"Reconstructed Music From Babylon." Topic

Pretty neat stuff. Stef Connor has a degree in music, and studied Babylonian cuneiform and learned the language.

But how does one reincarnate music that no human voice has uttered for millennia? Conner says a key step was to really understand the language. She carefully studied historical analysis of the stresses and intonations of Babylonian and Sumerian for hints as to how it may have sounded, and researched how language is converted into music in similar Semitic languages. Then, after choosing and memorizing a piece of writing or poem, Conner collaborated with Lowings to create the melody.

The guy playing the Lyre has a reconstructed Sumerian/Babylonian one. Check out the image. There are a number of their interpreted songs at the link. The instrument is correct, the language is correct, but the music is their interpretation. I personally like it and think they probably got as close to it as we'll ever be able to.

link

Wow!…What a gifted and intelligent young lady. Pretty too. I'll bet that took a LONG time to construct. I'll never understand the words exactly but that was nice listening. I'd buy her album. I agree, closest we'll probably ever get.

My students ask about Latin music (and of course get it confused with modern Latin music, simple souls that they are). I tell them lyres and poetry, but of course have other little idea myself. Mostly language and history that concerns me.

That was cool. Thanks for sharing!!

This is very neat. I'll have to check this album out. Its nice to see people recreating some of the past culture and art from "lost" civilizations. They get to live again and help us to grow as well.

They will have to add a new category for the Grammys.

It would be interesting to hear what people think "Levi's Monkey Mike" sounded like in a thousand years or so……..

Great atmosphere music for gaming.

Xin

Good for VSF background music

Very cool!

Pretty cool.

I am skeptical about our capacity to shed all the musical assumptions we've live with all our lives.

And as for "closest we'll ever get", you never know. Some crazy linguistic regression, future archaeological discoveries, AI, or a time machine might take us further one day. Never say "never".

I really liked it and would buy it.
I have various discs of interpretations of medieval music and one called 'Out to the Frontier' from the British Museum which is an interpretation of Chinese music from the Han to the Ming dynasties. All enjoyable.

Get it here
link