So some of the Empire songs seriously give me goosebumps/get my blood up for a fight/otherwise have started pushing the kind of buttons ya might expect of real patriotic/military songs. Which songs/particular lines really kick people in the emotions?
Obvious main one for me is the Battle Anthemās rather-iconic chorus:
[quote]One voice, one people and one Empire,
One throne and one loyalty;
One will to drive us ever onward,
One glorious destiny![/quote]
Is it just me or is that one basically the national anthem now? Complete with everyone knows the chorus but a sizeable percentage (me included) go āmurfle murf nerpā during the verses
[quote]*Now weāre marching out from Anvil underneath a weeping sky
For Glory and for Vengeance with our banners raised up high
Weāll make them fear her memory, cast them down into the mud
For Throne and Crown and Britta, we will make them pay in blood!
And itās Charge, Dawn, Charge!
Weāll fight with every breath
And every step we take today is one step nearer death.
So weāll charge!*[/quote]
You know, back when we wrote the Battle Anthem we had it as the National Anthem. Matt said he didnāt want there to be a national anthem because it was up to the players to *make *something the national anthem by adopting it. So I made it my personal mission to make that happen Win!
I am massively biased of course but the lines āFeel the ground begin to shake when Marchers fight for Marcher landā gives me the bloodrush. I also love hearing the Highguard singing and the Varushkans really nailed Onwards Through the Snow when I heard them walk into battle singing it at E2/3.
Its the quiet thoughtful yet at the same time very proud and stirring ones that get me. The ones you sing at a quiet, reflective moment of an evening. Every time.
and, at the last event, the Harvest of the Mournwold.
Yet at the same time, stirring songs about other, non battle things. Like crafting (this one I wrote the lyrics based on the ritual āTimeless Hammer Rhythmā): northshield.co.uk/KitsTunes/ ā¦ Hammer.mp3
The Battle Anthem is amazing, and itās stuck in my head and I canāt get it out, although Brittaās Glory is a very close second.
The reason I love the Battle Anthem so much is that itās very low in register, making it very comfortable to sing for the basses and altos who make up the majority of people who think they canāt sing and actually can. Brittaās Glory feels amazingly coolthentic and the chorus sends a shiver down the spine, and from the moment I first heard it I wanted to learn it by heart, but itās a soprano/tenor song; I canāt imagine getting a whole army to sing even one of those verses, not even with the words in front of them.
I donāt want to filk the Battle Hymn of the Republic or Jerusalem (yet) again, but those tunes are good for the same reason - this is a plea to the bards of the Empire - please write the stirring bit of the tune in the alto register!
Iām surprised that you think Brittaās Glory doesnāt feel right in a low register because the Hymn of Lamentation does (and so indeed does the Chemical Workersā Song.)
Itās not so much that it doesnāt feel right, as that itās written in the soprano / tenor register and Iāve only ever heard it sung there. Most people who know it will tend to start it on or around G, which puts the verses too high to sing. Again, this isnāt a criticism: itās a lovely song, itās a song thatās on my list to learn. But as written and as usually sung, itās not a song that people who think they canāt sing can sing, whereas the Battle Hymn is - and to me thatās what distinguishes a tub-thumping anthem that everyone knows from a song that needs a soloist.
The Battle Anthem is a fantastic song, though Iāve seen it suffer on occasion from being sung too slowly - if youāre not careful it turns into a dirge. It really needs to be sung uptempo with someone who can hold a strong rhythm.
Makes for a fantastic slogan for banners etc. too.
Honestly hadnāt considered taking two octaves off; I will see if I can make that sound good. Alternatively I should stop thinking like a classical singer and just pitch the thing where itās comfortable like a sensible personā¦
Not ever had the luxury of having an instrument in the field (or having perfect pitch), I just pitch it wherever seems like a good idea at the time. Have been known to absolutely screw over my voice by pitching far too low!
For an alto range Iād probably pitch it starting on a B. Top note, E above middle C. If you start on a low G you will also lose a lot of singers as that is a difficult note to sing strongly unless you are a true alto.
It [EDIT: The Imperial Anthem] only has a range of a fifth so itās pretty easy to move around without any unfortunate repercussion later in the verses. Just hum it over quickly to yourself before you start to check it doesnāt get too high and then adjust accordingly.
Also, yes, it makes a fantastic banner!
Brittaās Glory has a range of - uh - just over an octave, so that is more difficult to pitch for everyone. The chorus, however, only had a range of a 4th so again, as long as the verse singer(s) can get a bit higher, itās not so bad to pitch for the majority of singers.
Chorus songs are often done so that the verses are sung by a solo/small team rather than everyone. If nothing else, there are lots of words to memorise along with a different tune, so the chorus brings everyone together. Plus that last line about making them pay IN BLOOD! ahem
[quote=āFiddle-faddleā]Yet at the same time, stirring songs about other, non battle things. Like crafting (this one I wrote the lyrics based on the ritual āTimeless Hammer Rhythmā): northshield.co.uk/KitsTunes/ ā¦ Hammer.mp3[/quote]
How about this for a fourth verse of the battle hymn?
I am the hammer that strikes off chains of slavery
So all may stand unbowed in brotherhood.
We are the ten so different and yet unified
Fighting for the greater good.
Win!
