Roman music -- what do you think it means?

[DesireeBowen]

Ever hear the expression "Nero fiddled while Rome burned" ? He was an avid kithara player. Maybe you could work in a modern kithara equivalent (cross between lute, guitar, and harp?). Also, brass instruments were developed during the Ancient Rome time period because of all the military conquests. I think brass instruments are usually what come to mind from a modern perspective of Ancient Rome's music anyway- since we associate Rome with battles and associate battles with those dotted rhythms in the brass section (at least I do, anyway).

The Latin part must be a nod towards Orff's Carmina Burana, "O Fortuna" that has been used in so many battle scenes. So something dramatic in that style is probably what they are looking for.

Good luck- I am excited to hear what you come up with!

[mojobone]

http://www.hermode.com/html/tuning-history_en.html

Thought I'd re-post this from another thread; there's some rather fine detail about Pythagorean tuning and intonation that a Roman might find relevant. Working from memory here, (school memories, natch, I'm not a two thousand year old vampire or nuthin') but the music of the time was modal-based and Diads were more common than in modern music. (for reasons that the above tutorial above makes very obvious, indeed) At the time, the modes themselves were merely thought of as a number of different ways to tune a harp or lyre, and if you changed keys, you had to change the tuning anyway. Accompaniment usually meant that you'd play the same notes you were singing, which might sound rather limiting, unless you've heard George Benson do it.

[jeffrey]

i think you have to ask jeff beals