Ja Nuns Hons Pris - French and Occitan Medieval Song

[@faryafaraji]

Music* and lyrics by Richard the Lionheart, vocals & arrangement by Farya Faraji. Unlike most performances, I chose to sing both the French and Occitan lyrics, as Richard wrote in both. *Though the attribution of the poem to Richard seems to be certain, I couldn't find any comprehensive sources giving any clear evidence that he also wrote the melody; it may be a case of a melody written by someone else at a later point based on the text, although the other alternative is just as possible. He wrote the song after being imprisoned in 1192 by Leopold of Austria, who accused him of arranging the murder of his cousin Conrad of Montferrat. Richard was kept prisoner at Dürnstein Castle, and there, he wrote this, addressed to his half-sister Marie, to express the feeling that his people had abandoned him. Richard was finally released two years later. The arrangement is meant to be historically accurate, and consists of a simple heterophonic arrangement which involves slight counterpoint by the end; the latter being a technique that would gradually gain precedence in Western European music from the tentative first forms of parallel harmony called Organum; something that we can safely assume would have spilled over into instrumentation and not only the vocals. The vocals follow a method high melismatic ornamentation with a high degree of microtonal inflection, something well attested in the Middle-Ages, see this video for more info: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqnGeWqJZ6eUn7M Take the pronunciation with a grain of salt, it does respect the generally Romance-like phonology French used to have, but I based myself off of other recordings, which may be a case of the blind leading the blind, and some of the exact aspects may not be accurate. The instrumentation consists of a rebec lyra, a gittern, a lute, and drums. Old French lyrics: Ja nuns hons pris ne dira sa raison A droitement, se dolantement non: Mais par esfort puet il faire chançon. Mout ai amis, mais povre sunt li don. Honte i avront, se por ma reançon Sui ça deus yvers pris. Ce sevent bien mi home e mi baron, Ynglois, Normanz, Poitevin et Gascon Que je n'ai nul si povre compaignon Que je lessaisse, por avoir, en prison. Je nou di mie por nule rentrançon, Car encor sui pris. Or sai je bien de voir, certeinnement, Que je ne pris ne ami, ne parent, Quant on me faut por or ne por argent. Mout m'est de moi, mès plus m'est de ma gent; Qu'après ma mort avront reprochement, Se longuement sui pris. N'est pas mervoille se j'ai le cuer dolant, Quant mes sires mest ma terre en torment. S'il li membrast de nostre soirement Que nos feïsmes andui communement, Je sai de voir que ja trop longuement Ne seroie ça pris. Occitan lyrics: Ja nuls om pres non dira sa razon Adrechament si com om dolens non Mas per conort deu om faire canson Pro n'ai d'amis mas paure son li don Anta lur es si per ma rezenson So çai dos ivers pres Or sapchon ben miei om et miei baron Angles norman peitavin et gascon Qu'ieu non ai ja si paure companhon Qu'ieu laissasse per aver en preison Non o dic mia per nula retraison Mas anquar soi ie pres Car sai eu ben per ver certanament Qu'om mort ni pres n'a amic ni parent E si'm laissan per aur ni per argent Mal m'es per mi mas pieg m'es per ma gent Qu'apres ma mort n'auran reprochament Si çai me laisson pres No'm meravihl s'ieu ai lo cor dolent Que mos senher met ma terra en turment No li membra del nostre sagrament Que nos feimes els sans cominalment Ben sai de ver que gaire longament Non serai en çai pres English translation: No prisoner can tell his honest thought Unless he speaks as one who suffers wrong; But for his comfort as he may make a song. My friends are many, but their gifts are naught. Shame will be theirs, if, for my ransom, here I lie another year. They know this well, my barons and my men, Normans, English, Gascons, Poitevains, That I had never follower so low Whom I would leave in prison to my gain. I say it not for a reproach to them, But prisoner I am! The ancient proverb now I know for sure; Death and a prison know nor kind nor tie, Since for mere lack of gold they let me lie. Much for myself I grieve; for them still more. After my death they will have grievous wrong If I am a prisoner long. 
What marvel that my heart is sad and sore When my own lord torments my helpless lands! Well do I know that, if he held his hands, Remembering the common oath we swore, I should not here imprisoned with my song, Remain a prisoner long.
 They know this well who now are rich and strong Young gentlemen of Anjou and Touraine, That far from them, on hostile bonds I strain. They loved me much, but have not loved me long. Their plans will see no more fair lists arrayed While I lie here betrayed. 00:00 French part 5:32 Occitan part

[@andreascovano7742]

>What marvel that my heart is sad and sore When my own lord torments my helpless lands! Well do I know that, if he held his hands, Remembering the common oath we swore, I should not here imprisoned with my song, Remain a prisoner long I feel a better sense should be given to brother instead of lord, since I assume he is referencing his brother Jean Lackland

[@Tord-cc4lv]

Hey farya can I use some of your renditions for a historical project am working on

[@faryafaraji]

@@Tord-cc4lvGo for it man :)

[@Tord-cc4lv]

@@faryafaraji thanks

[@greygamertales1293]

Although I am still waiting, I hope maybe one day Farya Faraji could make a historical music video based on the songs of the Dutch Geuzen (Les Gueux) during the Dutch Revolt (Révolte des Pays-Bas ou la Révolte des Gueux) or the life of Prince William the Silent (Guillaume le Taciturne, Prince d'Orange et Comte de Nassau) and his legacy in the Eighty Years War (Guerre de Quatre-Vingts Ans) in the Netherlands. There are many versions of the Wilhelmus (Le Guillaume ou le Guillelmus) such as the version sung by Camerata Trajectina in one of their albums De Vrede van Munster and there is another song that the melody of the Wilhelmus based off called "O la folle entreprise du Prince de Condé". Many of the songs from the Geuzenliederen were based off from older songs and melodies. About the history of the Low Countries, the Eighty Years War is considered to be very complex event as there were many atrocities commited on both opposing sides based on religious policies, political loyalties and personal ethnic hatred. Some authors say that the war was a Dutch Civil War between the mostly Southern Flemish Catholics and Northern Dutch Protestants while the others still firmly believe it was the Dutch War of Independence against the rule of Habsburg Spain. Despite this, there were actually a lot of trading especially between the Flemish and the Spanish during this time period even if they were competing against each other for overseas colonies and international markets. Peter Paul Rubens is one of the famous Flemish artists that comes to mind as he lived during the Eighty Years War (his Protestant father, Jan Rubens, had personal connection to William of Orange through Anna of Saxony) and he painted for the Catholic Spanish court.

[@cheesehead9555]

Its weird to think that Richard the lionheart, one of England’s most famous kings, was a french guy who never even really spent time in England.

[@faryafaraji]

hon hon baguette - Richard Coeur de Lion

[@basedkaiser5352]

"What a shit island !" - Richard The Lionheart about england, probably.

[@cintaratna6083]

@@basedkaiser5352 He actually said smth similar, so not wrong.

[@CONSTANTINEXI63]

My ancestor was the secretary of his brother, king John of England

[@WorldArchivist]

I'm just a warrior, I'm not a linguist. But I think the King of England should PROBABLY SPEAK ENGLISH! Ragnar Lothbrok

[@richardlionheart4400]

Ahh yes, my favorite song

[@faryafaraji]

Yooo Ricky boy sick tune and lyrics thanks for letting me cover it

[@Templar07]

​@@faryafaraji💀 "yo ricky" Is crazy 😮

[@OneFlyingTonk]

Gotta love the Occitan lyrics, a really underappreciated Romance language and, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful ones to the ear.

[@dhu1919]

Langue d'oc

[@thegreatselkie6009]

Almost unknown these days, like Norn. ❣️❣️

[@arnaugarzaran1375]

As a Catalan, I trully love the occitan part. It remembers our early roots after the romans. ¡Saluts!

[@ophis181]

Pèr la glòri dóu terraire Vautre enfin que sias counsènt. Catalan, de liuen, o fraire, Coumunien tóutis ensèn ! For the Glory of the country, You consent finally. Catalans, from afar, our brothers, Let us commune all together ! Frederic Mistral, a poet from Provence, wrote those lines in a poem titled "Coupo Santo", to celebrate the ties between those two geographical extremities of the Occitan culture. I'm quite sad that there doesn't seem to be much transnational celebrations of the Occitan legacy across Spain, France and Italia.

[@chaban-delmas7715]

@@ophis181Copa santa, E versanta, Vueja a plen bòrd, Vueja abòrd Leis estrambòrds E l'enavans dei fòrts ! Visca Provenca ! Visca Occitània ! Visca França ! Santa Tierra de França

[@tibsky1396]

I can clearly feel Richard's loneliness in your performance. Really good. I didn't expect you to interpret it also in Old Occitan. It was the main language of the troubadours, and of course his mother.

[@andrejhranac2047]

The first feels like the version that the king sang for himself in his captivity. The second feels like the version he would sing for his companions during the march towards castle Chaluz.

[@tibsky1396]

@@andrejhranac2047 yeah, He seems more joyful in the Occitan part.

[@suzannebarbeau8937]

Fils d'Aliénor d'Aquitaine, d'abord mariée au roi de France puis au roi d'Angleterre Henry II ( Henri Plantagenêt). Un cours d'histoire en musique. Merci aux chants et arrangement de M. Farya Faraji.

[@marolibez]

The Occitan pronunciation was really spot-on. Òsca Manòsca e plan mercés per l'omatge a la lenga regina de la latinitat modèrna!

[@marolibez]

*Medieval Occitan pronunciation, I should have added

[@lovebaltazar4610]

You keep shedding light on true western medieval music. Much appreciated.

[@antoniobautista6718]

As a history nerd, the songs that you make really help transport me and surely others into the past, and gives us an experience of the past that history books and records cannot fully express ❤

[@ElfInTheFlowers]

Your beautiful renditions of these pieces reminds me of Jordi Savall. Folklorist here with lots of ethnomusicology friends… I am hooked on your channel and am just listening to everything with pure joy!

[@Hu55ar]

This is different from the one I am used too. It seems to match the setting of being imprisoned, with the hint of a syrian, or Iranian twang too it.

[@faryafaraji]

The eastern twang you describe is correct, and it’s even more interesting than just being Eastern; medieval vocal styles in Western Europes are known to have resembled Eastern/Balkanic/Greek styles more, so it’s actually a case of a time when both regions had a more familiar musical aesthetic to one another, before Western European vocals took a different route :)

[@etiennegarant7545]

Magnifique! Its surprising how much the Old French part have of those "flourishes" you spoke about in some of your previous videos, and how, despite being French-speaking, that probably made the Occitan part more familiar to my ears. Merci pour cette nouvelle pièce :)

[@Barbaturixsson]

Richard coeur de lion. Un chevalier jamais oublier...⚔

[@АлександрБелугин-т6л]

Thenky my friend for that beautiful Song 😭😢😭😢

[@alastor1510]

Tellement beau, j'adore les chants Français, un grand merci à toi Farya!

[@iberius9937]

One of my favorite songs to both sing and hear. You really bring out the lonely, melancholy theme of this one more than any other interpretation. Sometimes it just takes the Faraji touch! I notice this version is also minimalistic, fitting the tone.

[@shakabletax2103]

I LOVE THIS POEM AND SONG I'M SO HAPPY YOU'RE DOING A VERSION OF IT 😄

[@paulusmoranferz5543]

Parte de mi lengua materna es el asturianu o bable y justo ayer buscaba yo textos en OCCITÁN porque me interesaba saber más de otras lenguas romances. ¡ Y TÚ HACES ESTO AHORA QUÉ COJONUDA COINCIDENCIA! Me escuchaste el espíritu Bendito es DIOS que hizome el milagro de tener esta canción. Si vos plaçe una canción en Bable/asturianu ... Me fadriés muy FELIZ. Digo me harías muy feliz :3. Empero, no soy asturianu pero tuve que vivir en Asturias en mi infancia por el trabajo de mi padre, soy de nacionalidad mexicana. Desde que tuve 3 años hasta los 7 viví ahí en Oviedo/Uvieu. Ya han pasado más de 20 años desde que dejé ese lugar :/ , fue mucho antes de la entrada del Euro a España. En fin ¡ POR FAVOR ALGO EN BABLE!

[@medaf9]

One of my absolute fav! J'adore ! Continue ton art!

[@greygamertales1293]

I have been busy recently and I instantly found your new music video. Your beautiful voice is amazing and I love how you evoked the feelings from the song.

[@ErickeTR]

Absolutely beautiful. Recreations like yours are the closest thing we have to a time machine. Would you like to venture into galician/portuguese medieval music? I would love to listen to the Cantigas de Santa Maria reconstructed with your approach.

[@Noeaskr]

Thanks for this music. I’ve been using it to put my son (4mo) to bed. It would be great if you added your songs to Apple Music, being able to play a playlist with out ads would make it even better. I tend to do a very amateur Mongolian throat singing since that entertains him but can’t do it myself when he’s going to bed, gets too distracted. So your recent throat singing song calmed him down perfectly and this one sealed the deal. Thanks again!

[@universalflamethrower6342]

Nice to see that you basically cover every pre-modern song I like, you are such a gift

[@CatastrophicDisease]

You never cease to amaze me.

[@Gentleman_r07]

This is an absolute masterpiece. I have been on repeat whilst i work. This is real emotions thrown into a timeless paradise. Thank you Farya Faraji. Happy to make your acquaintance. Cheers 🍻🍖

[@michaelkistler3847]

Your talent for musik is a God's Gift for our World🙏 I thank you from heart🙏

[@MatthewVanston]

Oh thanks so much for featuring this song! One of the greatest I heard so far.

[@tehminagoskar2043]

Magical, beautiful and one of my favourite songs. Merci.

[@georgecharilaou5692]

One of the most hauntingly beautiful versions I ever heard

[@eeeee6431]

I'm quite liking this, it's very calming for my ears for whatever reason

[@lartaunsantxitzzurdo6070]

Hello, have you thought about making a song in Basque, whether it be its ancient, medieval or more modern era. I invite you to it. Agur bero bat. (greetings)

[@archimedes2]

The legend returns!

[@popsandworm]

Fantastic stuff!

[@lulumoon6942]

What a living treasure you are! ❤️🙏💞

[@milesmanges]

When the world needed him most.... He came back! 🙏

[@AGirlWithoutAName]

My favorite medieval song 😍 as a French thank you 🙏🏻

[@РафикВачикович]

Прекрасно, Браво!👏🏽

[@miastupid7911]

Totally agree!

[@spikemasterb2521]

beautiful song

[@andrejhranac2047]

This song reminds me of a great man. A modern Bard who used to play this song in plays about Richard Lionheart. Thank you for this reminder. Also thank you for the 10 euro. My mate and I had a bet over which medieval song you demonstrate what you talked about in kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqnGeWqJZ6eUn7M. I argued that this is the best song to demonstrate this, since it is a solo piece that just tugs at heartstrings and there are less than five versions that do not sound the same.

[@awetos]

I'm waiting for douce Dame Jolie too❤

[@Natachajeanne]

Moi aussi j'ai hâte 💞

[@MaitlandJones]

That part at 4:16 where you said 'Ē' really spoke to me.

[@hellenictech]

Very good! Congratulations!

[@silveryphoenix44]

this song just made me cry

[@АндрійПідкоритов-ц9ы]

Хотів би я в Париж. Ех, Леді Баг та Супер Кіт...

[@glthemusicenjoyer6809]

Been listening to the Occitan part on repeat, its so goddamn good

[@suzannebarbeau8937]

Effectivement, Richard écrit en langue d'Oc car il habitait presque toujours en France. Avec son mariage à Henry II de Plantagenêt, elle donnait à l'Angleterre tout le sud-ouest de la France.

[@syedshakaibanwar2698]

Also would be cool if you do Salah ud Deen and Chandragupta next :)

[@syedshakaibanwar2698]

(Would be nice if a Saladin theme has elements of the great Saint Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jillani placing his hand on his neck as his blessings)

[@h0rn3d_h1st0r1an]

Wake up hun new Farya Faraji bop just dropped

[@andreascovano7742]

It's interesting to note the Richard the Lionheart was Aquitanian and a hell of as singer.

[@MatthewVanston]

Angevin as well.

[@Lord.Romanus]

I've listened your music for almost a year and it's still as good as always. And one question, when are you going to make a song for Justinian?

[@user-rq4bf3om1q]

I just watched your video about microtonality, do you have any more videos discussing the relationship between European and middle eastern music? It’s a very interesting topic to explore

[@faryafaraji]

Thanks for your interest! Here are three that explore the subject a little deeper: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqnGeWqJZ6eUn7M&feature=shares kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4ewi6eqgsiNqJo&feature=shares kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZvClmytib2Ai6s&feature=shares You can also find the rest of the talks in my “Epic Talking” playlist :)

[@user-rq4bf3om1q]

@@faryafaraji Great, thank you!

[@glossolalie4342]

woaaa merci pour mon pays !

[@NicholasBreezeWood]

I would call this English rather than French, seeing as Richard was King of England (and as you point out, it was also written in Occitan). And I too have always wondered if the melody was his.

[@HOBAPOMA]

O início me lembrou rapidamente uma música Sérvia ou um Nasheed Albânia/Bósnia

[@landofthearyans6029]

🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷god love u ❤ my bro

[@StewartBlues]

Absolutely wonderful, love the picture too, can you tell me where it's from please.

[@internetkurator9256]

Written when incarcerated ar castle Trifels in modern Württemberg :-)

[@gabrielazavacka2669]

nice chansom,

[@ceoofracism12]

Great, you should anima christi

[@kwebax9909]

Me at 11 pm remembering her at the gym

[@syedshakaibanwar2698]

Who did the art? or is it AI?

[@fantinchassagne8491]

mout ai amis mais povre sunt li don 😩

[@chevallanglois5829]

Farai un vers de dreyt nien non er de mi ni d'autra gen non er d'amor ni de joven ni de ren au qu'enans fo trobatz en durmen sobre chevau. ...

[@LilHarrani]

English translation is wrong habibi :)

[@faryafaraji]

Ooops thanks I’ll correct that

[@LilHarrani]

@@faryafaraji no problem. Great track like always.

[@magamagabovich1604]

EeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeEeeeeeEeeEeeeeEeeEeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeEeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeEeeeeeEeeEeeeeEeeEeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeEeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeEeeeeeEeeEeeeeEeeEeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeee lmao really dude?

[@faryafaraji]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqnGeWqJZ6eUn7M In case you have any interest in developping your argumentation beyond the level of “lmao really dude”

[@AzerUiop-q2l]

Houla, are you from Corsica? Because your song seem like Corsic song. Not like medieval Oïl song. Bad, and only bad...

[@mahdiyarabbasi3800]

I thought the Occitans and the French hated each other

[@tibsky1396]

There was mistrust between the South and the North. That's for sure. To shorten it, culturally, the former had a more Greco-Roman mentality, the latter, although Romanized, still had a more or less Celto-Germanic mentality.

[@marolibez]

There never was an "Occitan nation" in all history. This cultural and linguistic area, such as a Sprachbund, was slowly but surely acculturated and frenchified for centuries and centuries. The last blow was the massacre in the trenches of World War I. After that, the language became almost useless in its own cradle, socially speaking, and has been dying out since. It's a truly sad fate, "pecaire"...

[@wertyuiopasd6281]

Occitan doesn't exist. It was made up after the fact in the XXth century. Both langues d'Oc and langues d'Oïl are just Old french languages. Both are a bit different but largely intelligible at the time and even now.

[@Wetbagels]

La Coeur De Lion

[@giniusmklo8161]

Occitanian are more beautiful as language