Tigranes II the Great was king of the ancient Kingdom of Armenia, a political entity that existed from 331 BC to 428 AD. He is widely remembered as perhaps the greatest Armenian monarch in history, and his reign stretched the boundaries of the Armenian kingdom, sometimes called an empire in that era, as far as the Mediterranean sea, conquering parts of Cappadocia, Syria, and Mesopotamia, and founding his grand capital Tigranocerta.The music is primarily based in Western Armenian musical forms, which tend to be more morphological Anatolian in their sound, prioritising duple metres, the powerful davul drums, and the zurna as a lead instrument. The main melody heard here is the famous Yarkhushta, an Armenian war dance that originates in the highlands of Western Armenia, primarily associated with the region of Sasun. The lyrics are in the Classical Armenian language, also called Grabar, the stage of the Armenian language spoken from circa 400 A.D to 1100 A.D, and are excerpts from historical Armenian writings, namely the History of Armenia attributed to the historian Movses Khorenatsi in the 5th century, Agathangelos’ History of the Armenians and Step‘anos Orbelian's writings. Modern Armenian pronunciation was used when singing those passages instead of reconstructed historical pronunciation. Lyrics in Classical Armenian:Տիգրան մեծն, որոյ համբաւն հասեաց մինչեւ ծայրն աշխարհիս, որ յաղթեց ի բազմաց թագաւորաց։Տիգրան քաջն,որ կորցուց իբրեւ ստրուկս զպարտեւս հպարտ,որ կոտորեց զմարաց բազմութիւն,որ դիմեց զհռոմայեցինս զորեղսՏիգրան արեւահայեաց,որ լուսաւորեց աշխարհս ի փառսՏիգրան մեծագոյն,որ ծաւալեաց սահմանս ի Սուրբծովէմինչեւ յԾովն Միջին։Ամենազգաց սարսափ էր ՏիգրանՀայր մեք ունինք զՏիգրան արքան առիւծ,որ զթշնամիս խորտակէր ի մարտիՏիգրան մեծն, որոյ համբաւն հասեաց մինչեւ ծայրն աշխարհիս, որ յաղթեց ի բազմաց թագաւորաց։Տիգրան քաջն,որ կորցուց իբրեւ ստրուկս զպարտեւս հպարտ,որ կոտորեց զմարաց բազմութիւն,որ դիմեց զհռոմայեցինս զորեղսՏիգրան արեւահայեաց,որ լուսաւորեց աշխարհս ի փառսՏիգրան մեծագոյն,որ ծաւալեաց սահմանս ի Սուրբծովէմինչեւ յԾովն Միջին։Ամենազգաց սարսափ էր ՏիգրանՀայր մեք ունինք զՏիգրան արքան առիւծ,որ զթշնամիս խորտակէր ի մարտիTigran mets’n,oroy hambavn has’eats’ minchev tsayrn ashkharhis,or haght’ets’ i bazmats’ tagavorats’.Tigran k’aj’n,or k’ort’s’uts’ ibrew struks’ zpartevs’ hpart,or k’otorets’ zmarats’ bazmut’yun,or dimec’ zhromayets’inz zoreghs.Tigran arevahayats’,or lusavorets’ ashkharhs i p’ars’.Tigran metsagoyn,or ts’avaleats’ sahmans i Surpts’ovêminchev y Tsovn Mijin.Amenazgats’ sars’ap er Tigran.Hayr mek’ unin’k’ zTigran arkan ariwts’,or zt’shnamis khortaker i mardi.English translation:Tigran the Great, Whose renown reached the ends of the earth, Who triumphed over many kings.Tigran the Brave,Who reduced the proud Parthians to slaves,Who slaughtered the multitudes of Medes,Who stood against the mighty Romans.Tigran, the sun-faced, who illumined the world with glory.Tigran the Greatest, who stretched his borders from the Holy Sea (the Caspian) unto the Middle Sea (the Mediterranean).Tigran was the terror of all nations.We have as father King Tigran the Lion,who would crush the foe in battle.
Legio V Macedonica - Epic Roman Music Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-11-01 | If you wish to support my work, please consider donating to my Patreon: patreon.com/FaryaFarajiMusic by Farya Faraji, mantoura and improvisations by @Dimitrios_Dallas, lyrics by Giuseppe Régimbeau. Please note that this isn't historically informed Roman music or an attempted approximation of it, but modern music using Ancient Roman instrumentation and aspects of their musical practices. The Legio V Macedonica (“Fifth Macedonian Legion”) was one of the longest-serving and most storied legions of the Roman Empire. Originally raised by Octavian (the future Augustus) in 43 BC, it fought in the civil wars and earned its title Macedonica after being stationed in Macedonia. The legion served across the empire’s frontiers—from Egypt to Moesia, Dacia, and Judea—playing key roles in campaigns under emperors such as Trajan and Marcus Aurelius. It fought the Dacians, Parthians, and early Germanic tribes, and later defended the Danube frontier. Remarkably, Legio V Macedonica survived into the 5th century AD, serving in the Eastern Roman army—making it one of Rome’s longest-lived legions, and it is believed their final stand may have been in Egypt, falling to the invading Muslims. The music uses the aulos, period frame drums and cymbals, a Greco-Roman lyre, as well as the mantoura played by my colleague Dimitrios Dallas. The mantoura is a surviving, living specimen of the variety of reed instruments that were dominant in Antiquity called aulos. Mantouras, effectively a peasant, folk continuation of the ancient aulos, never ceased being crafted in the Aegean Islands and are played unto this day in islands such as Crete or Naxos.The pronunciation of the lyrics uses Classical pronunciation and the sung melody takes into account the long vs short vowel distinction of Latin and its subsequent penultimate stress rule.Lyrics in Latin:Tsovinārī terrīs Parthum pugnāvimus,Corbulōnis verba oboedīvimus.Iūdaeōs pūnīvimus,Montem Gerizim vīcimus.Et prōclāmāmus, prōclāmāmus, prōclāmāmus...Nōmen Alexandrī terrae immortāle ferīmus,Pīī fidēlēs, pīīque manēmus idem,Taurī vī celsī fortēs animōque parātī,Aquilae maiestās nūbibus alta regit.Dēcebalum pūnīvimus,Sub nūbibus altīs Dācōrum,Barcochebam dēlēvimus,Sub sōle Iūdaeōrum.Et prōclāmāmus, prōclāmāmus, prōclāmāmus...Nōmen Alexandrī terrae immortāle ferīmus,Pīī fidēlēs, pīīque manēmus idem,Taurī vī celsī fortēs animōque parātī,Aquilae maiestās nūbibus alta regit.In orientī fudimus sanguinem hostī,Iazygum, Quādōrum atque Marcomannōrum,Fīnēs servāvimus virtūte sacrā,Cum honōre manentī et dignitāte sacrā.Et prōclāmāmus, prōclāmāmus, prōclāmāmus...Nōmen Alexandrī terrae immortāle ferīmus,Pīī fidēlēs, pīīque manēmus idem,Taurī vī celsī fortēs animōque parātī,Aquilae maiestās nūbibus alta regit.Per saecula cēsim īvimus,Per mundī vertās vīcissitūdō;Longa fuit vīta, longumque servitium,Ad novae aurōrae ortum perdurāvit.Et prōclāmāmus, prōclāmāmus, prōclāmāmus...English translation:In the lands of Tsovinār, we fought the Parthian,Obeying the words of Corbulo.The Judaeans we punished,Mount Gerizim we conquered.And we proclaim, proclaim, proclaim...We bear the immortal name of Alexander’s land,Pious and faithful, and ever the same;By the Bull’s lofty strength, brave and ready in spirit,The Eagle’s majesty rules high among the clouds.Decebalus we punished,Beneath the clouds of Dacia;Barcochebas we destroyed,Under the Judaean sun.And we proclaim, proclaim, proclaim...We bear the immortal name of Alexander’s land,Pious and faithful, and ever the same;By the Bull’s lofty strength, brave and ready in spirit,The Eagle’s majesty rules high among the clouds.In the East we shed the bloodOf the Iazyges, the Quadi, and the Marcomanni;Our borders we protectedWith honor and with dignity.And we proclaim, proclaim, proclaim...We bear the immortal name of Alexander’s land,Pious and faithful, and ever the same;By the Bull’s lofty strength, brave and ready in spirit,The Eagle’s majesty rules high among the clouds.Through the ages we marched unceasingly,Through the turning change of the world;Long was our life, and long our service,It endured unto the rising of a new dawn.And we proclaim, proclaim, proclaim...
Britains Prophecy - Epic Celtic Music of Wales Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-10-29 | Fiddle by Michael Burnyeat, flutes by Fraser Fifield, original melody synthesised from pre-existing melodic formulae found in the British Isles, vocals by Maëlle Cadieux & Farya Faraji. The Epic Celtic series is a project where the sounds of the current, living traditions of the Celtic peoples are used as a framing device to explore themes relating to the mythology, folklore and history of the Celts. These are not historical recreations nor "epic music" in the cinematic soundtrack sense, but a project of ethnomusicological research and performance that showcases the epic narrative repertoire of the Celts through their living musical traditions. This piece of music is written in the post-folk revival style of contemporary Welsh music, which uses its older sounds, namely the harp and more pronounced usage of heptatonic modes, with more recent introductions from neighbouring cultures such as rhythmic patterns more pronounced in Ireland, or the usage of the fiddle, which was not as common historically in Wales but is now a main instrument of most folk ensembles. I believed this pan-Celtic sonority of the British Isles that now defines Welsh music was notably suited to the theme of this piece. The lyrics are from the Armes Prydein Vawr, or the Great Prophecy of Britain, an early 10th century Welsh poem from the Book of Taliesin, the central compendium of Medieval Welsh poetry mythically attributed to the legendary bard Taliesin from the 6th century. The poem envisions a future where the Brythonic peoples, united with the Scots, the Irish, and the Vikings of Dublin under Welsh command, rise together to cast the Anglo-Saxons out of Britain once and for all. The poem allows us a fascinating insight into the collective imagination of the Celts of the early Middle-Ages, who still had a strong memory of their now waning dominion of these isles, and still saw the Anglo-Saxons as foreign invaders to be cast out.Welsh lyrics:Gwydyr gwen, gwanwyn gwen,gwirionedd gwirion, gwenwyn fren,ni bu’r lleuad erioed mor goch,na’r haul erioed mor llwm o loch.Cyfod, Brydain, beiddia’th felltith,gwna ryfel, gwrthwyneba’r estron;bydded Cymru’n un o un galon,ac Eryr Prydain a’i hadenydd yn llawn.Llefain wledydd, gwaed ar afonydd,ni chlywir cân, ond gwaedd y cleddyf;bydded y môr yn frith o longau,a’r tir yn frith o gyrff marw.English translation:Shining glass, springtime bright,truth is venom, poison for a king;never was the moon so red,nor the sun so burdened with smoke!Arise, Britain, defy thy curse!Make war, stand against the stranger;let Wales be one in single heart,and the Eagle of Britain spread her wings full wide!The lands shall weep, blood upon the rivers,no song shall be heard but the cry of the sword;let the sea be speckled with ships,and the land with fallen men!
Shāpur the Great - Epic Iranian Music Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-10-26 | Music & vocals by Farya Faraji, lyrics by Farzad Barzanji. The Epic Iranian series is a project where the sounds of modern Iranian music are used as a framing device for themes pertaining to the history of Iranian civilisation.Shapur II, known as Shapur the Great, was the tenth Sasanian monarch and reigned for 70 years, making him the longest reigning monarch in Iranian history. He ruled from infancy and forged one of ancient Iran's most powerful eras. He crushed Arab incursions in the south, waged long wars with Rome to reclaim Mesopotamian and Armenian territories, and expanded Iranian influence eastward beyond the Indus. Domestically, he strengthened royal authority, promoted Zoroastrianism as the state faith, and oversaw the Avesta’s codification, a religious policy that came hand in hand with severe repression of Christianity in the empire. His reign brought architectural and artistic flourishing, from city foundations to monumental reliefs, and established the Sasanian Empire as a dominant superpower of Late Antiquity. Shapur II is remembered today as one of the great monarchs of Iranian history, alongside the likes of Darius and Khosrow Anushirvan.The instruments used are the santour, dotar, tar, and a variety of traditional drums. The mode is a local, regional one from the north not found in the Dastgāh system, which is broadly equivalent to Turkish Uşşak or Byzantine Chant's Tone 1, with a microtonal second interval that's slightly higher than the typical Shur one in Iranian music. Middle-Persian lyrics:Az Šābuhr-am, šāh ī šāhānnibišt andar āsmān rāhpahlawān ī ērān šahršāhān šāh ī ērānAz ērān šahr bandag kardhamāg pad dād pusān zādagānōh šahr ud dēnandar dast manMardōmān az dahr paydāghamāg andar dād paydāgWištāsp rāh andarpad Šābuhr šodĀnōh xyon ud Hrōmāyīgpad zarrīn zanjīr bastānōh dushmanān andarzīr ī pāy manŠāhān šāh ērān ud anērānpad xwarrah ud āsmān rāhānōh zamīg andarpaywand andar manAz Ohrmazd šāhīh dādpad ān xwarrah ēstādānōh yazdān rāhandar man šodSpāh ī dushman frāz kardampad tīr ud asg sardamnibišt andar dahrpērōz man-amPad dād ī rāst šahr sāxtamandar ān mardōm šāyistagānōh šahr bawēdxwāstag OhrmazdAz xyon spāh frāz āmadandar ērān rāh šikastānōh spāh ud sardārandar dast manArmin šahr pad sang bastamdruj ud dushman andar kastamānōh pahragān andarpērōz man-amAz Hrōm šāh frāz āmadpad tīr ud asg sardamānōh kaysar andarzīr ī pāy manĀnōh šahr ud šahrdarānhamāg pad xwarrah ēstādērān ud anērānpaywand andar manEnglish translation:I am Šābuhr, King of Kings,my path is written in the heavens,I am the champion of Iran’s realm,the King of Kings of Iran.The realm of Iran I bound in service,all as offspring in righteousness,that realm and the faithare within my hand.All mankind is manifest from the world,all made manifest within justice,the path of Wištāspis with Šābuhr.The Khyon and the Romans I subdued,in golden chains I bound them;those enemies noware beneath my feet.King of Kings of Iranians and non-Iranians,with glory and the path of heaven,all this earth entireis bound in me.From Ohrmazd my kingship was given,upon that glory I stood firm;the path of the godsentered into me.The armies of the foe I raised up,with arrow and sword I struck them down;inscribed upon the world,victorious am I.By righteous law I shaped the realm,and therein mankind was made worthy;that realm shall remain,the will of Ohrmazd.From the Khyon an army arose,They broke the path into Iran,Those armies and their captains,Fell into my hand.Armenia I enclosed in siege,The Lie and the enemy I cast down,In those borderlands,Victorious am I.From Rome the Caesar rose up,With arrow and sword I struck him down,That Caesar himself,Lies beneath my feet.Those realms and their lords,All stood firm in glory,Iran and non-Iran alike,Are bound within me.
O Que Da Guerra Levou Cavaleiros - Medieval Iberian Song Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-10-23 | Vielle by Anna Vasylchenko, oud by Ido Romano, arrangement & vocals by Farya Faraji.Like Cantigas de Santa Maria 235, this is another song purportedly written by Alfonso X of Castile, in the Galician-Portuguese language before it had split into its two divergent branches. Galician-Portuguese was a prestige language of culture in the court of Castile at the time, hence the usage of this language in this song. Alfonso X had felt betrayed by his nobles for their lack of military participation as well as other deeds, and wrote this piece as a bitter condemnation of what he viewed as their cowardice.The arrangement is historically informed and uses a primarily monophonic framework accompanied with heterophonic embellishment, and an improvised polyphonic addition as was common back then. The instruments used are the medieval lute, at this point still an oud, a vielle, gittern, and frame drum.Lyrics in Galician-Portuguese:O que da guerra levou cavaleirose a sa terra foi guardar dinheros, non ven al maio.O que da guerra se foi con maldadee a sa terra foi comprar herdade, non ven al maio.O que da guerra se foi con nemiga,pero non veo quand'é preitesía, non ven al maio.O que tragía o pano de linho,pero non veo polo San Martinho, non ven al maio.O que tragía o pendón en quiçoe non ten de seu padre o viço, non ven al maio.O que tragía o pendón sen oitoe a sa gente non dava pan coito, non ven al maio.O que tragía o pendón sen setee cinta ancha e mui gran topete, non ven al maio.O que tragía o pendón sen tenda,per quant'agora sei de sa fazenda, non ven al maio.O que se foi con medo dos martinhose a sa terra foi bever-los vinhos, non ven al maio.O que, con medo, fugiu da fronteira,pero tragía pendón sen caldeira, non ven al maio.O que ar roubou os mouros malditose a sa terra foi roubar cabritos, non ven al maio.O que da guerra se foi con espantoe a sa terra ar foi armar manto, non ven al maio.O que da guerra se foi con gran medocontra sa terra, espargendo vedo, non ven al maio.O que tragía pendón de cadarço,macar non veo eno mes de março, non ven al maio.O que da guerra foi per retraúdo,macar en Burgos fez pintar escudo, non ven al maio. English translation:He who took away knights from the war and retreated to his lands to keep the money, is not coming to the May Feast.He who left the war in an evil way and went back home to buy lands...He who left the war in hostil manner but did not come forward when he should have through respect...He who left the war terrified and went home to put on his robes...He who left the war in great fear to go to his lands, erecting fences...He who was criticised for the war but, however, had a coat of arms painted in Burgos...He who brought the linen cloth but did not come for St. Martin...He who brought his banner hoisted but has not inherited his father's humour...He who brought a banner but without even eight knights and gave no bread to his people...He who had not even seven knights but brought his banner and a broad sash and a big shield...He who brought his banner but no tent, through which I know all about his estate...He who brought a thick silk banner but did not come in March...He who was absent for the meeting of St. Martin's day and went home to drink his wine...He who fled from the frontier to fear, although he brought his banner but no boiler...He who robbed the wretched Moors and went home to steal goats is not coming to the May Feast.
Qu’on ne me parle plus d’amour - French Renaissance Song Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-10-20 | Video originally uploaded in September of 2022, reworked it to better the reflect the harmonic tendencies of Renaissance French music.Music by Pierre Guédron, vocals, video and arrangement by Farya Faraji. This is a French song from the 16th century, an era which saw the proliferation of polyphony and counterpoint—independent melodic structures interacting simultaneously in contrast based on the rules of tonal harmony.Pierre Guédron was a French singer and composer renowned for his airs de court, (court airs), a genre of secular songs performed in the royal courts and immensely enjoyed by the French kings.Lyrics in French:Qu’on ne me parle plus d’amour,L’inconstance règne à la Cour,Ô Dieux punissez ces âmes volages,Ô Dieux punissez ces légers amoureux. Ces amants pour nous décevoirJurent Amour et son pouvoir :Ô Dieux punissez ces âmes parjures,Ô Dieux punissez ces légers amoureux. Ils n’ont de la fidélitéSinon pour la déloyauté :Ô Dieux punissez ces cœurs infidèles,Ô Dieux que n’ont-ils leurs cœurs dans les yeux. Ils feignent plus de passionLorsqu’ils ont moins d’affection :Ô Dieux punissez ces cœurs infidèles,Ô Dieux punissez ces légers amoureux. La foi de ces esprits moqueursFuit par leurs bouches de leurs cœurs :Ô Dieux punissez ces cœurs infidèles,Ô Dieux punissez ces légers amoureux.English translation:Speak no more of Love to me,Chaos reigns in Court,Oh Gods, punish these fickle souls,Oh Gods, punish these light lovers!These lovers, to disappoint us,Swear to Love and it’s power,Oh Gods, punish these treacherous souls,Oh Gods, punish these light lovers!They feign more passion,When they have less affection,Oh Gods, punish these disloyal hearts,Oh Gods, punish these light lovers!The faith of these mocking spirits,Flees from their mouths out of their mouths,Oh Gods, punish these disloyal hearts,Oh Gods, punish these light lovers!
Kalomoiris and the Saracen - Epic Byzantine Music Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-10-17 | Lyra and tsambouna @Dim@Dimitrios_Dallasums by Dimitris Papadimitriou, vocals by Farya Faraji. Special thanks to Dimitris Kap for helping me out with the prosody of the text. The Epic Byzantine series is a project that uses the sounds of the current, living heritage of Greek traditional music to explore the themes, myths, and folklore that originated in the medieval Eastern Roman (Byzantine) period. These works are not reconstructions of medieval Greek music, nor "epic music" in a cinematic soundtrack sense, but an ethnomusicological project reflecting the living tradition of Greek music as it exists today. The repertoire of Greek traditional music is a direct continuation of the narrative traditions that crystallised in the Byzantine period, including the Akritic songs and other local legends. Likewise, Greek traditional music continues the modal and monophonic musical language of medieval Greece, preserved in forms such as Byzantine chant. The Epic Byzantine series therefore explores Byzantine-era epic narratives through today's Greek traditional music, understood as a direct continuation of that earlier cultural and musical world.This is a folk song from the island of Karpathos, belonging to the Akritic genre of poetry: a body of text and poetry originating in the Middle-Ages and centred on the stories of the Akritic Corps, the frontier guardsmen of the Eastern Roman Empire. Theirs was a story marked by battles with other civilisations such as the Arabs, and the stories reflect this. Over time, the Akritic stories have made their way into the folk repertoire of the many regions of the Greek-speaking world, and can now be found as folk songs such as this one. This song was first collected and recorded by Greek musicologist Domna Samiou, and it can be listened to here: youtube.com/watch?v=12jcTGnioJIThe folk music of Karpathos is one of the most unique and rich in Greece, with very conservative tendencies compared to other regions. Older lyra constructions with bells on the bow are still used there, with archaic, medieval tunings, and the karpathos bagpipe also has the usage of drones not found in many other bagpipes of the country like the askomandoura or the typical Cycladian tsambouna. Karpathos' music is one of the most clear enduring examples of Greek medieval music and showcases clear archaic and pre-modern tendencies. Lyrics available in the pinned comment.
Dublin Lady - Irish Song Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-10-14 | Music and lyrics by Andy Irvine, vocals & arrangement by Farya Faraji. As far as I understand, this is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Andy Irvine that extrapolates on a lyrical (and perhaps melodic) motif found in prior Irish folk, about a seaman's wife waiting for him at sea. The accompaniement uses the accordion and the seagull merlin. Lyrics:If it was not for the ships that do sail that do sail If it was not for the ships that do sail to Liverpool Dublin Lady would not sit upon her wooden stoolIf it was not for the ships that do sailIf it was not for the kegs of beer and cattle in the pen If it was not for the ships that do sail to Liverpool Dublin Lady would not miss her seaman now and thenIf it was not for the ships that do sailIf it was not for the butter tubs and coal all in the hold If it was not for the ships that do sail to Liverpool Dublin Lady would not have to spend her life at home so coldIf it was not for the ships that do sailIf it was not that the Irish sea was narrow with no reef If it was not for the ships that do sail to Liverpool Dublin Lady would not know how to hide her griefIf it was not for the ships that do sailIf it was not for the ships that do sail that do sail If it was not for the ships that do sail to Liverpool Dublin Lady would not sit upon her wooden stoolIf it was not for the ships that do sail
The Byzantine Empires Music : A Beginners Introduction feat. Aristoxenus Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-10-10 | Aristoxenus is back to get drunk and talk about medieval greek music and what we know about it.Sources and additional reading:• Sound of Byzantium : Byzantine Musical Instruments, by Antonios Botonakis, Nikos Maliaras, Christian Troelsgård• Medieval Byzantine Chant and the Sound of Orthodoxy, Alexander Lingas• Performance Practice and the Politics of Transcribing Byzantine Chant, Alexander Lingas• Byzantine Chant, Western Musicology and the Performer, Alexander Lingas• Greek modes and Turkish sounds.Music as a means of intercultural exchange between Orthodox Christians and Muslims in the Ottoman Empire, Maria Pia Ester Cristaldi• Byzantine Chant: The Received Tradition – A Lesson Book, John Michael Boyer• Byzantine Chant, Alexander Lingas: openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/21530/10/2_LINGAS_Byzantine%20Chant.pdf• Nikos Maliaras, Some Western European Musical Instruments and Their Byzantine Origin• The presence of musical instruments in Byzantine and post-Byzantine iconographic sources, Gabriella Curry https://www.academia.edu/1888280/The_presence_of_musical_instruments_in_Byzantine_and_post_Byzantine_iconographic_sources• The Influence of Byzantine Music on the West, Constantin Floros, https://www.academia.edu/8457593/The_Influence_of_Byzantine_Music_on_the_West• A brief study on the influence of Byzantine music on the development of eastern and Western music, Tianhua Dong, file:///C:/Users/aravi/Downloads/A_brief_study_on_the_influence_of_Byzantine_music_.pdf• Cenk Güray & Nevin Şahin, Understanding Byzantine Music, 23.12.2020, BAA, youtube.com/watch?v=qxuDPDSfX-U• What did Byzantine music sound like? (The answer is more political than you’d expect), with Alexander Lingas youtube.com/watch?v=XhOvv-2l5hM• Ottoman Corruptions of Post-Byzantine Chant! Oliver Gerlach https://www.academia.edu/33024898/_Ottoman_corruptions_of_post_Byzantine_chant_English_version_• The Generation around John Koukouzeles and the Re-Definition of the Constantinopolitan Tradition by the “Koukouzelian” Reform, Oliver Gerlach https://independent.academia.edu/OliverGerlach• Petros Peloponnesios — About Authorship in Ottoman Music and the Heritage of Byzantine Music, Oliver Gerlach https://www.academia.edu/32364631/Petros_Peloponnesios_About_Authorship_in_Ottoman_Music_and_the_Heritage_of_Byzantine_Music• "The Heavy Mode (ēchos varys) on the Fret Arak" — Eastern Chant in Istanbul and the Various Influences during the Ottoman Empire, Oliver Gerlach, https://www.academia.edu/916934/_The_Heavy_Mode_%C4%93chos_varys_on_the_Fret_Arak_Eastern_Chant_in_Istanbul_and_the_Various_Influences_during_the_Ottoman_Empire• Review: K. KALAITZIDIS, Post-Byzantine Music Manuscripts as a Source for Oriental Secular Music (15th to early 19th century) https://www.academia.edu/32350319/Review_K_KALAITZIDIS_Post_Byzantine_Music_Manuscripts_as_a_Source_for_Oriental_Secular_Music_15th_to_early_19th_century_• The Rise of Music in the Ancient World, Curt Sachs00:00 Intro and Disclaimers09:00 Origins of Greek Medieval Music20:56 Evolution of the Ancient Greek Modes28:19 Secular Music36:04 Secular Music : Instruments52:00 Approximating a secular piece1:03:30 Liturgical Byzantine Chant1:25:56 Geographical Context1:34:04 Modern legacies of Medieval Greek music
Armenaki - Greek Song feat. Dimitrios Dallas Farya Faraji & World Musicians 2025-10-01 | Violin by @Dimitrios_Dallas, arrangement, vocals & video by Farya Faraji. This is a clip I filmed during my trip to Greece in May of 2022, with the original version of the video posted in September of 2022, but at the time my channel was smaller and I didn't have contacts with musicians, so the arrangement only featured the two instruments I could play: laouto and santouri. I wanted to remake it to include the violin as that is the central lead instrument in Nisiotika, the genre this song belongs to. Nisiotika is the genre of Aegean island songs.Original upload:youtube.com/watch?v=_G2Tw6QF9ZcGreek Lyrics:Αρμενάκι είμαι κυρά μουΠάρε με, πάρε μεΈλα πάρε με Και στην αγκαλιά σου μέσαΒαλε με, βάλε μεΈλα βάλε με Έλα βάρκα να με πάρειςΠάρε με πάρε μεΈλα πάρε με Σε νησιώτικο λιμάνιΒγάλε με βγάλε μεΈλα βγάλε μεEnglish translation:Little boat I am, my ladyTake me, take meCome, take meAnd in your armsPlace me, place meCome, place meCome, little boat, to carry meTake me, take meCome, take meTo an island harborSet me down, set me downCome, set me down
