Painting by Dimitris Skourtelis, please check out more of his wonderful work here: th-cam.com/video/sUayrf29Iik/w-d-xo.html Music by Farya Faraji. Please note that this isn't reconstructed Byzantine music; it's modern Greek music with a Byzantine theme (the theme in this case being the Anatolic Theme, (I swear it's a good pun). The Epic Byzantine Music series is a musical project where I explore various sounds from the ethnomusicological ecosystem of modern traditional music, using sounds from modern folk traditions as they are today as a framing device for themes pertaining to the history of the Eastern Roman Empire. I was inspired to write an instrumental piece about the Akritai, the border guards of the Byzantine Empire from the 9th to 11th centuries who defended the empire's borders in Anatolia against the enemy states of the Middle-East. With this one, I was more interested in providing a sense of realistic atmosphere and immersion than just music--I wanted to evoke some idea of the Akritai dancing together in their barracks, drinking and feasting after a hard day of battle on the soil of Anatolia. The Akritai formed the inspiration behind the Akritic songs--the oldest preserved Greek folk songs that revolve around the exploits of the empire's border guards, and foremost among these poems is the Diagenes Akritas, a cycle of epic poems about a half-Greek half-Saracen warrior of the Akritai, a figure which I plan to make a song about in the near future. Given that the Akritic songs have a strong presence in the folk music of Pontic Greeks, I decided to base much of this song's instrumentation around the Black Sea Kemenche, which is the Pontic Greek descendant of the Byzantine lyre; it's a very small fiddle instrument that is the central to the music of Pontic Greeks, and is used as the basis of group dances in circles within the Pontic community. The Black Sea Kemenche/Pontic Lyre might be the most appropriate and accurate instrumentation choice, as its ancestor, the Byzantine lyre, was used as early as the 9th century in the Byzantine Empire, and it's very plausible that the Akritai themselves might have danced to an ancestor of this instrument in their day and age.
@@wiseguygr This painting was done by the famous artist and iconographer Dimitris Skourtelis, he is one of the greatest iconographers of the 21st century.
Beautiful! You can also look into the music reconstructions of Christodoulos Chalaris who also drew a lot of inspiration from songs of akritai, I am sure you will find them interesting.
Greek Pontic dances are way older than most people think *Homer refers to the Pyrrichios and describes how Achilles danced it around the burning funeral of Patroclus*
Romaiphile, I would say. The Capital wasn't called Byzantion after it became Capital in 330 but Nova Roma and, after Constantine's death, Constantinopolis. The Ottomans called it Konstantinye, and the name stayed until 1930 when it was renamed to Istanbul which also comes from Greek: είς την πολήν (eis tin polin, "into the city").
FANTASTIC. It sounds mainly Pontian Greek/Anatolian (Is that pontic lyra?) . Rum Greeks still sing songs about the akritae border guards just like in Cyprus and Crete, Macedonia and Thrace.
Yep, that's the Pontic lyra! I figured I'd make the piece mostly Pontian given the subject matter, I mostly associate the Pontians with Digenis Akritas in my mind :p
Basil Digenis Akritas, also known only Digenis Akritas (not to be confused with Emperor Basil II), is a hero who appears in an epic poem in literature in the Byzantine era. Written in medieval Greek by an anonymous author from the 12th century. Where the events focus on the experiences of the byzantine akritas. The hero has the nickname "The Lord born between two races who lives on the border " because he is the son of an Arab emir and the daughter of a Byzantine general. Died when defeated by the personification of death, Thanatos/Charos, during a duel.
@@serafeimlightbringer9677 I understand that. But Digenis is a play on Diogenes. Generated by Dios. Digenis Akritas is a revamping of the Herculean myth in medieval times. His fight with Thanatos being almost a copy of the Herculean labour. Him being two blooded is much more owed to his divine blood and human blood opposition. Not to simple ethnicity. No son of a sarracen could ever be blonde or fight for Romania.
Beautiful music. Excellent selection of instruments too. Everyone in Greece knows the tale of Ακρίτας Διγενής. Nowdays, many people call the inhabitants of Greece who live near the borders, akritai, as a remnant of the past. You produce such awesome songs man I especially like your Bulgarian, Byzantine and Turkic music.
Akritas(Ακριτας) in greek means someone who lives on the border, akri(ακρη)means edge in greece hence the akrites live in the edge of the country. These people where used to raids and fighting and were organised in a sort of a militia/terittorial army with the purpose of defending their homes and by extent the borders of the Empire. Digenes was such an akritas, a great warrior who has know reasen to the status of folk legend. To this day in greece The people who live in the border with turkey are called akrites and they stil form the national guard whose purpose is to aid the army in case of war with turkey. Meanwhile many greeks have taken the name Digenis(pronounced Thegenes) as their nom de guerre(war nickname) most famous grivas digenes who fought for cyprus's union with greece.
If the Byzantines who were mostly Greek never lost the Anatolia area to the Ottomans then it would have today remained as Greece, so when Turks say turkey is theirs what they are is just Muslim Greeks who converted to Islam, and that area even goes back to ancient Greece with mostly Greek settlements. Turkish people are so ignorant.
In Greece we use the word kemenche for the pontic lyra and for what in Turkey is called kemenche we call it Politiki lyra which neans lyra from Constantinople. This instrument is basically the lyra that was played in byzantine times. Yet in those times the instruments did not have a strict model type so size, number of strings and shape could vary a little.
Something to ALWAYS Remember..... This is a song of those who Guarded the borders of the Greek World for over one thousand years!!! LISTEN And Remember and use it to Motivate yourselves!!!!
I believe your task on Earth is to compose and mix traditional music. You were born for that. I hope more people learn about your work and hire you to compose music for Historic movies and documentaries
That's actually very likely! I've heard some claim that it dates back to the time of Homer, and I think that's a bit of a stretch, but Byzantine times seems more than plausible. They had the Byzantine Lyra back then, the ancestor of both the Pontiaki lyra and the Politiki lyra, and music was similar to a large degree. We also have historical indications of group dances and circle dances in the Byzantine empire, so it's likely that some ancestral form of Pyrichios existed, maybe not the exact same, but some precursor.
Pyrichios was described by Homer as well as Aristotle as a war dance, as the dancers carried weapons when they practiced it. I know nothing about its rythm, but today's Pontic Serra is certainly a war-like dance in 7/8 (while Farya's piece here is in 2/4) but I tend to think they where associated to one another leter. Not that they're totally disconnected. Serra could even be the evolution of Pyrichios which may have changed a lot of names during the centuries.
Purely amazing . A moment of respect to all the Greeks , Armenians and other Akrites who preserved the integrity of the State . They propably didn’t know it but they were defenders of country and faith one of the greatest values a man can have . Much respect to the Arabs also . Even through they were enemies , they were indeed the most civilized and respectful foe we encountered in history !
Greetings to Greeks and Armenians as well from Arabs. You were very much a worthy foe that deserved nothing but praise and respect during Medieval times for your bravery and briliance. You were also instrumental in allowing the Arab golden age to be a thing and for that we can only be grateful. Unfourtenly both our cultures fell into deep decline following a variety of factors, from the Crusades that weakened both of us to the waves of Turkish invaders who swept later and conquered everything for themselves. But we were still able to rise from the ashes following a dark age under Ottoman rule and our ability to endure and survive is a testament to our beautiful histories and cultures.
@@shafinrahman2199 1- we "betrayed" a Turkish nationalist governement that conscripted us to fight in a European war we had nothing to do with. 2- Most Arabs still fought in the Ottoman army, though usually against their will (see the famine in Lebanon and Syria as well as the deportations in Medina to see what happened to those who resisted conscription). 3- Even if we assume the "betrayal" was true, how does this contradict the Ottoman periond being a dark age for Arabs and Arab culture ?
@@shafinrahman2199 The reason for the betrayal was a lot more complicated than just for money The deal was that they were going to get a unified pan-arabic state run by the chosen sultan, but Britain and France went back on that deal and instead carved up the region for the exploitation of arab oil. Literally no one but the Brits and French agreed to that and that action was condemned by the other members of the Entente.
Your Byzantine pieces are such lively works of music, really feels like my imaginations of the people coming through the speakers of my laptop. Simply delightful.
Despite having no lyrics, I still consider this the best song from you yet. This song has gotten me through so many Elden Ring and Dark Souls bosses. I play your music during the boss fights, it really helps with focus.
History background (favourite material for Greek literature national exams) Digenis Akritas (Digenis=Διγενίς= someone of two ancestries) epic, half Greco-Roman, half Arab fighting against the angel of Death (Caliphate) from Cyprus to Syria. (Heavily influenced from Hercules (favourite moral figure for classicist Christian scholars/Patrologia Graeca - fighting against angel of death from the Greek myth of Admetus and Alcestis) He was wearing belts from Lahore and was a noble Roman border guard. His horse was pitch black and was peeing blood. He had very fertile (ρούσσα/red soil) lands (depending on the era of the song in Mesopotamia or Anatolia). He had super expensive clothes and accessories and had his own marble κάστρο/castrum. Cyprus' mountain sierra is called Pentadaktylos(Πενταδάκτυλος) (Five-fingered). The mountain formed by Digenis Akritas' hand while he was fighting against the angel of death in Aleppo.
That's such a happy piece, much in contrast to the very solemn religious music or Gregorian chants we keep hearing when thinking about Byzantium. I had no clue such a style existed! Thank you!
I love that something as so specific as a type of music from the Byzantines border guards is on TH-cam. Thanks very much for the song, you are amazing! Also really good description super interesting.
Merci Farya de faire revivre et vivre des cultures et des civilisations au travers ta musique et ta sensibilité! Cela ressemble beaucoup à la musique pontic mais aussi à la musique chypriote aussi je trouve. Merci.
Long live Akritai, Digenis Akritas from Cyprous, the most Famous ,also Costantis,his comrades and other Pontic Greeks Capadochian Greeks Guardians of the Byzantine Empire antis
Βασίλειος Διγενής Ακρίτας. Digenès meaning with two genuses (γένη). In his case greek mother and arab father from Syria. The poem represents the oldest example of medieval greek and the foundation of modern greek litterature.
Beautiful music. It brings to my mind the picture of the Akrites camping somewhere in the North Eastern borders and enjoying some food, wine and music around the fire after a long day of being on alert and pushing invaders out of the Imperial soil.
From the island of Cyprus a real Ακρίτας in Larnaca born and raised Greek I have to say that this song is a master piece!!! Epic goose bumps Byzantine Blood running through our veins! Also Cypriot Folklore music uses the same instruments like the flute we call it Πιδιαβλι also the mandolin μαντολίνο and more!!!! Great job bravo epic job!!!
Absolutely fantastic. These compositions are so accurate to the form that I could've thought this to be a centuries old tune from the underground east music cultures.
Out of all the music you've made, I would argue this is one of your best, because somehow, it conveys perfectly the akritai, who they were and what they did for the empire, keep it up 😊
Great piece dude! Fun fact: Pontic Greeks of Nikopoli/Gareysar called kemenche "λουρα" (pronounced loora), "υ" sounding closer to its older pronunciation.
That's so cool! I've started listening to recordings of Pontic Greek to get some idea of the pronunciation, it's really interesting how different it sounds in certain places.
@@faryafaraji Wow, that's really cool! you can search for the channel Laş Meron, he is Turkish pontian from Tonya, he speaks pretty well pontic. In his channel he talks in pontic with people from tonya and from caykara some times, and from Greece as well. you can hear the similarity and the difference in their speech:) Anyway, thanks for your work, greetings from Athens!
@@AlexandrosT1 Yeah but his accent is heavily turkified as the pontians in greece have a heavily neogreek accent form the citys, which isn't the right accent nor the right pronouciations. The pontians from georgia and the elders from the vilalges in turkey best preserved tha pontian accent and pronounciations.
@@ellastrantellenas278 Yeah, that's pretty much true, especially about the neogreek accent. But I find Mehmet's accent pretty similar to the elders' one, if we are talking about Tonya. Maybe I'm wrong tho.
Another great hit! You smashed it! And I find this music way more Eastern themed and I love it because the Byzantines did share culture with the Turkic tribes that were coming into Anatolia and Asia Minor of the time, and I love the cross-cultural connections - not many even know the Byzantines were dealing with the powerful Arabic Kingdoms, and were the gateway to the east. Because very often in the study of history, ancient history, a LOT of history regarding the cross-cultural relations between ancient peoples is often ignored or just not even thought about. Either it's the negative approach which seems to be mainstream, or it's the political side of it. Music like this tells a different story from all of this.
Yeah definitely! Much of the early music of the Turks came from a synthethis of their own Central Asian roots with Byzantine influence, and then it grew and influenced Greek music back later. From a musical standpoint, Greek and Turkish music are inextricably tied together. As for the Arab states next door, their early music originated as a synthethis of Greek music theory. The music of that area has always been deeply connected
@@faryafaraji I wonder, did Ancient Hellenic Music also play a role in this? In terms of roots? Yeah at this point we've moved so far from the time when, in actuality, Hellenisim and it's roots in Asia Minor were pretty much like the present. But if we compare now, we've passed through an era of forgotten history where the Greeks/Turks have a lot in common - in terms of historical stuff and music. But I have to ask, what do you think is the origin of the Arabic Oud?
@@MedjayofFaiyum Ancient Greek music was actually fundamental. It had already established the melodic system of Middle-Eastern music; all the scales were pretty much there in some ancestral form, like the Lydian Chromatic, which is the ancestor of Hijaz and Hijazkar in Arabic music. The melodic system was there; what was lacking was the ornamentation-Middle-Eastern, Greek and Balkanic music are highly ornamented both in instrumental playing and vocal production; that comes about in the Late Roman period. By the 8th century, the Vatican priests are singing in a style similar to the adhan call to prayer. So by the beginning of the Middle-Ages, "oriental" music as we know it is there. As the musicologist Curt Sachs put in his book about ancient music; the evolution of Ancient Greek music is Middle-Eastern music, those two are closely related. From a musicological standpoint, Western European music is more like distant a granddaughter of Ancient Greek music, but Middle-Eastern music is its daughter, a direct continuity. So Ancient Greek music is very much one of the roots of the Middle-Eastern maqam and dastgah system. As for the Oud, it came to the Arabs through the Iranian barbat, which itself was adopted, according to Curt Sachs, from an earlier similar instrument originating in the area between India and Iran, called Gandhara
@@faryafaraji You are such an expert on the history of music that I feel overwhelmed and humbled at the same time. Were I to possess such skills as yours I would love to play such instruments! I never even knew that much of the roots stretched back to Classical Anqutity. When you said about Curt Sachs - that point - I see so many try to deny that - which is not the case. The Arabs preserved a lot of Ancient Greek literature in the splendour of Baghdad's library I wonder if that played a key role here. That's a bit weird and fascinating at the same time! Because how can Western European music be a grand-daugther of Ancient Greek Music - I'd have thought Gallic/Celtic instruments would have played more of a role - or is that the Romans ruled much of Gaul and Spain and thus Ancient Greek instruments spread across the Empire? Does the Roman conversion of Christanity as adopted by Constantine also play a role in the evolution of such musical forms? I didn't even know the Oud had its origins from India for that matter. Gandhara is often referenced a lot in Hindu Mythology - a very mythical land. Do you know any books I could get started with to get an idea of your knowledge/
I just read some stuff, that's the easy part, people before us like Curt Sachs did the hard work and research, they should get the praise :p When it comes to the Arabs, their music being rooted in Ancient Greek music is precisely because they translated and kept the Ancient Greek texts. Yeah in the case of Western European music, the Roman Empire is what brings about the spread of Greek music theory and modes across the land. Celtic instruments back then were pretty similar to Greek instruments anyway, like lyres and harps. The adoption of Christianity might have played a role in spreading the "oriental" vocal style that Arabs sing with today. Old Roman Chant is what we call that style, and since the Church probably wanted a united, similar liturgy, they would have spread this singing style across the Mediterranean. A good basic read to start with is "The Rise of Music in the Ancient World, East and West," by Curt Sachs, it's a great read
Excellent work with this one! And yes, I did get the Anatolia theme pun (theme as a musical theme and as a sort of a province in Byzantium, which are also called themes)
I really, really love this track. I am crazy about Medieval times and I think the history we were taught about those times is so wrong. Happy to subscribe to your channel.
Beautiful. Lends some perspective to the Akritai warriors, and the culture around their time. One can almost envision them singing and dancing around a fire after a hard day's toil.
Keep in mind this isn't 100% Byzantine music; it's modern Greek music that gives us an echo, an approximation of Greek music. Greek folk is directly descended from Byzantine music so it retains alot of the DNA of Byzantine music, but some aspects of this are anachronistic like the use of the Saz instrument, which was adopted by the Greeks around the 1700's. If you want a more historically accurate approach, I suggest Christodoulos Halaris' Byzantine Secular Music, you can find them on TH-cam :)
Arabic and Iranian influence also affected the music of the higher classes, I would say that Ottoman Classical music probably had higher degrees of Arabic and Iranian influence, but folk music would mostly have been a synthesis of Central Asian and Byzantine as you put it
This song sent me literally to a separate world and universe. I'm a Romanian Aromanian living in Constanta, by the Black Sea, and these rythms are absolute honey to my ears, to my native tastes. It's absolutely wonderful how it tickles me and my 3% Balkanic roots dance like crazy and make me as if I were fighting enemies. This music literally sends you to war to protect your roots. S'bâneadzâ Armânamea, Balcanjii sh'tuts de'adun!
Painting by Dimitris Skourtelis, please check out more of his wonderful work here: th-cam.com/video/sUayrf29Iik/w-d-xo.html Music by Farya Faraji. Please note that this isn't reconstructed Byzantine music; it's modern Greek music with a Byzantine theme (the theme in this case being the Anatolic Theme, (I swear it's a good pun). The Epic Byzantine Music series is a musical project where I explore various sounds from the ethnomusicological ecosystem of modern traditional music, using sounds from modern folk traditions as they are today as a framing device for themes pertaining to the history of the Eastern Roman Empire. I was inspired to write an instrumental piece about the Akritai, the border guards of the Byzantine Empire from the 9th to 11th centuries who defended the empire's borders in Anatolia against the enemy states of the Middle-East. With this one, I was more interested in providing a sense of realistic atmosphere and immersion than just music--I wanted to evoke some idea of the Akritai dancing together in their barracks, drinking and feasting after a hard day of battle on the soil of Anatolia.
The Akritai formed the inspiration behind the Akritic songs--the oldest preserved Greek folk songs that revolve around the exploits of the empire's border guards, and foremost among these poems is the Diagenes Akritas, a cycle of epic poems about a half-Greek half-Saracen warrior of the Akritai, a figure which I plan to make a song about in the near future. Given that the Akritic songs have a strong presence in the folk music of Pontic Greeks, I decided to base much of this song's instrumentation around the Black Sea Kemenche, which is the Pontic Greek descendant of the Byzantine lyre; it's a very small fiddle instrument that is the central to the music of Pontic Greeks, and is used as the basis of group dances in circles within the Pontic community. The Black Sea Kemenche/Pontic Lyre might be the most appropriate and accurate instrumentation choice, as its ancestor, the Byzantine lyre, was used as early as the 9th century in the Byzantine Empire, and it's very plausible that the Akritai themselves might have danced to an ancestor of this instrument in their day and age.
Cool!
Hello mate, can you tell whats the picture you used for the video?
@@wiseguygr This painting was done by the famous artist and iconographer Dimitris Skourtelis, he is one of the greatest iconographers of the 21st century.
@@digenesakritas ευχαριστώ
Beautiful! You can also look into the music reconstructions of Christodoulos Chalaris who also drew a lot of inspiration from songs of akritai, I am sure you will find them interesting.
Greek Pontic dances are way older than most people think
*Homer refers to the Pyrrichios and describes how Achilles danced it around the burning funeral of Patroclus*
It was an ancient Hellenic war dance
Also Xenophon with his Ten Thousand, passing through the Greek colonies in Pontos, mentions the pyrrichios war dance as well!
@@Crusader899 The part where thracians and greek do a sort of dance off, correct?
I would like to learn more about the history of the Greek Pontic Dance. Are any sources other than Homer?
Now even turks continue to this type of dance. Well, kinda.
Byzantophile approved
Pedophile* approved
Romaiphile, I would say. The Capital wasn't called Byzantion after it became Capital in 330 but Nova Roma and, after Constantine's death, Constantinopolis. The Ottomans called it Konstantinye, and the name stayed until 1930 when it was renamed to Istanbul which also comes from Greek: είς την πολήν (eis tin polin, "into the city").
Why is Illya such a common name now
@@yaqubebased1961is it?
@@yaqubebased1961Sasanid eh interesting seeing u here old chap
FANTASTIC. It sounds mainly Pontian Greek/Anatolian (Is that pontic lyra?) . Rum Greeks still sing songs about the akritae border guards just like in Cyprus and Crete, Macedonia and Thrace.
Yep, that's the Pontic lyra! I figured I'd make the piece mostly Pontian given the subject matter, I mostly associate the Pontians with Digenis Akritas in my mind :p
@@faryafaraji thank you 👍
@@faryafaraji and Thank you for the ❤️ 🇬🇷💙 to you
Cool!
Η Ρωμανια αν πεθαν ανθεί και φέρει άλλον!
Basil Digenis Akritas, also known only Digenis Akritas (not to be confused with Emperor Basil II), is a hero who appears in an epic poem in literature in the Byzantine era. Written in medieval Greek by an anonymous author from the 12th century. Where the events focus on the experiences of the byzantine akritas.
The hero has the nickname "The Lord born between two races who lives on the border " because he is the son of an Arab emir and the daughter of a Byzantine general. Died when defeated by the personification of death, Thanatos/Charos, during a duel.
👍
"because he is the son of an Arab Emir and the daughter of a Byzantine general"
impeccably sus
Rather he is called Digenis because he is a Demigod. A Diogenes, generated by Dios.
@@Apollolyceos No, he is called Digenis because of his "double origin". You see, Digenis means "of two genes (ethnicities)".
@@serafeimlightbringer9677 I understand that. But Digenis is a play on Diogenes. Generated by Dios.
Digenis Akritas is a revamping of the Herculean myth in medieval times. His fight with Thanatos being almost a copy of the Herculean labour.
Him being two blooded is much more owed to his divine blood and human blood opposition. Not to simple ethnicity.
No son of a sarracen could ever be blonde or fight for Romania.
Every Byzantine song of yours is a gem.
I am partly descended of the Akritai . Thank you for this masterpiece, a real honor.
Based, you're related to my favorite saint: Saint Mercurius
@@ellastrantellenas278 Sorry if I sound annoying, friend, but I would like to know a little more about how you discovered your lineage?
Beautiful music. Excellent selection of instruments too. Everyone in Greece knows the tale of Ακρίτας Διγενής. Nowdays, many people call the inhabitants of Greece who live near the borders, akritai, as a remnant of the past. You produce such awesome songs man I especially like your Bulgarian, Byzantine and Turkic music.
I had never heard of this book, will definitely read it now!
Χερσόνησος του Αίμου .. άκου και διαβάστε. δεν είναι παραμύθι αλλά ζωντανή Ιστορία των ΕΛΛΉΝΩΝ
Another classic! And that's for explaining what an Akritai was... never knew that fascinating piece of history!
Singular is Akritas. Plural is Akritai (or Akrites in modern Greek).
Καλή μέρα, αυτό είναι τέλειο, Καλή δουλειά αδερφέ μου
Akritas(Ακριτας) in greek means someone who lives on the border, akri(ακρη)means edge in greece hence the akrites live in the edge of the country. These people where used to raids and fighting and were organised in a sort of a militia/terittorial army with the purpose of defending their homes and by extent the borders of the Empire. Digenes was such an akritas, a great warrior who has know reasen to the status of folk legend.
To this day in greece The people who live in the border with turkey are called akrites and they stil form the national guard whose purpose is to aid the army in case of war with turkey. Meanwhile many greeks have taken the name Digenis(pronounced Thegenes) as their nom de guerre(war nickname) most famous grivas digenes who fought for cyprus's union with greece.
If the Byzantines who were mostly Greek never lost the Anatolia area to the Ottomans then it would have today remained as Greece, so when Turks say turkey is theirs what they are is just Muslim Greeks who converted to Islam, and that area even goes back to ancient Greece with mostly Greek settlements. Turkish people are so ignorant.
In Greece we use the word kemenche for the pontic lyra and for what in Turkey is called kemenche we call it Politiki lyra which neans lyra from Constantinople. This instrument is basically the lyra that was played in byzantine times. Yet in those times the instruments did not have a strict model type so size, number of strings and shape could vary a little.
This makes my morning good, Farya I would love to hear more of your Byzantine music, you make your Basileus proud
Avgvstvs*
Lmao
@@Hispano1 *Caesar, basilevs, avgvstvs, avtokrator et imperator Romae
_for this scenario, saying only Basilevs is sufficient though_
Man I see you everywhere hahahaha. First on EpicHistory Tv, now here. Are you planning again to reconquer the west?
@@jordypereda4488 if he is I am in !
Something to ALWAYS Remember..... This is a song of those who Guarded the borders of the Greek World for over one thousand years!!! LISTEN And Remember and use it to Motivate yourselves!!!!
I believe your task on Earth is to compose and mix traditional music. You were born for that.
I hope more people learn about your work and hire you to compose music for Historic movies and documentaries
This sounds a lot like the Pyrichios dance. Which supposedly goes way back and MAY have been danced by the Byzantines of Trebizond and Pontus.
That's actually very likely! I've heard some claim that it dates back to the time of Homer, and I think that's a bit of a stretch, but Byzantine times seems more than plausible. They had the Byzantine Lyra back then, the ancestor of both the Pontiaki lyra and the Politiki lyra, and music was similar to a large degree. We also have historical indications of group dances and circle dances in the Byzantine empire, so it's likely that some ancestral form of Pyrichios existed, maybe not the exact same, but some precursor.
Pyrichios was described by Homer as well as Aristotle as a war dance, as the dancers carried weapons when they practiced it. I know nothing about its rythm, but today's Pontic Serra is certainly a war-like dance in 7/8 (while Farya's piece here is in 2/4) but I tend to think they where associated to one another leter. Not that they're totally disconnected. Serra could even be the evolution of Pyrichios which may have changed a lot of names during the centuries.
Another great song. Greetings from Romania 🇷🇴
As a Karadenizli Turk, the music we play during our festivities is the same. Sevgiler Farya
Lots of Greek blood in that part of the world 😊
Δοξα στον Ποντο, δοξα στην Ελλάδα 🇬🇷☦️
Glory to all that is Greek🇬🇷☦️👑
Glory To Pontus! Glory To All Greeks! 🇬🇷🇬🇷🦅🦅💪🏻💪🏻
ΔΌΞΑ ΣΤΟΝ ΘΕΟ ΙΗΣΟΎ ΧΡΙΣΤΌ
Γεια σου τεμετερον Ποντιε! Από έναν Ακαρνάνα.
Ponto is the Rome hahaah, GLORY TO ROMAN EMPIREEEEE
Ο ΠΟΝΤΟΣ ΖΕΙ 🦅🇬🇷
🇬🇷⚔️🇬🇷 ΣΕΙ
Καί Πολεμάει
As long as it lives in our hearts and minds... Pontus never dies...Hellenism and Romiosyni never dies.
@@CaptainHarlock-kv4zt , Πόντος comes back
Ο ΖΙΕ🇬🇷🦅❤️☝️
Purely amazing . A moment of respect to all the Greeks , Armenians and other Akrites who preserved the integrity of the State . They propably didn’t know it but they were defenders of country and faith one of the greatest values a man can have .
Much respect to the Arabs also . Even through they were enemies , they were indeed the most civilized and respectful foe we encountered in history !
Greetings to Greeks and Armenians as well from Arabs.
You were very much a worthy foe that deserved nothing but praise and respect during Medieval times for your bravery and briliance. You were also instrumental in allowing the Arab golden age to be a thing and for that we can only be grateful.
Unfourtenly both our cultures fell into deep decline following a variety of factors, from the Crusades that weakened both of us to the waves of Turkish invaders who swept later and conquered everything for themselves. But we were still able to rise from the ashes following a dark age under Ottoman rule and our ability to endure and survive is a testament to our beautiful histories and cultures.
@@معرفةوترفيه-ت2ظ One day, man will realize that they're all feathers of the same bird.
@@معرفةوترفيه-ت2ظ Dark age under Ottoman rule? You literally betrayed the Muslim Ummah for British money.
@@shafinrahman2199 1- we "betrayed" a Turkish nationalist governement that conscripted us to fight in a European war we had nothing to do with.
2- Most Arabs still fought in the Ottoman army, though usually against their will (see the famine in Lebanon and Syria as well as the deportations in Medina to see what happened to those who resisted conscription).
3- Even if we assume the "betrayal" was true, how does this contradict the Ottoman periond being a dark age for Arabs and Arab culture ?
@@shafinrahman2199 The reason for the betrayal was a lot more complicated than just for money
The deal was that they were going to get a unified pan-arabic state run by the chosen sultan, but Britain and France went back on that deal and instead carved up the region for the exploitation of arab oil. Literally no one but the Brits and French agreed to that and that action was condemned by the other members of the Entente.
The Akritas were incredible warriors who left a great legacy in the form of epic poetry thanks for making a song about them.
Marvelous music !!! Byzantine legend DIGENIS AKRITAS
It reminds me of Pontiac lyra. As a Greek, i know that there is huge connection between Byzantine music and Pontiac culture.
Ποντιακή λίρα χρησιμοποιεί ο Φαριά εδω, ότι κοντινότερο στην βυζαντινή λίρα. Το εξηγεί στις λεπτομέρειες του βιντ
Your Byzantine pieces are such lively works of music, really feels like my imaginations of the people coming through the speakers of my laptop. Simply delightful.
Greetings from Giresun, Turkey. Great song, really love it.
Thanks my friend!
KERASOUNTA...GIRESUM
@@SpartanLeonidas1821 so the name is greek?
@@SALADIN.. The name Giresun in Turkish comes from modern/medieval Greek Kerasounta, which in ancient Greek was Kerasous.
Despite having no lyrics, I still consider this the best song from you yet. This song has gotten me through so many Elden Ring and Dark Souls bosses. I play your music during the boss fights, it really helps with focus.
🇪🇦Suscrito. Muchas gracias Farya. 🇬🇷☦️🇮🇹
History background (favourite material for Greek literature national exams)
Digenis Akritas (Digenis=Διγενίς= someone of two ancestries) epic, half Greco-Roman, half Arab fighting against the angel of Death (Caliphate) from Cyprus to Syria.
(Heavily influenced from Hercules (favourite moral figure for classicist Christian scholars/Patrologia Graeca - fighting against angel of death from the Greek myth of Admetus and Alcestis)
He was wearing belts from Lahore and was a noble Roman border guard. His horse was pitch black and was peeing blood. He had very fertile (ρούσσα/red soil) lands (depending on the era of the song in Mesopotamia or Anatolia). He had super expensive clothes and accessories and had his own marble κάστρο/castrum.
Cyprus' mountain sierra is called Pentadaktylos(Πενταδάκτυλος) (Five-fingered). The mountain formed by Digenis Akritas' hand while he was fighting against the angel of death in Aleppo.
Your music is medicine for the ears, your cause wonderful, i wish you the best mister Faraji.
Χαιρετισμούς από την Τουρκία στους γενναίους γιους της Ελλάδας
I am literally playing this on repeat these days. I really love your pieces of Eastern Roman music, especially the more Anatolian themed ones!
I have "Akritidis/Akritidou" in my family, I never knew the meaning of their name until recently. Wonderful song.
I am blown away but the history and the richness of your music. Now I want more music from Western Rome. Be it a Republic or Empire.
Dude, amazing music! Greetings from a Greek in Argentina!
Thanks alot! Greetings from an Iranian in Canada :)
Wherever I look I see Greece. So many thanks.
That's such a happy piece, much in contrast to the very solemn religious music or Gregorian chants we keep hearing when thinking about Byzantium. I had no clue such a style existed! Thank you!
man ur musics are and ur channel are a love letter to human kind. I really like to her them while on the gym or in my farm.
That's legit the best way anyone's ever described what I do, thanks mate!
Great stuff! The Akritai played an important role in Greek Cypriot culture, and Im guessing the same is true for the Pontic Greeks
Indeed it is ... I believe for Cretans also.
This is my personal favorite of all of your works of art brother!
I’m writting a fantasy book inspired by the byzantine and this is how I imagine that world sounds.
Shut up babe, i paid for dinner so I get to decide the car music
If she doesn't like Pontic Greek music, leave her
@@faryafaraji jokes aside, woman wouldnt even get that far without me detecting her lack of taste
Being Pontic-Greek and hearing the lyra makes me very happy
Brothers 🇬🇷🇷🇸
God bless the Serbian and the Greek! ❤️🇷🇸 💙🇬🇷
🙏☦️🙏
Thank you very much for this video because I am very honored as a Greek but also as a Pontian that I am!
Thanks alot, much love to the Pontians!
@@faryafaraji Thanks you again!
"Dance of the Akritai" sounds like the title of a grand book detailing the lives of border guards facing everything from Goths to Mamluks
Goths, Bulgars, Arabs, Vikings, Rūs, Sassanians, Ottoman, Seljuk, Rūm, and so so many more
@@bavariabal "Hahah, javelins go _whoosh_ "
Try to play the audio at x1.25, it certainly adds something new to the song
🤸🏻♂️
I love that something as so specific as a type of music from the Byzantines border guards is on TH-cam. Thanks very much for the song, you are amazing! Also really good description super interesting.
Farya, tú si que eliges buenas imágenes para los vídeos y ambientas bien tu música de una gran forma con los Akritai
Why is this so damn catchy.
love your music my friend keep it up!
Merci Farya de faire revivre et vivre des cultures et des civilisations au travers ta musique et ta sensibilité! Cela ressemble beaucoup à la musique pontic mais aussi à la musique chypriote aussi je trouve. Merci.
Long live Akritai, Digenis Akritas from Cyprous, the most Famous ,also Costantis,his comrades and other Pontic Greeks Capadochian Greeks Guardians of the Byzantine Empire
antis
Как всегда на высоте! Просто нереальное ощущение полного погружения в эти исторические моменты
Βασίλειος Διγενής Ακρίτας. Digenès meaning with two genuses (γένη). In his case greek mother and arab father from Syria. The poem represents the oldest example of medieval greek and the foundation of modern greek litterature.
Long Live Greece!
Long Live Greek Byzantium!
Long Live Greek Anatolia!
Long Live The Greek Akritai!
🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷☦️☦️☦️☦️☦️
And long live Rum.
Exactly Long Live Greek Rum!
@@user-xu2qg2zf6u Ok Persian Is Fair But Turkish 💀💀 Greeks where never inspired by 🦃🦃🍗🍗
Long Live Sparta! Long Live Greek Byzantion! 🇬🇷🦅💪🏻
Beautiful music. It brings to my mind the picture of the Akrites camping somewhere in the North Eastern borders and enjoying some food, wine and music around the fire after a long day of being on alert and pushing invaders out of the Imperial soil.
👑☦️🦅Ο ΣΤΑΥΡΟC ΝΙΚΑ 🦅☦️👑
From the island of Cyprus a real Ακρίτας in Larnaca born and raised Greek I have to say that this song is a master piece!!! Epic goose bumps Byzantine Blood running through our veins! Also Cypriot Folklore music uses the same instruments like the flute we call it Πιδιαβλι also the mandolin μαντολίνο and more!!!! Great job bravo epic job!!!
as a descendant of the akritai i am proud to call you one of us !🦅🦅
Loves to all East Mediterranean people 🇹🇷🇬🇷🇨🇾
🇹🇷👍🏻🇮🇹👍🏻🇬🇷
This is fire! 🔥 I listen to this every day to school and back! Anyways, love your music!
Absolutely fantastic. These compositions are so accurate to the form that I could've thought this to be a centuries old tune from the underground east music cultures.
Out of all the music you've made, I would argue this is one of your best, because somehow, it conveys perfectly the akritai, who they were and what they did for the empire, keep it up 😊
Perhaps your best work to date.
As a someone living in Turkey this is AWESOME. I am addicted.
Anatolia* Turks live in central Asia
@@oon5542 bruh mhn les mlkies
but this has nothing to do with turkey
@@seaguy8146 Exactly
@@seaguy8146 yeah who were the foe of the byzantines that caused the fall of constantinople? philippines??
One of my favorite songs. Thank you.
Great piece dude! Fun fact: Pontic Greeks of Nikopoli/Gareysar called kemenche "λουρα" (pronounced loora), "υ" sounding closer to its older pronunciation.
That's so cool! I've started listening to recordings of Pontic Greek to get some idea of the pronunciation, it's really interesting how different it sounds in certain places.
@@faryafaraji Wow, that's really cool! you can search for the channel Laş Meron, he is Turkish pontian from Tonya, he speaks pretty well pontic. In his channel he talks in pontic with people from tonya and from caykara some times, and from Greece as well. you can hear the similarity and the difference in their speech:)
Anyway, thanks for your work, greetings from Athens!
@@AlexandrosT1 Thanks alot, I'll definitely check it out!
@@AlexandrosT1 Yeah but his accent is heavily turkified as the pontians in greece have a heavily neogreek accent form the citys, which isn't the right accent nor the right pronouciations. The pontians from georgia and the elders from the vilalges in turkey best preserved tha pontian accent and pronounciations.
@@ellastrantellenas278 Yeah, that's pretty much true, especially about the neogreek accent. But I find Mehmet's accent pretty similar to the elders' one, if we are talking about Tonya. Maybe I'm wrong tho.
This is it... this is what i had been wanted... seriously i've searched this for more than 10 years... thank you !
Absolute banger! Great job, love your music man, especially the hints of eastern scales.
Please keep it coming! :))
Another great hit! You smashed it!
And I find this music way more Eastern themed and I love it because the Byzantines did share culture with the Turkic tribes that were coming into Anatolia and Asia Minor of the time, and I love the cross-cultural connections - not many even know the Byzantines were dealing with the powerful Arabic Kingdoms, and were the gateway to the east.
Because very often in the study of history, ancient history, a LOT of history regarding the cross-cultural relations between ancient peoples is often ignored or just not even thought about. Either it's the negative approach which seems to be mainstream, or it's the political side of it. Music like this tells a different story from all of this.
Yeah definitely! Much of the early music of the Turks came from a synthethis of their own Central Asian roots with Byzantine influence, and then it grew and influenced Greek music back later. From a musical standpoint, Greek and Turkish music are inextricably tied together. As for the Arab states next door, their early music originated as a synthethis of Greek music theory. The music of that area has always been deeply connected
@@faryafaraji I wonder, did Ancient Hellenic Music also play a role in this? In terms of roots?
Yeah at this point we've moved so far from the time when, in actuality, Hellenisim and it's roots in Asia Minor were pretty much like the present. But if we compare now, we've passed through an era of forgotten history where the Greeks/Turks have a lot in common - in terms of historical stuff and music.
But I have to ask, what do you think is the origin of the Arabic Oud?
@@MedjayofFaiyum Ancient Greek music was actually fundamental. It had already established the melodic system of Middle-Eastern music; all the scales were pretty much there in some ancestral form, like the Lydian Chromatic, which is the ancestor of Hijaz and Hijazkar in Arabic music. The melodic system was there; what was lacking was the ornamentation-Middle-Eastern, Greek and Balkanic music are highly ornamented both in instrumental playing and vocal production; that comes about in the Late Roman period. By the 8th century, the Vatican priests are singing in a style similar to the adhan call to prayer. So by the beginning of the Middle-Ages, "oriental" music as we know it is there. As the musicologist Curt Sachs put in his book about ancient music; the evolution of Ancient Greek music is Middle-Eastern music, those two are closely related. From a musicological standpoint, Western European music is more like distant a granddaughter of Ancient Greek music, but Middle-Eastern music is its daughter, a direct continuity. So Ancient Greek music is very much one of the roots of the Middle-Eastern maqam and dastgah system.
As for the Oud, it came to the Arabs through the Iranian barbat, which itself was adopted, according to Curt Sachs, from an earlier similar instrument originating in the area between India and Iran, called Gandhara
@@faryafaraji You are such an expert on the history of music that I feel overwhelmed and humbled at the same time. Were I to possess such skills as yours I would love to play such instruments!
I never even knew that much of the roots stretched back to Classical Anqutity. When you said about Curt Sachs - that point - I see so many try to deny that - which is not the case. The Arabs preserved a lot of Ancient Greek literature in the splendour of Baghdad's library I wonder if that played a key role here.
That's a bit weird and fascinating at the same time! Because how can Western European music be a grand-daugther of Ancient Greek Music - I'd have thought Gallic/Celtic instruments would have played more of a role - or is that the Romans ruled much of Gaul and Spain and thus Ancient Greek instruments spread across the Empire?
Does the Roman conversion of Christanity as adopted by Constantine also play a role in the evolution of such musical forms?
I didn't even know the Oud had its origins from India for that matter. Gandhara is often referenced a lot in Hindu Mythology - a very mythical land.
Do you know any books I could get started with to get an idea of your knowledge/
I just read some stuff, that's the easy part, people before us like Curt Sachs did the hard work and research, they should get the praise :p
When it comes to the Arabs, their music being rooted in Ancient Greek music is precisely because they translated and kept the Ancient Greek texts.
Yeah in the case of Western European music, the Roman Empire is what brings about the spread of Greek music theory and modes across the land. Celtic instruments back then were pretty similar to Greek instruments anyway, like lyres and harps. The adoption of Christianity might have played a role in spreading the "oriental" vocal style that Arabs sing with today. Old Roman Chant is what we call that style, and since the Church probably wanted a united, similar liturgy, they would have spread this singing style across the Mediterranean.
A good basic read to start with is "The Rise of Music in the Ancient World, East and West," by Curt Sachs, it's a great read
Excellent work with this one! And yes, I did get the Anatolia theme pun (theme as a musical theme and as a sort of a province in Byzantium, which are also called themes)
I really, really love this track. I am crazy about Medieval times and I think the history we were taught about those times is so wrong. Happy to subscribe to your channel.
absolute banger
I hope you keep doing what you love!
Well nice music 👍 i like your skills in writing and directing music
Beautiful. Lends some perspective to the Akritai warriors, and the culture around their time. One can almost envision them singing and dancing around a fire after a hard day's toil.
This is so beautiful. Kings and Generals channel must hear this
Great work Faraya! I miss only a litle bit Tulum together with Kemenche!
I love it
Thank you for teaching me the byzantine anatolian guards as well
Good Lord! This is so freaking good! 🥲
Great!!! Byzantine music can be heard on this channel!!! I was always interested in what kind of music was in Byzantium!
Keep in mind this isn't 100% Byzantine music; it's modern Greek music that gives us an echo, an approximation of Greek music. Greek folk is directly descended from Byzantine music so it retains alot of the DNA of Byzantine music, but some aspects of this are anachronistic like the use of the Saz instrument, which was adopted by the Greeks around the 1700's. If you want a more historically accurate approach, I suggest Christodoulos Halaris' Byzantine Secular Music, you can find them on TH-cam :)
@@faryafaraji Thank you, Mister!!!
@@faryafaraji whats your favorite piece from Halaris?
@@wiseguygr th-cam.com/video/1x1BcQL9t3I/w-d-xo.html this one is absolutely my favourite, it's amazing
Time to play East Roman Empire in Attila Total War again...
Love the music!!!! Keep going !!!!!!
Congratulations, this channel is an oasis of good music.
Müzik gerçekten muhteşem, eline, emeğine usuna sağlık, sevgilerimle 🥰🎶🎶🎏🎵🥂🥂🍾🍺🍻🍹✨🎏✨💐💖
I think Turkish music is a combination of central Asian and Byzantium music
Arabic and Iranian influence also affected the music of the higher classes, I would say that Ottoman Classical music probably had higher degrees of Arabic and Iranian influence, but folk music would mostly have been a synthesis of Central Asian and Byzantine as you put it
@@faryafaraji Arabic music is itself a copy of Iranian music 🎶
PONTOS💛🦅🖤
Another excellent video!
Thank you once more!
Alexandros.
Another Great Masterpiece 👌
This song sent me literally to a separate world and universe.
I'm a Romanian Aromanian living in Constanta, by the Black Sea, and these rythms are absolute honey to my ears, to my native tastes. It's absolutely wonderful how it tickles me and my 3% Balkanic roots dance like crazy and make me as if I were fighting enemies.
This music literally sends you to war to protect your roots.
S'bâneadzâ Armânamea, Balcanjii sh'tuts de'adun!
Thank you for your music, that is beautiful
Oh my God!!!! Thank you a thousand times for this!!!!!
Once again, I am absolutely amazed.
Coming across this most inspirational music has made my day....I absolutely love it and so do my followers on my Instagram live
POGGG
One about the akritai poggg
This is ideal Battle Soundtrack for the Byzantines in Medieval 2 Total War. Awesome Work
bro thanks that s great
Difficult to listen to this without putting your hands in the air and dancing around like a Byzantine
Bro this is fantastic
Damn, what a banger