Legio XV Apollinaris - Epic Roman Music

Music and vocals by Farya Faraji. Please note that this isn't reconstructed Ancient Roman music, only modern music that uses elements of Ancient Roman music as well as its instruments. With this track, I wanted to lean a little into the aesthetic of the Chromatic genera of Ancient Greco-Roman music; a family of modes whose notes are organised in such a way as to often be reminiscent of modern blues and jazz melodies to our modern ears, and whose intervals also formed the basis of many modes and scales used to this day in the Balkans and the Middle-East, with a sound we today equate more to an oriental or eastern aesthetic. The instruments used are the lyre and the aulos.

I used reconstructed Classical Latin pronunciation for the lyrics. The sung melody takes into account both the phonemic vowel length of Latin, as well as the stress accent. I used Ancient Greek singing convention as I figured it would be the closest relative to whatever the Romans used: therefore the musical stress falls on the accented stress of each word, and the long vowels are demarcated from the shorter ones by being sung with melismas (more than one note on the syllable).

The Legio XV Apollinaris was levied by Octavian in either 41 or 40 B.C, and survived at least up until the 3rd century A.D. The legion fought against the Marcomanni, a Germanic people, as well as the Parthians. It is almost certain, given their being stationed in the Middle-East, that they also fought against the Sasanian Persians later on.

Lyrics:
A sōlis ortū usque ad occāsūm,
Ambulāmus, ambulāmus, ambulāmus!

Mīlle Germānōs, Mīlle Persos,
Semel et semel dēcollāvimus!

A Barbarā*, Britanniae*, flūmina*,
Ad Ītaliām*, sōlem,
Semel et semel dēcollāvimus!

*This phrase is somewhat tricky; the “Barbarā” is in the ablative case, and means “the female barbarian,” the “Britanniae,” is vocative and in plural, the singer adresses the many Britannias as “you,” the poetic meaning being the “two Britannias,” one under Hadrian’s wall and the other above. The “flūmina” is also in vocative, and the singers adress rivers as “you.”

English translation:
From sunrise to sunset,
We march, we march, we march!

Thousands of Germans, thousands of Persians,
Again and again, we have decapitated!

From the Barbarian woman, ye many Britannias, and ye rivers,
To Italy and the sun,
Again and again, we have decapitated!

[faryafaraji]

Music and vocals by Farya Faraji. Please note that this isn't reconstructed Ancient Roman music, only modern music that uses elements of Ancient Roman music as well as its instruments. With this track, I wanted to lean a little into the aesthetic of the Chromatic genera of Ancient Greco-Roman music; a family of modes whose notes are organised in such a way as to often be reminiscent of modern blues and jazz melodies to our modern ears, and whose intervals also formed the basis of many modes and scales used to this day in the Balkans and the Middle-East, with a sound we today equate more to an oriental or eastern aesthetic. The instruments used are the lyre and the aulos.

I used reconstructed Classical Latin pronunciation for the lyrics. The sung melody takes into account both the phonemic vowel length of Latin, as well as the stress accent. I used Ancient Greek singing convention as I figured it would be the closest relative to whatever the Romans used: therefore the musical stress falls on the accented stress of each word, and the long vowels are demarcated from the shorter ones by being sung with melismas (more than one note on the syllable).

The Legio XV Apollinaris was levied by Octavian in either 41 or 40 B.C, and survived at least up until the 3rd century A.D. The legion fought against the Marcomanni, a Germanic people, as well as the Parthians. It is almost certain, given their being stationed in the Middle-East, that they also fought against the Sasanian Persians later on.

Lyrics:
A sōlis ortū usque ad occāsūm,
Ambulāmus, ambulāmus, ambulāmus!

Mīlle Germānōs, Mīlle Persos,
Semel et semel dēcollāvimus!

A Barbarā*, Britanniae*, flūmina*,
Ad Ītaliām*, sōlem,
Semel et semel dēcollāvimus!

*This phrase is somewhat tricky; the “Barbarā” is in the ablative case, and means “the female barbarian, ” the “Britanniae, ” is vocative and in plural, the singer adresses the many Britannias as “you, ” the poetic meaning being the “two Britannias, ” one under Hadrian’s wall and the other above. The “flūmina” is also in vocative, and the singers adress rivers as “you.” I’m not well versed enough in Latin to know with certainty, but it might be a somewhat clumsy passage.

English translation:
From sunrise to sunset,
We march, we march, we march!

Thousands of Germans, thousands of Persians,
Again and again, we have decapitated!

From the Barbarian woman, ye many Britannias, and ye rivers,
To Italy and the sun,
Again and again, we have decapitated!

[stegotyranno]

Sounds so natural, realistic, and believable.

[canunluasik]

Please never stop produce Roman music love it Roma Invicta ❤️❤️🦅🦅

[legord]

Me and the boys on our way to Gallia...

[gabrielsarnes]

Please make it real. When Ubisoft make an Assassins Creed about the Roman Empire they must use Farya Faraji Songs.

[malasian]

Imagine 2000 years from now there will be a Farya Faraji of their time and he will make themed songs about our own modern armies and special forces. Songs dedicated to the SAS, Marines, PLR, Spetsnaz etc.

[boris]

At first, I wasnt quite a fan of the song following vowel lengths, but now I actually like it more than the songs where this isnt a thing. It just feels more like a living army, made of thousands of individuals, rather than a single block of all-the-same soldiers doing entirely the same things. Excellent!

[andrejhranac]

XIII = Hymn of the Legion
XIIII = Legio XIV Gemina
XV = Apoloniaris...

I would love to see how you manage to capture the prideful ferocity of Legio X Equestris or the unmatched staying power of the Eleventh.

[---bzhf]

I watch every roman music video several times. Author, you are incredibly talanted.Please have more roman music videos.With respect and reverence from Russia 🇷🇺🇷🇺🇷🇺

[siggyvdz]

I listen to hundred of different music style, from french rap to metalstep or baroque opera, but i always have such intensity vibes though my body when hearing one of your song ... you are definitly my favorite musical creator (if not simply youtuber) of the world. You take tranditionnal or ancient vibes so precisely and make them alive again. Thank you so much, your music enable me to pass hard time and go through the week or stress !

This one has light ressemblance with the song "aeterna vitrix" (the soldiers rythm on the background) which is an amazing idea 🔥

[loganrasnake]

Always happy to see Farya upload a new song

[obiking]

God this is really interesting. The legion apollinaris was protecting the easternmost part of the novel, Trapezu, and the last fallen castle of the novel was Trapezus (1461). Truly respect for this divine legion because they have successfully completed their mission 💯

[knightsolaire]

Well, that's another one for the playlist.

Amazing work as always!

[Happy-ojtc]

I am currently learning latin so i love your music for benchmarking my progress. Everytime i listen to your music i can understand more and more of the lyrics in latin. So ty very much for making your music because it has been a giant motivator to not give up on learning latin :)

[luciusael]

Amazing, once again. I would love to hear a Roman song that isn't about epic military themes, but about love, or the gods, or family, etc. For example, Catullus wrote some amazing love poetry which you can utilize! Anyway, I love your work!

[vandalking]

It is official: this is the music I was missing my whole life. Thank you sir!

[dannymarashi]

A roadtrip I'm planning with friends is going to have quite the playlist. Much to the chagrin of everyone I hope to be driving around. You deliver yet again, made sweeter that it was released on my birthday <3

[comradebusman]

Man, these Roman songs have all been bangers! Listening to these while playing centurion in for honor. If only I was good at centurion in for honor.

[pureevilri]

Love your work Farya. It's the greatest mix of real ancient music done in a more modern way. I mean, I could really imagine our ancestors playing this music and singing exactly this way.
By the way, this really reminds me of the greek Pontic Caspian steppe group dance and music.

Thank you for all your work, and especially for the European, Balkan and Roman part of it. Cheers brother.

[WolfenSköll-Mountains]

I discovered this channel listening to SPQR epic roman music and this barbarian wolf was romanized and delighted with the music you compose, this music flows a beautiful harmony, great job! 👍