Reálie Aporue a Melzy: Príklady hudby z fiktívneho dejiska

 

Some of you had noticed earlier that I chose two theme songs for two particular geographic regions of my early modern steampunk fantasy setting, from my in-development RPG. I had also posted a folk song a while back that was meant to symbolise the folk music you'd hear in the rural areas of Melza, the small country of this setting I focus most of my worldbuilding and RPG scenarios on.

I've decided to expand upon that approach. Already years back, I made a whole playlist of various music I kept listening to while I worked on the setting. Mostly period music, but also some noir-style fantasy music, and some modern music, often crime fiction related. With the recent popularity of medieval covers of modern songs and compositions (nicknamed "Bardcore"), I've decided to combine the authentic historical music I had already selected with these jokey modern covers, and use them as hypothetical background music for my fantasy world. I think a lot of these could be listened to during an ongoing RPG session in the setting, just for added atmosphere.

Songs and compositions marked with an # are period stuff, songs and compositions marked with an @ are historicist covers of modern songs.

Načrtnutie scény

Melzanský vidiek # - všeobecný leitmotív pre melzanský vidiek :-)

Ďalšie vidiecke a mestské leitmotívy

Vidiecky tanes a sláčiky # - aside from Melza, I can imagine they have similar music in Ďamara and Trinitia

Vidiecka sláčiková hudba # - this is what I imagine Ďamaran music and southern Lesanian music might sound like, and some of its influence is also felt in Melza

Tradičná gajdošská hudba #- central Aporuean bagpipe music comes in several variations, but this would be the most commonly heard version, not only in Lesana and Ďamara, but also in the Melzan countryside

Rytmus noci @ - the general night time theme for the city of Melza. A calm and rather upbeat night theme. Might be a double entendre... Because night is a thief's best friend in the city state, and the main time of the day when the thieves and thieves' guilds come out to play. ;)

Leitmotívy verejných podujatí

Uhorský tanec # - commonly heard at city hall balls, or at other occassions organised by the baronial family, patricians and noblemen

Macarena @ - I imagine this being some sort of a Renaissance style courtly dance or dance popular among the patricians at celebrations :-D

Dragostea Din Tei @ - often favoured among those Melzan noblemen and citizens who are of Trinitian origins, including the current Lady Baroness

Astronomia @ - heard during a ball and assorted official events thrown by the astronomers of the Learned Society of Melza

Šťastný @ - could be heard at various annual market fairs in the countryside and the city. ;-) Hey, the harvest's in, the city's guilds are turning a profit, why not celebrate ? :-D

Holding Out for a Hero @ - could be heard at various annual market fairs in the countryside and the city, especially if travelling actors and mummers are involved and trying to recreate some local folk tale or something.

(Additionally, it could also work in another way: Your thief characters are hardly noble-bright heroes, bur what's this ? Some criminal gang wants to rob the local orphanage's coffers ? Some village you're adventuring close to is harassed by some pesky monster ? You hem and haw, but your heart is too generous to entirely turn your back on these people in need, so begrudgingly, you decide to do something unambiguously heroic for a change.)

Sokfél részögösről # - a fancier but no less jolly drinking song, popular among Melzan noblemen and patricians, especially men but also some women of the older generations. Singing praises to the fine taste of local and foreign wines, and other merriment related things. (In the real world, a Hungarian Renaissance era drinking song from the 16th century, popular among the aristocracy at the time.)

Militaris congratulatio # - another drinking song, this is sung by Melzan noblemen, aristocratic soldiers and patrician soldiers on official occassions of a less formal nature, including when congratulating their peers to receiving a military order or honour, or just celebrating their birthday in style. :-p Some of the law enforcement employees of Melza liked it so much that they sing it, or an adapted version of it, even if such borrowing annoys some aristocrats in the armed forces. The Frontiersmen Corps has the bigger interest in this borrowed ditty, the City Watch having plenty of their own songs about the service. (In the real world, an early 17th century Hungarian song, in a Hungarian version and Latin version, sung by noblemen and soldiers exactly at such occassions. Fancier drinking song, rather than something entirely pathos-filled. Whatever the Melzan dialect sounds like, the song would have similar lyrics and the same melody and instrumentation, though the religious and geographic references would be obviously Aporuean.)

 

Náboženská hudba

Equivalents of European polyphony (overlapping, multi-voiced choir singing) had been invented many centuries ago, during Aporue's "medieval" period, and are well-established in the religious tradition of the Faith of the Maker. (One real world example of very early polyphony would be Viderunt Omnes ("All Shall See"), an Advent liturgical song composed by Master Pérotin. Another one of these early examples of polyphony is Sederunt principes. Also, if you have a hard time imagining what it would sound like in a non-churchly arrangement, as an instrumental, listen to this.) Organ music has existed for several centuries as well, and is currently at a roughly 17th century level, both in terms of technology and in terms of musical compositions created with the organ in mind.

Súkromná hudba mešťanov

Sladké sny @ - ľudová balada populárna medzi niektorými putovnými spevákmi v centrálnom a južnom Aporue, v časoch minulých. Stále populárna v Melze a niekoľkých krajinách. Pieseň rozpráva o nástrahách cestovania a rôznych útrapách spôsobených zlomyseľnými ľuďmi.

Čo je to láska @ - ľúbostná balada už niekoľko storočí populárna v Aporue. Stále obľúbená v Melze, amedzi mužmi i ženami (zámená sú spravidla zmenené v závislosti od rodu spievajúceho).

Niekto, koho som poznal @ - ďalšia pochabá ľúbostná balada populárna v niektorých krajinách Aporue, vrátane Melzy. (Vcelku humorné je, že zo-stredovek-čtený text tohto coveru mi pripomína ponosujúcu sa báseň, ktorú napísal košický mešťan Iohannes Bocatius jeho ex-priateľke, ešte v 16. storočí ! :-D Niektoré témy a ľudské reakcie sú nadčasové. :-p)

Som modrý... @ - mestská ľudová balada z Melzy, ktorá varuje pred nebezpečenstvami týfusových epidémií, ktoré s mestom zamávali v minulosti i prítomnosti. ;-)

Deväť a devätdesiat karmínových šarkanov @ - children's song, based on a popular children's nursery rhyme. It is said that, at one point in the past, ninety-nine crimson-red dragons descended upon the city of Melza, threatening it. In the years that followed, people commemorated this event by flying ninety-nine crimson kites on that fateful date. The tradition recorded in this legend has long since fallen out of favour, if it ever existed at all.

Moje sladké dieťa @ - popular folk lullaby in Melza, different versions of it are played and sung to babies by both human and non-human locals. :-)

Sneh @ - keď dorazí zimné ročné obdobie, a s ňou, tak sezónne útrapy ako i radosť detí hrajúcich sa vonku na snehu.

Hark the herald angels sing @ - inštrumentálna verzia populárnej koledy, ktorá sa hraje a spieva každý rok na sviatok Pútnikovho večera.

Jeden z nás @ - though a mostly secular song, it touches upon religious themes and questions concerning the figure of the Pilgrim, the Thirteenth Prophet. "Čo ak by Boh bol jedným z nás ?", tak veru...

Prach vo vetre @ - a more philosophical song, highlighting that nothing is eternal and nothing lasts forever. An extra powerful reminder in the society of the Orbis Furum, all the more that life expectancy varies a lot and sometimes even relatively minor injuries or less dangerous diseases might take someone's life. Despite it all, life is always worth living (preferrably in an honourable and reasonable manner).

Pokračuj, môj zatúlaný synu @ - a song of religious origins, though it also gained popularity as a secular song, to the point that it became a semi-folk song. This is the more secular variation on the original lyrics, sung acapella. The original religious context was about a person dealing with their sins and past mistakes, finding their way again, and eventually finding absolution. The narrator of the song, as such, is generally interpreted to be an angel of the Lord, or one of the twelve prophets of the Faith in Paradise, or perhaps even the Maker.

Dom vychádzajúceho slnka @ - pomerne filozofická ľudová pieseň o cestovaní, nobrenského pôvodu.

Inštrumentálna hudba # - popular instrumental tunes, played by bands at events or individuals for private entertainment. Also heard in some taverns and inns. (Based on real world 17th century tunes.)

In Taberna Quando Sumus # - popular drinking song (I Imagine the language they sing it in Aporue is whatever the Aporue equivalent of Latin is, some Archontic descendant maybe). The humbler cousin to the military-themed drinking/celebratory song of noblemen, seen in the previous section. Here's an alternate version of the same. (Založené na známej krčmovej-pitkovej piesni zo 14. storočia.)

Nosza hajdú # - popular drinking and dancing song among common soldiers, law enforcement members and some itinerant seasonal workers. If Militaris congratulatio is the fancier drinking song, heard among partying noblemen during times of military duty or training, then this is the common soldier's song during work breaks. Many of the Frontiersmen and some of the City Watchmen also enjoy singing this ditty. As with many Melzan, Ďamaran and Lesanian traditional songs, this one is accompanied by bagpipes, among other instruments. (Based on a 17th century Hungarian drinking song. Again, the lyrics would be in Melzan, rather than Hungarian, but musically and thematically, it would be essentially the same.)

Astronomia... Krčmový cover ! @ - some local musician in Melza really liked that song he and his buddies played at the astronomers' ball, so he secretly created his own version that soon became popular once him and the other lads played it at a few local inns and taverns. ;-)

Permonská ľudová pesnička - melody heard in some miner folk songs and ditties, particularly those of the Permons, where this tune seems to originate. Mostly intended to be played on a flute or other woodwind, its calm but swift rhytm is meant to reflect the everyday industriousness of Permons during their work. They play or whistle the tune (or even sing it, if they add home-brewn lyrics) during ore mining, sorting ore, maintaining water pumps for the shafts, etc. They sing this tune to bring some cheer to their daily work and take some of the drudgery out of it.



Leitmotívy pre bojovanie / tréningivé súboje

Posledný odpočet @ - general melee fighting theme, especially in a sparring area of a thieves' guild compound or in some official tournament. (Čulejšia verzia.)

Piesočná búrka @ - general melee fighting or chase theme. I could imagine this one being heard in North Akirfa (the North African / Maghreb analogue of my setting), either between local Akirfan characters, or between local characters and visiting characters from Aporue.

Armáda siedmych národov @ - slower tempo, more tense fighting theme. This one could also work during an unexpected confrontation in rural areas, including when Melza's Frontiersmen Corps is out in the countryside, searching for thieves and criminals. (Livelier version.)

Rókatánc (Líščí tanec) # - the really wild counterpart, this is equally energetic for an on-foot and mounted fight between two or more individuals, in the city and in the countryside.

Púštny stret - energetický a dramatický bojový leitmotív, s podtónom severnej Akirfy alebo Sillamskího severanátu, a so (zábavne) dramatickými ženskými vokálmi.

Ťažkopádne intermezzo - za hrsť dramatických a napínavých tréningových a duelových súbojov.

Smrtiaci súboj @ - no more needs to be said... Sounds playful, but can get plenty intense. Though it's still a good sparring theme as well, suitable for more than just for a fight to the death.

Divočina @ - you know the drill. You're just travelling, on foot, on horseback, or in a carriage, on a seemingly empty path or road in the middle of the surrounding wilderness... and bandits and highwaymen jump out from the bushes and from behind trees, standing in your way, armed, and shouting "Stand and deliver !". Do you reluctantly give them your purses and valuables and hope for the best, or... give them a proper licking ?! Many choose the second option and imagine this tune playing in their minds ! ;-)

Kavalerista @ - more of an atmospheric piece, mainly for scenes of chase or pursuit on horseback, or a flashback scene of cavalry charges during Aporue's past Wars of Religion (analogous to those of the real world's early modern era).




Zlodejské, kriminálne a dobrodružné leitmotívy

Ostať nažive @ - the title says it all. A careful but somewhat celebratory tune for thieves who have their priorities straight and know when not to risk their lives needlessly.

Otrasieme vami @ - tense theme tune heard while planning a heist, doing undercover recon of the heist location, figuring ways in and out, gathering intel. (Livelier version.)

Je to môj život @ - when a young male or female thief is at a personal crossroad. Making a tough life decision... Go freelance, join a fellowship or guild, or leave a life of thievery altogether...

Nedá sa zastaviť @ - the heist is already in full motion, and your team can't back out of it easily without revealing themselves, so good luck improvising !

Akirfa @ - general travel and sightseeing theme for local characters and visitors in North Akirfa

Púštny leitmotív @ - played on an oud, heard in travel scenes or in confrontations at some abandoned settlement in the North Akirfan desert

Plav sa @ - travel theme, especially for a bunch of thieves' guild buddies travelling in a boat down the Melza river, or going overseas on a ship

Opitý námorník @ - a classic sea shanty, sung by sailors on deck as well as in taverns at ports.

Je pirátom @ - related to piratical subject matter, which does exist in my universe. The ottermen in particular are infamous for keeping piracy alive for a long time, despite how divided their own species is on such a lifestyle (many feeling it's antiquated and the traditionalists who often indulge in piracy are rejecting progress and living in the past).

Pevnosť pokladov @ - background music for scenes with various majestic castles, forts and fortresses, inland or by the sea. (Taktiež, tu máte rezkú, dobrodružno-akčno-naháňačkovskú variáciu.)

Strach z tmy @ - background music while exploring a dark and ominous environment or sneaking/escaping through the city streets in the middle of the night. (A bit of an ironic title, as most thieves do not fear the dark and see it as something of an ally.)

Vychutnajte si ticho @ - všetko, čo zlodeji v Melze a inde kedy chceli, všetko, čo edy potrebovali, sú dostatočné tiene na ukrytie sa, dlážky a povrchy, ktoré sú prihlučné na to, aby po nich chodili, a neobťažovanie sa so zbytočnými slovami a zvukmi, akéhokoľvek druhuing with needless words and sounds of any kind. When you're trying to be stealthy... words are very... unnecessary... they can only do harm (especially if the guards or City Watch find you).

Detektívny leitmotív @ - pre všetkých amatérskych pátračov, profesionálnych detektívov a rôznych obsmŕdačov, ktorý študujú miesto činu alebo tajuplnú lokalitu s možnými stopami a indíciami.

Táto misia sa práve stala náročnejšou... @ - mohli by ste dokonca povedať, že... sa stala takmer... nemožnou... ;-) Lúpeže majú vo zvyku nabaliť na seba nečakané komplikácie.

Thriller @ - pár dobrodruhov alebo zlodejov naďabilo na starú jaskynnú sústavu alebo zrúcaninu, o ktorej sa povráva, že je prelezená nemŕtvymi obludami, ale obsahuje aj nejaké zaujímavé poklady. Keďže ide o partiu ľahkovážnych lovcov pokladov, rozhodli sa to tam preskúmať. Dúfajme, že si priniesli dostatok zábleskových bômb a výbušných šípov. ;-)

Nebojte sa smrtky @ - či ste už dobrodruh alebo cestovateľ osamelo putujúci strašidelne pôsobiacim lesom, alebo minous forest, or the countryside in dreadful weather, and so on and so forth, this music represents your courage and determination just as much as your worries and quiet anxiety. Definitely a "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me" type of leitmotif, and the one with you, adventurer, is not a malevolent personification of death or doom, but something much braver and stronger hidden inside you. (Ďalší aranžmán tejto skladby.)

Uletená žaba @ - chase theme, heard when some roaming newtman vendor or thimblerigger in Melza, or a newtman thief in the service of one of the Melzan thief guilds, gets into trouble with the City Watch. Now he or she has to make a skillful run for it, while the guards yell swearwords like "Halt, you piss-swimming toad-tongue !". Luckily, most guards find it tough to catch an escaping member of the newtfolk, especially when they jump into the river or one of the city's canals. ;-)

Pukance obilné @ - some thieves were popping some parched corn (as in, actual corn, not maize) in a pan over a fire, when the City Watch or the Frontiersmen raided their little hideout. Cue chase theme with a hiding-and-escaping-cleverly undertone.

Hviezdny tím @ - I like to imagine this is the theme heard when thief guild newbies are in the training section of a guild compound, going through an obstacle course and various other thieving skill tests. X-D :-D



Aporuejské krajiny mimo Melzy, krajiny v Akirfe a Aize

Góralska hudba (južná Lengélia) # - ľudová hudba z južnej Lengélie, obývanej Góralmi, teda "Horalmi", ako ich etnonymum naznačuje. (Reálna goralská ľudová puieseň z juhovýchodného Poľska.)

Skladbička z južného Montoverde @ - ľudová skladbička z južných regiónov Montoverde. (Založená na ľudovej piesne z reálneho sveta Tarantella Napoletana a príbuzných ľudových piesňach a tancoch Tarantella z neapolského a sicílskeho Talianska.)

Tri malé loďky # - ľudová skladbička z Aethelských a Dumnonských ostrovov vo východnom Aporue. (Založené na ľudovej piesni/skladbe z ostrova Man. Wales, Cornwall a ostrov Man poskytujú primárnu inšpiráciu pre obdobu Britských ostrovov v tomto fiktívnom svete, namiesto Anglicka, Škótska a Írska.)

Hej, sokoly # - ľudová pieseň populárna tak v Lengélii ako i v Hajtmanáte. Lengélska verzia, verzia z Hajtmanátu... Niekedy známa aj pod názvom  Na zelenom Hajtmanáte. (Reálna pieseň Hej, Sokoly, s poľskými a ukrajinskými variáciami inak identického textu. Toto by zas bolo obrazne povedané, leitmotívom famous Lengelian cavalry in action, and this the theme of the Hetmanate's cossacks going to battle.)

Ľudová skladbička z "Dumnonia Minor" # - folk tune from the northeastern and eastern coast of the Kingdom of Nobrenia, an area settled by Dumnonic-speaking people from the Dumnonic Isles in the past. Nicknamed "Dumnonia Minor" as a result. The song shows Dumnonian and Nobrenian folk music influences and elements blending together. (Based on a real world folk tune from Brittany in western France.)

Outlander Song @ - známa aj pod názvom Prisťahovalecká pieseň. The origins of this song are shrouded in mystery, but it's assumed it was created by the wolverinemen of northern Aporue, and some of the human peoples living in the same regions adopted it as well, such as the Metsämaan nomadic tribes and some of the Metsämaan settlers, as well as some of the ancestors of the Hrímlanders. Fittingly, this old folk song is known by some north Aporuean immigrants to Melza, such as Skall, a rare wolverineman shopkeeper in the city.

Ľudová pieseň severných nomádov @ - ľudová pieseň zo severu krajiny Metsämaa, spievaná tradičnými kmeňmi pastierov sobov, maloroľníkov a miestnych potulných bardov. (Určitá archaická finnická skladba, sprevádzaná hrou na fínskom kantele, na bubne a ďalších nástrojoch.)

Kalinka @ - ľudová pieseň z Ursanie. (Založené na reálnej tradičnej piesni Kalinka.)

Hrímlandská uspávanka # - ľudová uspávanka zo vzdialeného a riedko obývaného, ale básnicky založeného Commonwealth of Hrímland. (Reálna islandská ľudová uspávanka.)

Hudba hraná na kore # - hudba hraná na rezonátorovej harfe kora, pôvodom z lusher, more southern states and local empires of North Akirfa. (V reálnom svete západoafrická hudba na spomínanej harfe kora.)

Uleg-Khem # - tradičná kmeňová pieseň zo severnej Aizy. (V reálnom svete tradičná pieseň Tuvanov zo Sibíri.)


Some of you might remember Tóla, the foreign-born, female private eye from this setting, living and investigating in Melza. I would totally kill for a Renaissance, or better yet, Barocque cover of the theme from the 1960s series The Prisoner. I really don't know why, but I kind of associate that swingin' 60s sound with this fantasy PI of mine. Obviously, I'd be interested in hearing it done on period instruments. or an approximation of it. I feel that would be her theme, as a spirited but not always successful hardboiled female detective in a fairly crime-ridden fantasy setting.