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Celestia was a filly living on an isolated farm and harboring dreams of greatness. Chrysalis was a black goo poured out from a wound in the walls of reality and with a weak grasp on the amount of fangs one should have. Friendship happened.
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Orbiting Kettle · 131k words · 738 9 · 7.2k views

Griffin Music · 1:58pm Oct 21st, 2018

In the last chapter of A Bug on a Stick (chapter 15) there was a lot of music. Or, better said, music played an important role, and I tried to convey the feeling and the effect it had more than describing it exactly, as doing that would have probably been an exercise in futility. And yet I had some very specific sounds in mind while writing the scene and seeing it play out in front of my internal eye.

What follows will be a relatively brief exploration of where it all came from, barely more than an annotated list. It isn't necessary to read it, or listen to the examples, to appreciate the story, but I hope it may be interesting for those who are curious about it.

So, what kind of music do griffins play and dance to? Basically, an archaic variation of Tarantella. It is a very old kind of music, still played today (had a resurgence in recent decades) and characterized by being wild and beautiful and easy to participate in even if mastering it takes, as with everything everywhere, time. I am an absolutely terrible dancer and even I could have fun with it in a hot Italian summer and after some wine.

The themes of the songs are the usual ones. Love, tragedy, rebellion, the joy and the foolishness of youth. Powerful, old as humanity, evergreen.

As for examples of what it sounds like, here we go:

A song about a princess faking her death to flee with her lover.

A song about young love met on the street. Edit: Or of a faraway love. My understanding of the pretty archaic dialect was sub-par, hence my error.

A song about the brigands of the south after Italy's unification.

This is a pretty modern one, basically about the hardships of being young, confronted with the desolation of an economic recession, and the necessity of reinventing oneself outside of it all.

Griffin music is pretty similar, even if it uses just string instruments (which, in this story’s setting, they invented), tambourines, and voice. They will sing about similar themes, they'll use song to remember good and bad times, but it will all be anchored to the present. Dancing is losing oneself in the now, in the immediacy of overwhelming rhythm, just you and whomever you are dancing with, wings splayed out, jumping, living.

So, that is where the stolen goods — I mean, where the inspiration came from. Hopes this helps to frame it all.

Now, class, any questions?

Edit:
Here are the translations for the songs.

Lu Rusciu te lu mare
https://www.italyheritage.com/italian-songs/regional/puglia/lu-rusciu-te-lu-mare.htm

Riturnella (the English translation is way down)
https://www.antiwarsongs.org/canzone.php?id=42569&lang=en

Briganti se more
https://lyricstranslate.com/en/brigante-se-more-we-die-brigands.html

Nu te Fermare
http://www.canzonieregrecanicosalentino.net/discography/nu-te-fermare/?lang=en

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