The Song of Roland : Prologue - French Medieval Music

Music & vocals by Farya Faraji. This is an original composition which aims to be an historically informed rendition of how French music of the 1000’s onto the 1200’s would have sounded. The text is the Song of Roland, the oldest work of French literature and the central main epic of French culture in the Middle-Ages. It is set centuries prior to when it was first written around the 1000’s, being set during the time of the Carolingian Empire and Charlemagne’s reign. The instrumentation consists of a hurdy-gurdy, a psaltery, a citole and a bowed psaltery. The arrangement follows the conventions of Western European medieval music of the time: the arrangement employs the practice of Organum, that of harmonising melodies by transposing them to a fourth or a fifth—in this case, a fifth. I explain more on the subject of Organum in this video: Take the pronunciation with a grain of salt; resources on Old French phonology are difficult to find and I did my best to emulate recordings that seem well informed, but there are likely many errors in pronunciation here. Lyrics in Old French: CARLES li reis, nostre emperere magnes, Set anz tuz pleins ad estet en Espaigne, Tresqu’en la mer cunquist la tere altaigne. N’i ad castel ki devant lui remaigne. Mur ne citet n’i est remés a fraindre, Fors Sarraguce, ki est en une muntaigne. Li reis Marsilie la tient, ki Deu nen aimet. Mahumet sert e Apollin recleimet. Nes poet guarder que mals ne l’i ateignet. LI reis Marsilie esteit en Sarraguce. Alez en est en un verger suz l’umbre. Sur un perrun de marbre bloi se culchet; Envirun lui plus de vint milie humes. Il en apelet e ses dux e ses cuntes. Oez, seignurs, quel pecchet nus encumbret. Li empereres Carles de France dulce. En cest païs nos est venuz cunfundre. Jo nen ai ost qui bataille li dunne, Ne n’ai tel gent ki la sue derumpet. Cunseilez mei cume mi savie hume, Si me guarisez e de mort et de hunte! N’i ad paien ki un sul mot respundet, Fors Blancandrins de Castel de Valfunde. BLANCANDRINS fut des plus saives paiens, De vasselage fut asez chevaler, Prozdom i out pur sun seignur aider, E dist al rei : Ore ne vus esmaiez! Mandez Carlun, a l’orguillus e al fier, Fedeilz servises e mult granz amistez. Vos li durrez urs e leons e chens, Set cenz camelz e mil hosturs muers, D’or e d’argent 400’muls cargez, Cinquante carre qu’en ferat carier. Ben en purrat luer ses soldeiers. En ceste tere ad asez osteiet. En France, ad Ais, s’en deit ben repairer. Vos le sivrez a la feste seint Michel, Si recevrez la lei de chrestiens, Serez ses hom par honur e par ben. S’en volt ostages, e vos l’en enveiez, U dis u vint, pur lui afiancer. Enveiuns i les filz de noz muillers. Par num d’ocire i enveierai le men. Asez est melz qu’il i perdent lé chefs. Que nus perduns l’onur ne la deintet Ne nus seiuns cunduiz a mendeier!