Justus Wilberg & Eva Fritz playing a Roman water organ reconstructed from the metal pieces discovered around Budapest. (Römermuseum Haltern am See, 10.06.18)
In the early 1960s I remember getting a children's record album of King Arthur and the knights. It was a dramatized tale, but was punctuated by a soundtrack of pipe organ music. I asked my father if there were pipe organs in the days of King Arthur. He said there were, because the Romans had them. There is a pipe organ in Italy, still played today, that was built before Columbus. It is good to hear what a Roman pipe organ sounded like.
That organ is in Bologna. It includes ranks of pipes from the 1440s. There are actually older organs, one at Sion in Switzerland and one at Ostönnen, Germany, both from around 1420.
Most of our music is made with major and minor, and the odd blues scale. But these are both relatively modern inventions. Blues was 20th century(?), and Major and Minor *technically* came about only around the 1600s. Until then, in the Renaissance and before, they used modes (two of which later morphed into major and minor.) They are quite different and perhaps "boring" sounding to us who are now used to what we are used to. The modes were based on ancient roman and greek scales as well! They sound similar because: a) one is based upon the other, and b) they're both equally as rare to hear nowadays How similar are they really? I've no idea. I'm sure some theorist somewhere reconstructed it. But reconstructions' accuracy will always be tainted by what's current.
@@andybaldman This Pipe was invented 700 years prior to the 5th Century, when the Middle Ages/Medieval Period started. And between than and now 1,620 years, 11months, and 8 Days. That would put the design of this Pipe now in the 2,320 mark. So it's actually pretty modern if you look at it from a Historian point of view. Especially, when you think Dinosaurs are Older than that.
@@NerdyNEET not during Late Antiquity. While feudalism wasn't a thing yet, many of its aspects were already developing during the last centuries of Rome. The decadence of slavery and rise of serfdom was one of them.
Fun fact: the organ was invented in the third century B.C. by an engineer in Alexandria. When the Romans adopted it from the Greeks, they played it in the arena during gladiatorial combat. It was a very profane instrument, about the furthest thing from what the early Christians would consider appropriate to play during the service. To them, having an organ play would basically be the equivalent of playing cheap arena rock in a church. However, it did find its way into the Late Roman/Byzantine imperial ceremonies and in 757, Emperor Constantine V donated one to Frankish King Pepin the Short as a token of respect and demonstration of Roman engineering. It was Charlemagne who's responsible for the organ's introduction in a church context, as he requested one for his chapel in Aachen from the Easter Roman Emperor in 812 after the other one broke. Took a few more centuries for it to become established in churches though
I don't believe there was any music notation from the Classic Roman Empire. It wasn't until later in the Byzantine Empire that there was. In Western Europe though music notation came into existence around 1000ish(?). This guy is just improvising with a kind of medieval flare actually. But it still sounds great.
@@Oceananswer We studied an old system of music notation called "Neumes" in class before, and it genuinely peaked my interest. Although writing music down in a literary form may seem cliche now, all the way back in the 7th Century a man named "Isidore of Seville" outright claimed that it was impossible for a man to write music down on paper. So it is genuinely interesting how one time we thought we could not put such an abstract form of art and entertainment such as music down on paper, and now more than a thousand years later we could do it with ease. It really makes you think about the things that we cannot currently describe or put onto paper nowadays, but things we someday will be able to.
@@charlesdoeseverything9716 Though to be fair even sheet music struggles a lot with completely capturing all the unspoken nuances of playing style for the time. It's real interesting hearing a "modern" orchestra playing say a Bach piece, and then a "hardcore baroque nerd" one that tries their best to use recreated period instruments and techniques. Both following the sheet music, just what set of assumptions "fill in the gaps" Still a HUGE advantage over simply hoping it lives on in unbroken oral tradition of course!
Amazing to think that this was the beginning of the pipe organ. Folks way back then would be astounded if they could hear the the grand majestic instruments we have now.
There's a hypothesis that everyone alive on Earth today is brain-damaged by the excessive carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and that we've been losing intelligence for tens of thousands of years. Early homo sapiens' brains were somewhat larger than those today, for example.
@@TheOneAndOnlyZeno Are you really incapable of following the line of reasoning? The OP is wondering how the ancients would react to our modern technological innovation. I'm saying that the ancients may well have been more intelligent than us. In fact, there is considerable evidence that early homo sapiens was _much_ smarter than us, and would probably regard us as being pretty dumb... as witness your inability to pick up my meaning from context.
Long live Ktesibios, its inventor - 4th century BCE! If they showed the sophisticated mechanism & hydraulics of this, you'd be amazed that they (the Classical Greeks) developed this technology. And this before Rome had even completely conquered Italy.
@@patrickvalentino600 Slave power! Doesn't everyone have a slave for pumping - you know: prisoners captured in previous military campaigns?? There are levers whose mechanism is similar to a simple bicycle pump. As I understand it, the water/hydraulics are a regulator that steady the air pressure. Otherwise it would be like an accordeon, where sound is directly proportional to how hard you're pumping at that very millesecond. An organ needs steadier pressure.
That's amazing. Reminds me when i heard a flute made from a swan bone - rebuilt after the original (almost 40.000 years old) in southern Germany. It's allways like a little time travel ... catching the spirit of former times. Thank you for sharing this moment!
Hydraulis was invented by the great ancient Greek mathematician, engineer and inventor Ctesebious, in the 3d century B.C. He was best known mainly for his following achievements: A. Plumbing. the Cylinder Piston the curved siphon . the Pressure Pump . The first press machine to have two pistons capable of delivering 105 litres/minute. the Depression-suction pump , manual still used by firefighters today, resembles a see-saw. the Hydraulic Clock and the Hydraulic Musical Instrument ( Hydraulos ), the first keyboard and polyphonic instrument in history which is also the first harmonium . B. Military. Remote weapons . Steam engines that operated with compressed air. Hoist . A heavy lifting machine that operated with water pressure. Hydraulic catapults . Catapults whose belts or ropes were stretched hydraulically. Hourglass . Astronomical hydraulic instrument - chronometer. The Hourglass of Ctesibius was also called hydraulis , in contrast to the hydraulus , which was called the musical instrument.
I know the organ player, actually, he's from my neighbouring town in South Germany. Never would I have thought I'd randomly see him on TH-cam one day in a recommended video. On the other hand, I've heard he's been travelling through Europe to show his instrument around and I think he's one of the only ones, if not the only one, to own and play a water organ, so it makes sense that there are videos of him.
@@savedemperor8024 Not that I'd knew of. I think it's a unique item, really. He also plays flute and other instruments in concerts and teaches at a musical school, so I guess he wouldn't have the time, anyway.
Oh really? I just thought while watching the video that it is sad that there are plenty of medieval markets, but nothing Roman themed, although there are remains of Roman culture all around us. I'd love to hear such an instrument in fitting environment.
@@NeovanGoth We have sometimes smaller Roman-themed festivals here in South Germany, right where the Limes stood, the wall that divided the Roman Empire and Germanic territory. We also have a Roman museum in our neighbouring town and remnants of Roman castles and ruins of a thermal bath.
Few people realize that the melody of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" originated with Rome's hydraulus players, who made it a highly popular tune during gladiatorial games.
Take me out to the great games Take me out with the crowd Buy me some garum and salted snacks I don't care if I never get back Let me root, root, root For the ludus If they don't kill it's a shame For it's one, Two, Three strikes and you're dead At the old great games!
The people pumping a large organ were standing on two of those levers and they "walked". Often about five people in a row. They were called "calcant". And during loud parts, it was hard work.
This is unique! Interesting trip back in time. At 1:10, in the background watch the child wander away from his parent to check out 'what the heck it is,' and may never again see or hear such a thing.
Ah, I once knew a water organ player from Aquincum (modern Buda-Pest) that brings back memories, (I'm a long lived vampire) thanks for the old memories.
Just between you and me, I also lived in Rome in the gladiator's time (because I'm too a long lived vampire who has trascended time) but not only this, I was a pythagorean initiated in Crotona before living in Rome, beheld Christ's crucifixion, and long before I wandered in the mesopotamian city-states, so I once strolled around most of the zigurats (especially the tower of babel) and the babylonian gardens and can affirm their existence. But the most amazing is my birthplace : I was born in Atlantis, so I had to move to the African continent after its downfall. So ancient wisdom, arts and crafts, etc... have no secrets for me.
The barrel under the organ is half filled with water. The air pumped in is bubbled through the water which creates a one way seal to keep the air compressed.
Well, because musical notation wasn’t invented yet, we have no idea what actual period compositions for these instruments were like, just how they worked. So he probably is just playing a medieval tune ON an ancient instrument.
@@IONATVS actually there were musical notations just quite different to the line notation we use today (based on letters and extra symbols for rhythms). So attempts at recreating exist although there is no way to clarify how accurate they are.
@@spinnertyp Where from? I'm unfortunately less familiar with notation systems from outside Europe. I know medieval neums (my main area of interest in the field) were not plainly-pitch-based either, but we only have examples from medieval period and later for those and the Byzantine notation's the only one I'm aware of from earlier.
@@IONATVS From ancient greece and later on Rome (because Romans stole everything from greece, even the music). Just look up the wikipedia article on the musical system of ancient greece, there is a table of symbols used
Yeah this wouldn't be what the Romans were listening to. This is tuned to equal temperament which didn't come into existence until the 1600's I believe and wasn't actually used in mainstream musics until much later about 100 years. Also Greek music, which birthed Roman music wasn't rythmic as we know rythym. It was much more free with inflections more closely resembling human speech than 'modern music' (the last 300 years or so)
Wonderful! Whoever invented this instrument must have been an amazing engineer! To even *think* of such a thing before it existed would require a great imagination!
well, the idea is not so far-fetched as it might seem. a pipe organ is basically a collection of flutes/recorders. in ancient greece, there were double flutes that were played simultaneously. so the idea to invent a machine that would create sound in a bunch of glutes or pipes is quite logical. particularly considering that many machines existed at the time, such as hydraulic water clocks and coin operated holy water dispensers to name just two fab examples
@@chriskershaw7968 Coin operated holy water dispenser? May I get some more info on that, because it genuinely sounds like something out of a Terry Pratchett novel and I can't help myself but imagine a vending machine for holy water hahaha. I want to know more about this!
@@BlackLight1375 A vending machine for Holy Water sounds like the exact kind of irony you'd find in a Terry Pratchett novel. Almost disappointed it wasn't in "Small Gods" now.
@hello I understand tuning. Choosing any other tuning would have serious disadvantages. Singers can change their tuning themselves, most instruments are as flexible as a brick. Tune them and pray.
They did not; they exclusively used just tuning, and there were many arguments and schools as to what the best tuning was (e.g. a scale constructed by repeating a series of 4ths vs. using the natural overtone series). I'd recommend the book *Apollo's Lyre: Greek Music and Music Theory in Antiquity and the Middle Ages*, if you can get your hands on it. I haven't been able to yet.
And all the fans shout “Stairway to Heaven” !! I was at a G Dead concert and the Chinese Orchestra opened up for them it being Chinese New Years in SF. Kind of sounded like this with a twang.
Actually, "Hydraulis" is a Greek invention. The Greeks were playing the "Hydraulis" (a Greek name) for centuries, before the Romans appropriated it! So, you might say that the 230 BCE Alexandria kids might remember this one...
I have a record of Mr. Pezhold who played old roman Trombones in the Xanten museum. Even this is very good, the player might have lived once in that times👍.
It was invented some 2,400 years ago and is the ancestor of all the church organs you have ever heard. The reason organs are associated with Christian churches is because many early churches were converted Roman buildings called basillicas and performances of these organs were often listened to by ancient Romans in those same buildings and the early Christians simply adopted the use of the instrument. Over the next couple of thousand years people learned how to make them larger and more complex, but they had this kind of humble beginnings.
@@artistjoh thats cool, thanks for sharing Now I will tell that to those annoying christians at my local church who shows off the organ as of it was their invention
@@VSMF The Roman organ was developed by applying mechanical principles to the pan pipes to increase volume and the range of sounds being made. The keyboard had a lot to do with increasing sophistication of music from them. There are several people credited with it’s invention, and it is probably more correct to suggest that these were important people in introducing various aspects of the instrunment, but that its development was likely an organic process across time. Ctesebius of Alexandria was one of these early developers of organs as an example. Reinvention has never stopped. Leonardo da Vinci invented a portable type of organ instrument, and of course modern electronic organs and electric keyboards and synthesisers are just the current generation of organ development. Christians usually like to claim they invented everything. For example, the Bible’s story of Noah’s ark is plagiarized from much older Sumerian flood myths and was probably absorbed from ancient Mesopotamian sources during the Babylonian exile and subsequently weaved into their own genesis myths. Christmas trees and gift giving are another very ancient practice, in this case was practiced by the Romans, and they probably took it from older, possibly Sumerian practices. The green conifer tree represented regrowth after the shortest day of the Northern Hemisphere. Unable to stamp out the popular Pagan practice the early Christians simply adopted it and applied their newer Jesus mythology to it.
I'm not sure how accurate the music is overall, but the part at 0:48 was definitely anachronistic. That was a fully voiced root position i to VII chord transition - I assure you Roman music did not have harmonies like this. First of all, they didn't have the diatonic scale yet (and wouldn't until the 16th century, Google tells me) so this is already impossible enough. Not to say that there weren't ancestral harmonies prior to our diatonic scale that sounded similar, but this instance follows modern harmony in a clear and studious way. Not characteristic of Roman music at all. I don't know squat about what it actually sounded like, but I can confidently tell you it didn't sound like that. As for the rest of the piece, it was diphonic which sort of sounds ancient and folky. So maybe that stuff was legit. But I have no idea. The instrument is really cool though! I don't wish to distract from the awesome sound and the fact that it requires human power to play. Just wanted to offer perspective on the piece itself.
every city has a medieval fair somewhere it its county but how come we never have any classical roman themed fairs where everyone dresses up as either roman senators or roman legionaries
Does anybody know how it was actually tuned, or what kind of music was played on it? This sounds a little like a bagpipe tune - which, since the Romans also used bagpipes, isn't too surprising. But are there any Roman tunes written down in a decipherable form, such that we actually know their melodies?
Longer answer (scholar of the classical history here): Unfortunately not. We know that music was a staple in roman and greek culture and they must have had a quite deep understanding of it. For example, they distinguished between wood and brass instruments. Not only concerning the different materials, but their different acoustic colours. But they had no formal musical system like we have today with the standardised stave-system. Without a tablature, we can't replicate the music itself, or the tuning of the instruments. But given the fact, that singing survived up to the times systems were standardised, we can at least approximate a general tuning. Furthermore, with the later dominance of the christian cult, music was heavily shunned upon, because it had a deep connection with the cultural and religious practices the christians wanted to extirpate.
Very nice ! I am making a video on the History of Music Synthesis. Organs being the ancestors of synthesizers, I would like to use part of your video as an illustration. Is it ok with you ? I will mention your link in the credits of course. Please let me know. Thank you !
1:08 Attention caught 1:11Immediate abandonment of squad and approach to the premise without hesitation for abandonments 1:22 impregnable spectator mode engaged
Those people got to see an amazing performance. Sounds exactly as we have been told Rome to sound like through media. What an incredible era of the planet it must have truly been.
I was thinking the same thing- but then we know so little about ancient harmony. I do note that the harmony here is built off of two very plausible historical methods observed globally throughout history and specifically known to be employed by later medieval music, however. Firstly the use of a drone, and secondly, notice that almost all the harmony is based off of perfect fifths; the first division (after the octave) in the overtone series. When Gregorian chant first started using harmony, the monks’ voices naturally gravitated to this interval. It’s certainly plausible to assume that earlier musics would have these in their arsenal, especially from what we know about classical knowledge of the overtone series (division of the string and so forth). But none of that is based on research or sources, it’s just my conjecture from my background knowledge of early music and what I noticed in the recording 😄 Possibly what was going through this performer’s mind when creating the tune, however!
Based on what we know theres no saying it's incorrect. Its definitely in the line of early medieval music, hard to imagine it would be extremily far off from late Roman music.
There may have compositions from before the byzantine period hiding as folk melodies, but since we have no musical notation from back then there’s no way to know specifics of their compositional styles. Basically all we know about how they harmonized is that some greek philosophers discussed the mathematics of (just intonation) tuning and what scales they commonly used. And probably varied a lot over the thousand years or so these kinds of instruments were a part of the popular culture. So using medieval or folk harmony is probably about as good as you’re gonna get on that front, tbh.
No roman music actually survived to this day. We can speculate how it sounded like through the instruments recovered and ancient greek and jewish songs.
Our music notation system was only developed in the late middle ages. We can only speculate, but we do know the ancient Greeks had knowledge of a set of different scales (modes) that were connected to specific emotions/atmospheres. Presumably music was either improvised within those modes or transmitted orally.
@@daanmollema6366 well the first western transcribed music was gregorian chant, with its square numes I so thats the consensous I hear from professional musicians in the church, at least in the west I cant speak for the ragas or vedas in the east, or more near eastern music.
Liturgical music from Ancient Rome still exists in the Orthodox Church. Many of the harmonies and melodies from Gregorian Chant go back to this era also.
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In the early 1960s I remember getting a children's record album of King Arthur and the knights. It was a dramatized tale, but was punctuated by a soundtrack of pipe organ music. I asked my father if there were pipe organs in the days of King Arthur. He said there were, because the Romans had them. There is a pipe organ in Italy, still played today, that was built before Columbus. It is good to hear what a Roman pipe organ sounded like.
That organ is in Bologna. It includes ranks of pipes from the 1440s. There are actually older organs, one at Sion in Switzerland and one at Ostönnen, Germany, both from around 1420.
That's amazing.
I love that your father had off the cuff knowledge about pipe organ history.
Very interesting!
@@richardholmquist7316 I first read your comment as “that organ is bologna” 😅
That's really nice sounding. Kind of ancient and medieval at the same time.
People overrated the distinction between the Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The average peasant probably didn't even noticed.
Most of our music is made with major and minor, and the odd blues scale. But these are both relatively modern inventions. Blues was 20th century(?), and Major and Minor *technically* came about only around the 1600s.
Until then, in the Renaissance and before, they used modes (two of which later morphed into major and minor.) They are quite different and perhaps "boring" sounding to us who are now used to what we are used to.
The modes were based on ancient roman and greek scales as well! They sound similar because:
a) one is based upon the other, and
b) they're both equally as rare to hear nowadays
How similar are they really? I've no idea. I'm sure some theorist somewhere reconstructed it. But reconstructions' accuracy will always be tainted by what's current.
Medieval is ancient.
@@andybaldman This Pipe was invented 700 years prior to the 5th Century, when the Middle Ages/Medieval Period started. And between than and now 1,620 years, 11months, and 8 Days.
That would put the design of this Pipe now in the 2,320 mark. So it's actually pretty modern if you look at it from a Historian point of view. Especially, when you think Dinosaurs are Older than that.
@@NerdyNEET not during Late Antiquity. While feudalism wasn't a thing yet, many of its aspects were already developing during the last centuries of Rome. The decadence of slavery and rise of serfdom was one of them.
Fun fact: the organ was invented in the third century B.C. by an engineer in Alexandria. When the Romans adopted it from the Greeks, they played it in the arena during gladiatorial combat. It was a very profane instrument, about the furthest thing from what the early Christians would consider appropriate to play during the service. To them, having an organ play would basically be the equivalent of playing cheap arena rock in a church. However, it did find its way into the Late Roman/Byzantine imperial ceremonies and in 757, Emperor Constantine V donated one to Frankish King Pepin the Short as a token of respect and demonstration of Roman engineering. It was Charlemagne who's responsible for the organ's introduction in a church context, as he requested one for his chapel in Aachen from the Easter Roman Emperor in 812 after the other one broke. Took a few more centuries for it to become established in churches though
And now churches play bad stadium rock...
😂😂😂@@RootDRThorne th-cam.com/users/sgaming/emoji/7ff574f2/emoji_u1f602.png
@@RootDRThornecontemporary liberal churches do, historical conservative churches retain their old ways
Interesting, but who cares what Christians thought and what churches played? Do you bring everything you talk about back to this? ;)
@@Fluterra well the organ is most commonly found in a church...
You’re telling me that Roman musicians were composing Old School RuneScape music 2000 years before RuneScape existed?
Is your mind blown? Lol.
I don't believe there was any music notation from the Classic Roman Empire. It wasn't until later in the Byzantine Empire that there was. In Western Europe though music notation came into existence around 1000ish(?). This guy is just improvising with a kind of medieval flare actually. But it still sounds great.
@@Oceananswer We studied an old system of music notation called "Neumes" in class before, and it genuinely peaked my interest.
Although writing music down in a literary form may seem cliche now, all the way back in the 7th Century a man named "Isidore of Seville" outright claimed that it was impossible for a man to write music down on paper.
So it is genuinely interesting how one time we thought we could not put such an abstract form of art and entertainment such as music down on paper, and now more than a thousand years later we could do it with ease.
It really makes you think about the things that we cannot currently describe or put onto paper nowadays, but things we someday will be able to.
@@charlesdoeseverything9716 Though to be fair even sheet music struggles a lot with completely capturing all the unspoken nuances of playing style for the time. It's real interesting hearing a "modern" orchestra playing say a Bach piece, and then a "hardcore baroque nerd" one that tries their best to use recreated period instruments and techniques. Both following the sheet music, just what set of assumptions "fill in the gaps"
Still a HUGE advantage over simply hoping it lives on in unbroken oral tradition of course!
@@charlesdoeseverything9716 that is cool asf
you know it's gonna be a lit night in the villa when you hear this playing
Party On Garth !
There would regularly be riots at water organ concerts, so you're not kidding.
Joke if you like but the Romans threw better parties than you can ever hope to have
"Meet us at the colosseum tonight Alexander, the party shall be off the chains! And don't forget the wineskins or Hades will have you!"
And a high day at the pharmacy next...
Amazing to think that this was the beginning of the pipe organ. Folks way back then would be astounded if they could hear the the grand majestic instruments we have now.
There's a hypothesis that everyone alive on Earth today is brain-damaged by the excessive carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and that we've been losing intelligence for tens of thousands of years. Early homo sapiens' brains were somewhat larger than those today, for example.
@@NoJusticeNoPeace ?
@@NoJusticeNoPeace that's hilarious
@@TheOneAndOnlyZeno Are you really incapable of following the line of reasoning? The OP is wondering how the ancients would react to our modern technological innovation. I'm saying that the ancients may well have been more intelligent than us. In fact, there is considerable evidence that early homo sapiens was _much_ smarter than us, and would probably regard us as being pretty dumb... as witness your inability to pick up my meaning from context.
@@NoJusticeNoPeace ???
that was a supremely good performance, worthy of Biggus Dickus.
don't forget his wife Incontinentia Buttocks, she would also have appreciated this instrument
@@its_just_seb no
@@NickHyatt-ROCKS yes
you are utterly spot on.
when I say the name.. of.. bigGUSSS... dickUSSS...!
i like how they're dressed like ancient romans too
They don't look that old to me.
@@Jayce_AlexanderDidn't say they looked old
Wayfair had just what they needed.
Long live Ktesibios, its inventor - 4th century BCE! If they showed the sophisticated mechanism & hydraulics of this, you'd be amazed that they (the Classical Greeks) developed this technology. And this before Rome had even completely conquered Italy.
So does a flow of water spin a turbine that provides the air? How does it work
@@patrickvalentino600 Slave power! Doesn't everyone have a slave for pumping - you know: prisoners captured in previous military campaigns?? There are levers whose mechanism is similar to a simple bicycle pump. As I understand it, the water/hydraulics are a regulator that steady the air pressure. Otherwise it would be like an accordeon, where sound is directly proportional to how hard you're pumping at that very millesecond. An organ needs steadier pressure.
BCE
@@MitzvosGolem1 Before Christ.
@@seraphimdunn BCE is proper .
That's amazing.
Reminds me when i heard a flute made from a swan bone - rebuilt after the original (almost 40.000 years old) in southern Germany. It's allways like a little time travel ... catching the spirit of former times.
Thank you for sharing this moment!
Just the idea of a swan bone flute is very evocative. Very striking.
I wonder if we could rebuild Hatsune Miku from a figment of a hard drive.
totally dude. precisely true dude
@@TheLightningStalkerplenty of hentai to survive the ages.
Hydraulis was invented by the great ancient Greek mathematician, engineer and inventor Ctesebious, in the 3d century B.C.
He was best known mainly for his following achievements:
A. Plumbing.
the Cylinder Piston
the curved siphon .
the Pressure Pump . The first press machine to have two pistons capable of delivering 105 litres/minute.
the Depression-suction pump , manual still used by firefighters today, resembles a see-saw.
the Hydraulic Clock and
the Hydraulic Musical Instrument ( Hydraulos ), the first keyboard and polyphonic instrument in history which is also the first harmonium .
B. Military.
Remote weapons . Steam engines that operated with compressed air.
Hoist . A heavy lifting machine that operated with water pressure.
Hydraulic catapults . Catapults whose belts or ropes were stretched hydraulically.
Hourglass . Astronomical hydraulic instrument - chronometer. The Hourglass of Ctesibius was also called hydraulis , in contrast to the hydraulus , which was called the musical instrument.
Bravo, and the name of it was, ΗΥΔΡΑΥΛΙΣ, in Greek. A Greek friend, Demetrios Maniates.
I know the organ player, actually, he's from my neighbouring town in South Germany. Never would I have thought I'd randomly see him on TH-cam one day in a recommended video. On the other hand, I've heard he's been travelling through Europe to show his instrument around and I think he's one of the only ones, if not the only one, to own and play a water organ, so it makes sense that there are videos of him.
Does he make such instruments for sale maybe?
@@savedemperor8024 Not that I'd knew of. I think it's a unique item, really. He also plays flute and other instruments in concerts and teaches at a musical school, so I guess he wouldn't have the time, anyway.
Oh really? I just thought while watching the video that it is sad that there are plenty of medieval markets, but nothing Roman themed, although there are remains of Roman culture all around us. I'd love to hear such an instrument in fitting environment.
@@NeovanGoth We have sometimes smaller Roman-themed festivals here in South Germany, right where the Limes stood, the wall that divided the Roman Empire and Germanic territory.
We also have a Roman museum in our neighbouring town and remnants of Roman castles and ruins of a thermal bath.
@@Ambar42 Ah of course at the Limes, thanks! I'm in Munich, such a festival would be a good reason for a weekend trip. :)
Few people realize that the melody of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" originated with Rome's hydraulus players, who made it a highly popular tune during gladiatorial games.
What a load of old cobblers!
Take me out to the great games
Take me out with the crowd
Buy me some garum and salted snacks
I don't care if I never get back
Let me root, root, root
For the ludus
If they don't kill it's a shame
For it's one,
Two,
Three strikes and you're dead
At the old great games!
@@OrmoluClock Nice one!
@@OrmoluClock 👏
FYI, this is a joke
now just imagine how advanced we would be today if the romans understood lead poisoning
The people pumping a large organ were standing on two of those levers and they "walked". Often about five people in a row. They were called "calcant". And during loud parts, it was hard work.
That was waaaay later though, when organs were built very differently without the use of hydraulics
Now we know why the playing is so fluid.
Budum tsch!
*Shut up and take my Aureus!*
This is unique! Interesting trip back in time. At 1:10, in the background watch the child wander away from his parent to check out 'what the heck it is,' and may never again see or hear such a thing.
You know hes gonna remember that forever
I would definitely be very proud of my kiddo if he went running to see what the hell was going on after hearing this
Good observation, he will probably remember that for his whole life.
Ah, I once knew a water organ player from Aquincum (modern Buda-Pest) that brings back memories, (I'm a long lived vampire) thanks for the old memories.
Share you gift with me I long to be immortal
Just between you and me, I also lived in Rome in the gladiator's time (because I'm too a long lived vampire who has trascended time) but not only this, I was a pythagorean initiated in Crotona before living in Rome, beheld Christ's crucifixion, and long before I wandered in the mesopotamian city-states, so I once strolled around most of the zigurats (especially the tower of babel) and the babylonian gardens and can affirm their existence. But the most amazing is my birthplace : I was born in Atlantis, so I had to move to the African continent after its downfall. So ancient wisdom, arts and crafts, etc... have no secrets for me.
I think i've stumbled upon a cult.
your comment is totally correct man
@@DannySullivanMusic not only correct, but true, my friend!
good old romans times i remeber when i was a child sweet roman times
It sounds like Kirk is going to fight Spock in some weird purple arena.
I would have liked an explanation of how this worked. Got a GREAT sound! Thanks for uploading!
I’ve heard that the big ones were powered by steam bellows. Slaves would fill the steam-producing ovens with coal while the musician was playing
The barrel under the organ is half filled with water. The air pumped in is bubbled through the water which creates a one way seal to keep the air compressed.
Wow! A musical instrument that old. The music sounds a little bit like medieval music. It deserved the applause, too.
Well, because musical notation wasn’t invented yet, we have no idea what actual period compositions for these instruments were like, just how they worked. So he probably is just playing a medieval tune ON an ancient instrument.
@@IONATVS actually there were musical notations just quite different to the line notation we use today (based on letters and extra symbols for rhythms). So attempts at recreating exist although there is no way to clarify how accurate they are.
@@spinnertyp Where from? I'm unfortunately less familiar with notation systems from outside Europe. I know medieval neums (my main area of interest in the field) were not plainly-pitch-based either, but we only have examples from medieval period and later for those and the Byzantine notation's the only one I'm aware of from earlier.
@@IONATVS From ancient greece and later on Rome (because Romans stole everything from greece, even the music). Just look up the wikipedia article on the musical system of ancient greece, there is a table of symbols used
Yeah this wouldn't be what the Romans were listening to. This is tuned to equal temperament which didn't come into existence until the 1600's I believe and wasn't actually used in mainstream musics until much later about 100 years. Also Greek music, which birthed Roman music wasn't rythmic as we know rythym. It was much more free with inflections more closely resembling human speech than 'modern music' (the last 300 years or so)
My mind can't shake that this sounds like runescape
Superman’s entrance at 1:21 is hilarious. This cute little guy is going to grow up to be a musician.
Wonderful! Whoever invented this instrument must have been an amazing engineer!
To even *think* of such a thing before it existed would require a great imagination!
Ktesibios in 4th century BC. As far as we know.
well, the idea is not so far-fetched as it might seem. a pipe organ is basically a collection of flutes/recorders. in ancient greece, there were double flutes that were played simultaneously. so the idea to invent a machine that would create sound in a bunch of glutes or pipes is quite logical. particularly considering that many machines existed at the time, such as hydraulic water clocks and coin operated holy water dispensers to name just two fab examples
@@chriskershaw7968 Coin operated holy water dispenser? May I get some more info on that, because it genuinely sounds like something out of a Terry Pratchett novel and I can't help myself but imagine a vending machine for holy water hahaha. I want to know more about this!
@@BlackLight1375 A vending machine for Holy Water sounds like the exact kind of irony you'd find in a Terry Pratchett novel. Almost disappointed it wasn't in "Small Gods" now.
@@chriskershaw7968 Don't you underestimate my boy, Ktesibios, now Chris
Did the Romans apply equal temperament tuning? This must be a very modern Roman!
@hello I understand tuning. Choosing any other tuning would have serious disadvantages. Singers can change their tuning themselves, most instruments are as flexible as a brick. Tune them and pray.
Actually, "Hydraulis" is a Greek invention. The Greeks were playing the "Hydraulis" (a Greek name) for centuries, before the Romans appropriated it!
@@ThomasGazis it was actually really short time since the Greek invented it.
They did not; they exclusively used just tuning, and there were many arguments and schools as to what the best tuning was (e.g. a scale constructed by repeating a series of 4ths vs. using the natural overtone series). I'd recommend the book *Apollo's Lyre: Greek Music and Music Theory in Antiquity and the Middle Ages*, if you can get your hands on it. I haven't been able to yet.
That really sounds like the rest of the power metal band is going to enter on the next beat
This is what would be played at times at the ancient Roman Colosseum during the gladiator contests.
You watched weird history
@@adamdeuel2697 that clip brought me here.
Same
It's also where the melody for "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" originated.
How could you hear this over a crowd?
From this to the 33,000 plus pipes of the Atlantic City Auditorium organ. Quite an evolution..
33,112
Wonderful effort all around! We have a lot to rediscover still about ancient pneumatica. This was a big project, with excellent outcome. Thank you.
Smells Like Roman Spirit.
Actually, "Hydraulis" is a Greek invention. The Greeks were playing the "Hydraulis" (a Greek name) for centuries, before the Romans appropriated it!
This is a certified hood classic.
Optimum et magnificum!!!!; Salve🖐️
Exceptional. I've studied organ and always wondered how this must how sounded.
That joint was jumpin' and the band was pumpin'!
Интересная реконструкция
The Hydraulis of Dion from Alexandria invented by Cstebius.
Exactly! But they are claiming here that Hydraulis was a Roman invention...
Beautiful!
Credit to the lady pumping up the beat!
And all the fans shout “Stairway to Heaven” !! I was at a G Dead concert and the Chinese Orchestra opened up for them it being Chinese New Years in SF. Kind of sounded like this with a twang.
0:58 My man jumps right to 70's prog rock
Only A.D. 236 kids will remember this one.
no cap
Actually, "Hydraulis" is a Greek invention. The Greeks were playing the "Hydraulis" (a Greek name) for centuries, before the Romans appropriated it! So, you might say that the 230 BCE Alexandria kids might remember this one...
I have a record of Mr. Pezhold who played old roman Trombones in the Xanten museum. Even this is very good, the player might have lived once in that times👍.
I feel like I am living in the ancient Era. Great performance!!!!
So this is what men mean when they ask you to pump their organ.
Now play "In a Gadda Da Vida!"
Yes, the 1800 years long version.
Sounds medieval not ancient Roman but that's preconceptions for ya
I had no idea such an instrument even existed. Thanks for posting.
It was invented some 2,400 years ago and is the ancestor of all the church organs you have ever heard. The reason organs are associated with Christian churches is because many early churches were converted Roman buildings called basillicas and performances of these organs were often listened to by ancient Romans in those same buildings and the early Christians simply adopted the use of the instrument. Over the next couple of thousand years people learned how to make them larger and more complex, but they had this kind of humble beginnings.
@@artistjoh thats cool, thanks for sharing
Now I will tell that to those annoying christians at my local church who shows off the organ as of it was their invention
@@VSMF The Roman organ was developed by applying mechanical principles to the pan pipes to increase volume and the range of sounds being made. The keyboard had a lot to do with increasing sophistication of music from them. There are several people credited with it’s invention, and it is probably more correct to suggest that these were important people in introducing various aspects of the instrunment, but that its development was likely an organic process across time. Ctesebius of Alexandria was one of these early developers of organs as an example. Reinvention has never stopped. Leonardo da Vinci invented a portable type of organ instrument, and of course modern electronic organs and electric keyboards and synthesisers are just the current generation of organ development.
Christians usually like to claim they invented everything. For example, the Bible’s story of Noah’s ark is plagiarized from much older Sumerian flood myths and was probably absorbed from ancient Mesopotamian sources during the Babylonian exile and subsequently weaved into their own genesis myths. Christmas trees and gift giving are another very ancient practice, in this case was practiced by the Romans, and they probably took it from older, possibly Sumerian practices. The green conifer tree represented regrowth after the shortest day of the Northern Hemisphere. Unable to stamp out the popular Pagan practice the early Christians simply adopted it and applied their newer Jesus mythology to it.
@@artistjoh excelent comment. Thanks for the contribution
Ich war da an dem Tag. Wunderbar. Danke für diese Erinnerung.
Oh we're definitely including this in our band. We're bout to make some roman punk
all the npcs gathered round for this banger. I just wanna imagine them all in that B.C. Garb
Now we know who invented Dungeon Synth
Ay yo Marcus Giaus Arelius Publius IVXs new album looking good.
plot twist it's actually an electric, he just dressed it up in wood and likes having the maiden pump the lever while he plays.
You mean to tell me the guy couldn't pump it out with his foot, lazy slough...
Thank you Thank you, this next song is called c'mon baby light my fire.
Never seen this , much less knew it existed, great sound!!👍
I'm not sure how accurate the music is overall, but the part at 0:48 was definitely anachronistic. That was a fully voiced root position i to VII chord transition - I assure you Roman music did not have harmonies like this. First of all, they didn't have the diatonic scale yet (and wouldn't until the 16th century, Google tells me) so this is already impossible enough. Not to say that there weren't ancestral harmonies prior to our diatonic scale that sounded similar, but this instance follows modern harmony in a clear and studious way. Not characteristic of Roman music at all. I don't know squat about what it actually sounded like, but I can confidently tell you it didn't sound like that.
As for the rest of the piece, it was diphonic which sort of sounds ancient and folky. So maybe that stuff was legit. But I have no idea.
The instrument is really cool though! I don't wish to distract from the awesome sound and the fact that it requires human power to play. Just wanted to offer perspective on the piece itself.
The Romans did not write down their music. Plagiarization was the norm. A theme could be Persian and nobody would have any idea.
Have you ever played the water organ before, Joe?
@@jessl1934 Nope, but it looks quite fun!
@@Joe_Yacketori Would you be interested in playing mine?
@@jessl1934 I'd love to - but I'm not a very good keyboardist! And I also have a full time job and no time to travel. But thank you though!
Oh wow. Easy to take for granted the kinds of machines the Romans and Greeks were building.
every city has a medieval fair somewhere it its county but how come we never have any classical roman themed fairs where everyone dresses up as either roman senators or roman legionaries
The hydraulis is the oldest known keyboard instrument
And it is Greek, not Roman
When you realise that your 32bit rpg music is almost spot on.
Does anybody know how it was actually tuned, or what kind of music was played on it? This sounds a little like a bagpipe tune - which, since the Romans also used bagpipes, isn't too surprising. But are there any Roman tunes written down in a decipherable form, such that we actually know their melodies?
Short answer: no.
Longer answer (scholar of the classical history here): Unfortunately not. We know that music was a staple in roman and greek culture and they must have had a quite deep understanding of it. For example, they distinguished between wood and brass instruments. Not only concerning the different materials, but their different acoustic colours. But they had no formal musical system like we have today with the standardised stave-system. Without a tablature, we can't replicate the music itself, or the tuning of the instruments. But given the fact, that singing survived up to the times systems were standardised, we can at least approximate a general tuning.
Furthermore, with the later dominance of the christian cult, music was heavily shunned upon, because it had a deep connection with the cultural and religious practices the christians wanted to extirpate.
It’s got a bag pipe droning quality to it just not as high pitched.
Very nice ! I am making a video on the History of Music Synthesis. Organs being the ancestors of synthesizers, I would like to use part of your video as an illustration. Is it ok with you ? I will mention your link in the credits of course. Please let me know. Thank you !
Sure, no problem. The artists are worth a mention too. I will certainly watch your video.
1:08 Attention caught 1:11Immediate abandonment of squad and approach to the premise without hesitation for abandonments 1:22 impregnable spectator mode engaged
My ancestor, Romulus Maximus Blopipeus, wrote that tune.
I though water was going to come out of the pipes that would have been so funny
I'd love to hear Inna Gadda da Vita or Echoes on that thing.
For some reason this makes me want to play RuneScape again
Thanks TH-cam algorithm
And of course it’s slave-powered…
Now I feel like crushing the Visigoths.
If I don't diet I'm gonna end up w belly like that.
I just noticed that the little dolphin moves a little as the organ is played.
Such a interesting tiny detail!
Hope no dumb rapper samples this song and ruins it
"Ah! Hello adventurer!"
Those people got to see an amazing performance. Sounds exactly as we have been told Rome to sound like through media. What an incredible era of the planet it must have truly been.
What is the title of this wonderful song?
I didn't know churning butter had a soundtrack
She’s pumping his organ!
So this is what ancient heavy metal sounded like!
I think I got hypnotized by the pump lady
Not sure the harmonization is historically accurate, but it's a nice effort!
I was thinking the same thing- but then we know so little about ancient harmony. I do note that the harmony here is built off of two very plausible historical methods observed globally throughout history and specifically known to be employed by later medieval music, however.
Firstly the use of a drone, and secondly, notice that almost all the harmony is based off of perfect fifths; the first division (after the octave) in the overtone series. When Gregorian chant first started using harmony, the monks’ voices naturally gravitated to this interval. It’s certainly plausible to assume that earlier musics would have these in their arsenal, especially from what we know about classical knowledge of the overtone series (division of the string and so forth).
But none of that is based on research or sources, it’s just my conjecture from my background knowledge of early music and what I noticed in the recording 😄 Possibly what was going through this performer’s mind when creating the tune, however!
Based on what we know theres no saying it's incorrect. Its definitely in the line of early medieval music, hard to imagine it would be extremily far off from late Roman music.
There may have compositions from before the byzantine period hiding as folk melodies, but since we have no musical notation from back then there’s no way to know specifics of their compositional styles. Basically all we know about how they harmonized is that some greek philosophers discussed the mathematics of (just intonation) tuning and what scales they commonly used. And probably varied a lot over the thousand years or so these kinds of instruments were a part of the popular culture. So using medieval or folk harmony is probably about as good as you’re gonna get on that front, tbh.
The ancient Greeks discovered the system of harmonics that we have today, so it’s probably fairly accurate.
@@IONATVS My thoughts exactly, thanks for validating me 😂
saying ''roman'' cause it's getting boring to say ''greek'' once more.
it ain't roman baby...
Exactly! "Hydraulis" is a Greek invention. The Greeks were playing the "Hydraulis" (a Greek name) for centuries, before the Romans appropriated it!
That's my jam!
Everyone grab a partner and dance like it's 199! (AD)
Rather like it is 240 BCE in Alexandria. This is a Greek invention, long before the Romans appropriated it. Even its name "Hydraulus" is Greek!
@@ThomasGazis way to ruin a joke mate.
Damn. Never going to go to a party with you, like, ever.
“OPEN THE FUCKING PIT!”
Sounds like something a Klingon would enjoy. Romans did a lot of things that Klingons would have enjoyed!
I feel sorry for Eva.... she got the hand action going on...
I'm curious what it would sound like if she Stopped cranking During mid play?
If you attach to a the bellow wind thingy foot pedals like in a mini-stepper machine you could get a good workout while playing music
True Dungeon Synth
needs more cowbell
Very cool. I want to play that organ. Cute little organ.
very interesting
Crank that organ!
Super cool! Does any written music from the instrument's original repertoire survive?
No roman music actually survived to this day. We can speculate how it sounded like through the instruments recovered and ancient greek and jewish songs.
Our music notation system was only developed in the late middle ages. We can only speculate, but we do know the ancient Greeks had knowledge of a set of different scales (modes) that were connected to specific emotions/atmospheres. Presumably music was either improvised within those modes or transmitted orally.
@@daanmollema6366 well the first western transcribed music was gregorian chant, with its square numes I so thats the consensous I hear from professional musicians in the church, at least in the west I cant speak for the ragas or vedas in the east, or more near eastern music.
Liturgical music from Ancient Rome still exists in the Orthodox Church. Many of the harmonies and melodies from Gregorian Chant go back to this era also.
@@joebombero1 but chant is accapella it has no instruments only very rarely
I haven't heard that for two millennia ,it brings back memories of Capua, warm nights before Vespasian's time. T
Robinson Matthew Taylor Eric Young Mary
Y como estaba afinado? Que temperamento? Cómo están colocadas las teclas?
Es posible tocar una partitura moderna en ese órgano?
Saludos
A real banger