| The Music of Britannia by Alouicious the Bard Throughout Sosaria, Britannians are well known for their love of music. Harps, lutes, panpipes, and and drums are as common in a Britannian home as ovens. While some Britannians prefer to make music such as Iolo and his wife Gwenno, even more enjoy listening to it. That, then, is the purpose of this exhibit: to share with the everyday person the deep and meaningful sounds of Britannia. Of course, after 20 years of Ultima, there are nearly 100 different songs, we won't go into all of them here, but at the end, you'll find links to downloads for your listening pleasure! StonesWe begin with the most famous (and popular) Britannian song ever written, called "Stones". The music was composed by Iolo the Bard, and the lyrics were written by Gwenno. Stones is a prime example of Old Britannian folk music. The song was written near the 100th anniversary of the founding of Britannia. It is said to be the favorite song of Lord British, and still continues to be a favorite in Britannia some 300 years later, even among the Elves. The lyrics to Stones are seldom sung along with the instrumental piece. Here are the lyrics as originally written: Long ago ran the sun on a folk who had a dream Captain Johne's Hornpipe is a popular tune among seafarers. It's origins are shrouded in the great tradition of legend, the story passed by word of mouth. Captain Johne was once captain of the frigate Ararat. He ferried cargo and passengers throughout Britannia, and his ship was a popular one to sail upon because Captain Johne himself was a bit of an entertainer. He and his crew kept themselves and their passengers entertained on long sea voyages with wine, women, and song. Captain Johne's Hornpipe is the name given to the Captain's most lively tune, heavily requested by seagoers. Click Here to hear Cap'n Johne's Hornpipe Greyson's TaleGreyson was once a famous adventurer in Old Britannia, he would travel the lands and explore dungeons. He gained much notoriety for his work. Greyson himself was not a particularly humble man, and often boasted of his adventures, sometimes in song. Whatever the adventure, his tale always had the same tune. That's the tune we refer to today as "Greyson's Tale". It's still popular in taverns even now. If you're interested, you can listen to Greyson's Tale: Want to hear more Ultima Music? Check out these links! The Roland LAPC-1/SCC-1 Ultima Music Archive Techarin's Music Hall Tom's Ultima MP3 Files The Ultima 5: Lazarus Project Soundtrack The UDIC Music Page Mysterious Sosaria Bootstrike's Ultima Music Remixes Auric's Ultima Moongates The Unabridged, Original UO Soundtrack Ultima Online Intro Dialogue/Music Return to the index |