Now, I’ve been doing little write-ups about my writing playlist, such as it is, since the Fall.
I also started off the year with a week of seven more write-ups, which you can re-acquaint yourself with so far:
January 1: Kontakion of the Mother of God
Hope you like millennium-old Greek Church Music, because we’ve got a hymn in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s miraculous intervention saving the city of Constantinople.
Listen to it as included in the Civilization VI soundtrack here.
January 2: Ieva’s Polka
A heavy metal version of a Finnish folk song that became a popular mid-2000s meme when paired with an out-of-context clip from one of the most successful animes of all time.
Listen to it performed by Finnish Folk metal band Korpiklaani in English here and in Finnish here.
January 3: Wanderer
Melancholy, introspective Folk Metal, thematically broad enough to apply to basically every Fantasy hero.
Listen to it performed by Finnish Folk Metal band Ensiferum here.
January 4: Senbonzakura
Brought to you by singing Japanese robots. Originally performed by iconic singing robot Hatsune Miku here, and covered by the humans of Wagakki Band here.
January 5: Totentanz
Public Domain.
Composed, I believe, when Liszt shoved his piano down several flights of stairs…
Performed for solo piano by Valentina Lisitsa here, and for piano and orchestra by Bertrand Chamayou and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra here.
January 6: The Lullaby of Takeda
Not the Takeda you’re thinking of. It’s a neighbour in Kyoto and the song is a lament from the point of view of the lowest classes of Feudal Japanese society. So much so that the potentially controversial sociopolitical angle meant it was banned from the Japanese national broadcaster until the 90s.
Listen to it performed on shamisen by the Yoshida Brothers here.
January 7: Santiana
A traditional sea shanty either praising or mocking (I honestly can’t tell) Mexican General and President Antonio López de Santa Anna. Doesn’t let a little piddly thing like Historical Accuracy get in the way of a catchy tune.
Listen to it performed by British a capella group and TikTok sensations The Longest Johns here, or by Irishman in a Nice Sweater Colm R. McGuinness here.
Full disclosure, I really just wanted to included the phrase “Irishman in a Nice Sweater”…
I’ll be adding more Music to Write Realmgard to regularly as time goes on, and I’ll have enough to put together a proper playlist before too long, so stay tuned.
And, of course, read Chapter 1 of Fryte’s Gold here:
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