Two important early melodies are recorded in Codex Runicus and Codex Upsaliensis C 233 – examples of medieval Scandinavian manuscripts-, the former of which is the only example of music written with runes (c. 1300). Anna Komnene, Alexiad, ch. Every contribution is equally valued, from small to big offers. © Copyright 2020 United Academics Amsterdam. We get the talented singer Olga Maragoudaki from Drama in northeast Greece who uses the stage name Aethelwyne. The Share your Science section aims at giving students and researchers a space to share their thesis to a broader audience. Finally, there is a multitude of Latin sources, from pre-Christian Roman writers to Christian monks that detail what kind of subjects that the Germanic tribes sang, and what types of instruments they played. 83; Book II, ch. In the song ‘Seiðr‘, Aethelwyn’s vocals do not appear until after halfway through the song.
An Arab merchant visiting Hereby, Denmark, in the 10th century had this to say about the Viking's singing: "Never before I have heard uglier songs than those of the Vikings in Slesvig (in Denmark). We had to go through them a few times before I recorded them, but now I feel that they come out naturally,” she said. Archaeological excavations have unearthed numerous musical instruments from the Viking Age, which can be categorized as woodwind, brass, string, and percussion instruments. Rímur is an extremely conservative form of oral poetry that uses alliteration and rhyme, and contains kennings, heiti and other characteristics of skaldic poetry, while tvísöngur is a type of singing wherein two lines of melody are sung polyphonically, typically in parallel fifths. Although Old Norse literature that mentions music were written by the Scandinavians themselves, as these were all recorded decades and usually centuries after the Viking Age, accuracy is a problem. Edited by Henry Furneaux. Examples of these instruments include long, tubular lur horns; bone flutes found in Birka, Sweden; panpipes from the Coppergate excavation; a cow horn found in Västerby, Sweden; rattles in the Oseberg ship in Norway; and lyres such as the Anglo-Saxon Sutton Hoo lyre found in the UK. (Photo: “Codex Runicus.” Arnamagnæan Digitization Project, Denmark.). What is possible to say, is that the Vikings had plenty of music. Continuing traditions include Norwegian Medieval Ballads, which may contain musical elements from medieval times. 9. Read the full dissertation here. Some of them have overlap with overtone singing, or harmonic singing. March 1, 2016). When asked by Greek City Times that despite doing Nordic-inspired music, whether she still feels a connection to her own Greek heritage, she said she feels a strong connection to it. I am deeply moved every time I listen to it or sing it,” Aethelwyn said. (1) Wardruna - Løyndomsriss & Heimta Thurs (2) Vikings - Blood Eagle - Ending scene (3) Wardruna - Fehu ( with lyrics and translation ) (4) Wardruna's Einar Selvik Singing "Helvegen" on the Borre Grave Mounds in Norway (5) FMF 2015: International TV Series Gala: Vikings suite, Trevor Morris (6) Swedish Folk Song - Herr Mannelig (7) Helleliti, medieval Norwegian song with an English translation. Throat singing is an umbrella term for a variety of indigenous vocal performance styles. Byzantine sources describe “Gothic dances” and detail the tendency of the Scandinavians abroad to adhere strongly to tradition. From all of these foreign sources, we know that at least one type of Norse vocal music sounded legato with different pitches, Scandinavian music tended to be conservative, and Germanic tribes sang about their own history and chanted before battle.
Constantine VII, De Ceremoniis, Book I, ch. Share your Science. Other traditions that may contain clues are the Icelandic rímur and tvísöngur. Although the song has a light feeling in the first half, with the introduction of her raw vocals with Nordic-style throat singing and grunts, the song takes a much more darker aesthetic. My vocal coach, Melina Ruais, helped me to perfect those vocals. Furthermore, unlike the Vikings, Arab, Byzantine, and Latin writers did describe and record their own music, and we also know from their startled accounts that Scandinavian music did not resemble theirs. “Well, to be honest I’m more Thracian rather than Cretan in terms of percentages, despite my surname. With that being said, my dad used to lull me to sleep with it, so it owns a very special place in my heart. No matter what methods are used to reconstruct the music of the Vikings, unless one had a time machine, it is impossible to say for certain how it sounded. Of course, all of this must be taken with a grain of salt. It is only natural to then inquire whether she would want to one day soon do Ancient Greek-inspired music. By studying archaeological records, literary accounts, and medieval music theories, it is possible to sketch the outline of Viking Age Scandinavian music. The growling sound coming from their throats reminds me of dogs howling, only more untamed." Another visitor compared their singing to the sound of a heavily loaded cart rolling down a hillside. As part of her singing in Munknörr, she incorporates many sounds that are not usual for a Greek singer, such as grunts, throat singing and other sounds that you would not expect. Thus, by eliminating what it did not resemble, we can guess what Viking music did not sound like, and delete this from the hypothesis. In Asia.
So basically the things that unite us as humans outweigh the ones that divide us in a sense,” she explained.
Like archaeology, it supports the hypothesis that music was performed for different contexts, with different instruments.
Rather, she steals the show, particularly from 5:45 onward, with a powerful and hypnotic solo vocal performance that demonstrates the true and full spectrum of her vocal capabilities. I’d love to collaborate with the UK-based Greek band Daemonia Nymphe for that purpose. While the Scandinavians themselves left few clues as to how their music may have sounded, contemporary accounts in Arabic, Greek, and Latin survive. Gymel is a type of polyphonic music from Northern England, and according to Giraldus Cambrensis (c. 1146–1223 CE), it is thought to have had Scandinavian influence, as polyphonic music was uncommon in native English music. Sardinian throat singing; Duet styles. Tacitus, de Origine et Situ Germanorum Liber. “I would love that actually! (University of Manitoba.
Such sources include runes, the Poetic and Prose Eddas, sagas, and others, and these typically describe when, where, and about what Viking Age music consisted of. Meet the sweet-looking Greek who makes Viking-inspired music by throat singing and grunting (VIDEOS) by Paul Antonopoulos. Tuvan throat singing, a form of overtone singing; Altai throat singing; Tibetan throat singing; In Europe. 52. Archaeology demonstrates the diversity of instruments, while later Old Norse literary accounts describe the circumstances wherein music was performed. Throat singing is an umbrella term for a variety of indigenous vocal performance styles. 83; Book II, ch. Aethelwyn’s latest solo work is a cover of Ήτανε Μια φορά (Once Upon A Time), originally by the legendary Cretan singer Nikos Xylouris.
Last but not least, it is a major means of expression and artistic liberation for me. All rights reserved, flourishing writing culture during the Viking Age, sang about their own history and chanted before battle, Using Artificial Intelligence to Diagnose COVID19, Thai Doctors Use Anti-HIV and Anti-flu Drugs to Treat Patients with Coronavirus Infection, Study Reveals Geographic Differences in the SARS-CoV-2 Genomes, Spain to Ease Lockdown Rules for Children, Spain Orders Mandatory Quarantine for Incoming Travellers, Catastrophic Events on Earth Imprinted on the Moon, Sharks and Microorganisms: A Case of Peaceful Cohabitation, Covid-19 Candidate Vaccines Pass Safety and Efficacy Tests, Nearly Every Recovered Covid-19 Patient Has Antibodies Against the Virus. Of course her music is not limited to just Viking-era inspired music, she also sings in Greek as you will see towards the end of the interview. Imagine a human bagpipe-a person who could sing a sustained low note while humming an eerie, whistle-like melody. I always listen to Cretan songs with joy, as they are really pleasant to hear, plus there’s this inner connection, as a part of me is Cretan of course, and I especially love the sound of the lyre. To do this, we can look at early melodies and continuing Scandinavian artistic traditions that may have traces of earlier music, and compare and contrast these melodies. Unlike in Seiðr, Aethelwyne does not grunt or throat sing in Nauthiz. It is clear that she has a strong interest in Nordic folk tradition, but what about Greek, especially since we can draw similarities between their two pre-Christian mythologies and heritage? References: Speaking with Greek City Times, she explained that she uses the stage name Aethelwyne because of her love for the elves in the Lord of the Rings series and that Aethelwyne is the old Anglo-Saxon word for “friend of the elves.”, Her biggest project to date is with Damián Schneider of Munknörr.
What exactly does she mean by Cretan spirit though? Xylouris certainly has a certain place in her heart, but with the exception of Gianatou, Aethelwyn has not drawn much inspiration for her musical style from any other Greek artists. “I think all mythologies and cultures – to a certain extent of course – are more or less interconnected and have things in common. By region.
You are the one in charge. Some of them have overlap with overtone singing, or harmonic singing. It’s definitely a dream of mine,” she said. However, to have a better understanding of what Viking music actually sounded like, it is necessary to turn towards music theories and reconstruct melodies. Nordic Throat Singing The video is produced by Broedrene brothers uncorporated and the sound is produced by Kjell Braaten http://www.kjellbraaten.com Support the United Academics Magazine.
“I feel strongly connected with my ancestors and roots in a more spiritual way whenever I record for Munknörr and this does play a significant role, as I live by the slogan ‘do it with passion or not at all.’ If it wasn’t for this sense of belonging, I wouldn’t be able to properly function in a project like that,” she emphasised.