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Tuesday, November 24, 2015

What Did Ancient Babylonian Songs Sound Like?

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

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. link

andy-lowings-lyreLyre player Andy Lowings, who built the instrument to be as similar as possible to the ancient variety. STEF CONNER

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