Music & vocals by Farya Faraji. Please note that this isn’t reconstructed historical music, it’s modern music that uses aspects of Ancient Greek music and modern Iranian music. Notes on some of the chapters: “The Spartans - Leonidas” uses the Enharmonic modes of Ancient Greek music, which was defined by usage of microtonal intervals. The orchestration and arrangement heard here is largely historically compatible, and may give an accurate enough insight into the sounds of Ancient Greek music. The instruments heard for the Greeks are a frame drum, Ancient Greek lyres, and a basic rural flute; as well as the aulos and bagpipes. Modern Greek instruments like the bouzouki also join in later in the symphony. The flute melody is in the first tetrachord of the Lydian Chromatic mode, another of the three variants of Ancient Greek modality: Enharmonic, Chromatic and Diatonic. The Iranian themes utilise the vast modal repertoire of Iranian music, called the dastgāh system today, which is related to the broader maqam system also used in modern Greece. The Achaemenids’ leitmotif and Xerxes’ leitmotifs are based on medieval variants of the Segāh mode that I found in the works of Safi-ad-Din and early Safavid-era music theorists. The Iranian instrumentation consists of a modern orchestra played in a typical Middle-Eastern fashion, a tar, setar, tanbour, qanun, oud, ney flute, santour, and daf and tombak drums. The lyrics to the chapter “the Empire” are Achaemenid-era writings written down in the Behistun inscriptions. The lyrics heard in Leonidas Gathers the 7000 are an Ancient Greek paean written by Aeschylus, for his play “The Persians.” The pronunciation I used for the Ancient Greek lyrics is Modern Greek, not reconstructed historical pronunciation. 00:00 Overture - Earth and Water 00:34 The Spartans - Leonidas 04:24 The Empire - Xerxes 07:29 To Greece 09:52 Leonidas Gathers the 7000 13:30 Thermopylae 15:06 The First Battle 17:02 Immortals Deployed 19:20 The First Night - Leonidas’ Dreams 21:14 The Second Day 25:14 Celebration and Feasting 26:48 Ephialtes’ Treachery 28:02 Leonidas’ Choice 29:50 The Shadows over Xerxes 33:14 Last Stand 37:24 The Empire Triumphs 37:52 Lament for Leonidas 41:30 A Memory Honoured
A piece about the Spanish conquest of Manila would absolutely be epic but we have no surviving pieces of pre Hispanic Philippine music as Filipino music today has become Hispanicized and no longer resembles the music of the pre Hispanic Philippine natives.
I really enjoyed our discussion today and now I checked your work here on youtube. Ah man! This is stunning, I am stunned, totally impressed. You are so good!
@@RyanRyzzo dude there used a person who name Saitama Saisyu Heiki used to do music and sell his song to anime convention without any circle then suddenly an indie game dev approach him to make soundtrack for me if he being approached game modder that will be good too tbh
You've finished the Roman-Iranian wars symphonies and now you're going backwards to Greco-Persian wars, the cycle is now complete. A pure joy to listen to, as always.
@@byzansimp Yep, Samarra was a watershed movement in Roman history; if Julian survived, then the religious demographic of the Roman Empire would have been different.
I love the little character arc where Xerxes goes from being insecure and feeling haunted by the overwhelming glory of his ancestors (which i interpret as being represented by the melancholy of his leitmotif) to eventually triumphing.
4:25 This perfectly portrays the image one might have about the Achaemenids (and probably all historical Iranian empires): it's an incomparable majesty, a majesty that doesn't even provoke fear or violence because it's so incredibly rich and powerful that it doesn't even care. It does not sound like a military march of an army so numerous as Xerxes'; it just sounds kingly, jovial, and festive. Truly a masterpiece.
Agreed. All of those warriors (and helots) deserve recognition, not just the Spartans. Particularly the Thespaians, who stood and fell on the third day along with the Spartans.
After a few blows by mace, people ususally see more zeros! Just like the cartoons. If they do not see enough zeros it is because they have not had enough wine breaks or the mace has not been aplied yet😊
Even from ancient times Iranian and Greek folks weren't enemies but only these two regimes had some series of battle. I think there were no hatred and racism against other since ancient times
The Achaemenid theme in all its glory, and then some more. I love the Spartan bits, but you've made it very hard not to root for Xerxes.
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This battle waited for its soundtrack for more than 2400 years. Motifs perfectly balanced and put into one story. Farya is telling it and I am listening gladly.❤
I rly like ‘shadows over Xerxes’ the iranian microtonal mode (as described in orientalism vid) has the “not sure if its happy or sad” quality which really works for Xerxes… at least the version of him we get from Herodotus. The highly emotional and slightly erratic Xerxes. The use of the “I am Cyrus” motif captures Xerxes’ possible insecurity growing up the likes of Cyrus II and Darius I as the mark to measure up to
The Iranian bard made a music video about the battle of Thermopylae. Maybe the best one. History is written by those that bother to write for those that bother to look into it.
One thing I find interesting about these battle symphonies is that the side which lost seems to get more representation through their leitmorfs. Like Nineveh also (I may be wrong) was tilted slightly towards the Sassanids, and this one is even more towards the Greeks. I find this to be quite a nice way of doing these symphonies, and I appreciate the work that goes into respecting both participants. They sound amazing either way.
Well the Greeks lost, but the heroic defeat of the Greeks is in all popular media more embellished than the victory of the Persians. After all if the Persians would have just crushed them it wouldn't have been a big thing to do, they had the larger army and were at the height of their power. The Greeks lost the battle, but won the war ultimately and a century later they completely won over the Persians. So everything after that is in the West told from the Greek perspective anyway.
I thought it was tilted depending on where the battles took place. In Nineveh the sassanids get slightly more representation because the battle took place in their territory. Same applies here since the battle was fought on greek soil.
I love it from India 🇮🇳🇮🇷🇬🇷 You never disappoints Farya 4:24 The Empire - Xerxes is by far my favourite part, along with the 7:29 To Greece, 17:02 Immortals deployed 21:14 The Second day, 29:50 The Shadows over Xerxes, and 37:24 The Empire Triumphs.
Farya, you're such a Chad. Thanks for both your compositions and your explanatory vids. This soundtrack exorts me to join the Persian Empire even though I'm Western. I love Iran, greetings from Brazil.
Spartans battling to death: "FOR LEONIDAS' HONOR" Persians battling to death: "FOR CYRUS' LEGACY!!!" Romans founding the Republic: "Damn, creating a democratic system is killing us!" 🥵
In my opinion this is some of your best work, and you have set a very high bar. How this amazing symphony about one of history’s most famous conflicts doesn’t have millions of views is beyond me.
The most unexpected of symphonies, yet one of the most wanted. I am amazed at how different it feels from all the hollywood takes on it all. Once again, amazing work Bilbamesh, Aristoxenos and Ibn Fadlan. P.D:The usage of previous creations of yours is simply magnificent, The Immortals, Darius and Dance of the Spartans appearing in a single symphony was like a dream realized.
Ok after listening it for 5 times since it was uploaded I can't deny that this is the most powerful symphony I heard from you.. the last seconds of "Thermopylae" chapter was a nice transition between two chapters
I've read about it, I've listened to my teachers about it, I've watched documentarys about it. In so many ways and so many times I have learned about this historical event and now I've even heard a Symphony about it! Farya, I wish I could compliment you in Fārsī. Edit: a compliment in Fārsī, I hope... موسیقی شما زیباست ❤
Excellent as always.. By the way, the letter Λ on the Spartan shields derives from the name of the region in which the city-state of Sparta was located, ΛΑΚΕΔΑΙΜΟΝΑ (LAKEDEMONA).
HOLY SHIT FARYA I WAS LITTERALLY THINKING ABOUT YOU MAKING THIS TODAY I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP YOU READ MY MIND THIS IS SOME BLACK MAGIC FUCKERY YOU ARE A MAGIC WIZARD SENT BY AHURAMAZDA TO MAKE MY LIFE BETTER
@@Renhaoquan would be epic and should have a sequel called The First Crusade symphony where the roles were reversed as the declining Seljuk Empire fights against the new crusader states and the resurgent Byzantine Empire
@@justinianthegreat1444 You mean the period of the song is from 1071 to 1118? Maybe 'Alexios I' is a more suitable topic of this music. In his youth was the battle of Manzikert and in his 25, he became the Basilius, and faced the threat of the Normans from South Italy, and then was the Crusade.....His life was a legend, and he spent several decades in rescuing the dying empire.
@@justinianthegreat1444 And only the west Emirates of the Selijukid Empire fought against the Crusades, the court in Persian didn't care about the approaching of the Crusades.
"The Spartans - Leonidas" is among my favorite parts because it shows how ancient greece, above all else, was still Greece. It invokes memories of all my vacations to Greece over my life (basically once a year) and conjures an image of the Greek lands. The Mediterranean shrub, the humid summer air, the smells and sights of the beautiful Aegean. And then, that flute, that phenomenal flute ignites the undyingly stubborn and fierce fire at the heart of Sparta in the heart of the listener. It all feels so ancient, with the Lydian mode and all, but the images it conjures in ones soul are truly as timeless as Greece itself, and only a person who's been to Greece (as I know Farya has) can really invoke it as beautifully as that section does.
Both the Greek and the Persian music parts were equally as good. If this were the real battle it would be a stalemate for me, in my opinion they were both amazing. A great piece of music.
My tierlist: 1. The Empire Triumphs 2. The Empire - Xerxes 3. To Greece 4. Last Stand 5. Leonidas Gathers the 7000 6. Immortals Deployed 7. Second Day 8. Lament for Leonidas
Amazing work @Farya Faraji! I'd love to see a Greco-Bactrian or Indo-Greek piece combining ancient Greek and Persian or ancient Greek and Indian musical elements! Thank you!
Listening to this symphony, I really look forward to seeing historical symphonies based on Ancient and Medieval India, because of the sheer amount of events of that era that impacted both the Culture and History of the Indian Subcontinent, which I think would be a great scope for such symphonies. And, as usual it is nowadays, a pleasure listening to your channel's music, keep up the great work Farya Faraji.
Thank you for your music, about the famous battle between the first great Empire in human's history and the classic Greek city states! Actually, although there are plenty of movies, novels, games about this history, but the fiction elements and the exaggerated artistry will to some extent disturb my imagining the true historical scene. But your music can help me recreate historical scenes in my mind!😀
"ó paídes Ellínon íte, eleftheroúte patríd', eleftheroúte dé paídas, gynaíkas, theón té patróon édi, thíkas te progónon: nýn ypér pánton agón." What a beautiful verse. Thank you for putting it to music and sharing it with the world.
I wish people would think of something like this when they heard the word "Thermopylae" and not of that shitty rubbish pile of a film. If they must think of anything at all.
The soundtrack to the real 300. Loved every minute of it, although my favorite part was "Immortals deployed". One of my favorite musical pieces. "The Empire: Xerxes" is incredibly glorious too.
Esta increíble, el concepto me seduce y no dejo de tararear los ritmos más influyentes - que son todos- me transporta a las lecturas de historia, documentales y conferencias sobre la historia del antiguo Mediterráneo y el fascinante Medio Oriente. Mis felicitaciones y un saludo desde un punto en medio del Gran Desierto de Altar, Sonora, México.....👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Absolutely amazing music. I wish to one day visit Iran. I have recently converted to Zoroastrianism. I love Iranian culture and history. Anyway, keep up the great work.
@@ioannespittakis4292 - Immediately got goosebumps. Teared up. I might not be Hellenic by blood, but I am Hellenic but culture, and that part really resonates with my heart, soul, and mind.
@@xunqianbaidu6917 It did happen and it was spectacular. Go read about it on Wikipedia. Also, you shouldn’t say other peoples’ history “sucked”. That’s very disrespectful
@@xunqianbaidu6917 Well that's a kinda bitter and nihilistic take on it. You speak as though you can't see any good or light in history or Man. You've gotta find a silver lining once in a while, thinking with a mind like otherwise just isn't healthy, or just, if I may.
@@septimus7524 I guess we have two kinds of stances here and both are valid. One pointing out that glorifying history is based more on the mystification of human deeds rather than the reality of life for the majority of humanity. The other recognizing that the life carried out by all of these people was so much less convenient and comfortable than ours and as such their feats are that much more noteworthy.
@@septimus7524 pointing out that there's nothing glorious about a poor sod dragged thousands of kilometres away from his village only to have his lungs pierced by a hunk of metal is definitely not bitter and nihilistic. On the contrary. You really don't need to glorify human suffering in order to find meaning and purpose, either in the suffering itself or life in general. That's a delusional idea. Human suffering may result in stories and art that can be "thrilling and spectacular", but you need to differentiate those from your conception of human history.
Man this was certainly a thing. You communicate history through emotion very well. Like how last stand with all its bombastic, fast paced tempo begun with a sad little snippet, just to convey I think the grim reality of the word last next to stand. Then the empire triumphs with an even greater climax. Xerxes fulfilling his ancestral legacy, going against the best warriors the ancient world had to offer, being one step closer to his mission. And all that climax, all that intensity, to be suddenly and jarringly interrupted by.......silence. silence as the persians gaze upon the other side of the battlefield, upon the broken spears, bloodied fists and shattered teeth. Spartans lying finally in peace. And a lone shepherd on the mountains above, plays a tune with his askaulos. So freaking emotional man
Farya, i'm at a loss of words. This is awesome! I especially liked the transfer from ''Thermopylae'' to ''the first battle'', way more epic then the 300 OST's!
I absolutely love this track. Would it be possible for me to use it in one of my upcoming RU-vid videos? I'll ensure to give full credit and link back to your channel. Thanks in advance!