MUSIC
MUSICIANS
SONGS
Archaic Hymns
Song of Tarl of Bristol
Bargemen Song
The Hope of Tina
Blue Sky Song
Song of the Caravans of Tor
Torvaldsland Songs
Red Hunters Songs
The Ten Maids of Hammerfest
Block Melodies
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Czehar
Cymbals
Drums
Flute
Kalika
Kaska
Tabors
Tambourine
Trumpet
Notched stick
Whistle
MUSIC
"The music of Gor, or much of it, is very melodious and sensuous. Much of it seems made for the display of slaves before free men, but then, I suppose, that is exactly what it is made for."
"Dancer of Gor" page 180
"I have never seen a bowed instrument on Gor; also, I might mention, I have never on Gor seen any written music; I do not know if a notation exists; melodies are passed on from father to son, from master to apprentice."
"Nomads of Gor" page 153
"The Musicians had now begun to play. I have always enjoyed the melodies of Gor, though they tend on the whole to a certain wild, barbaric quality."
"Assassin of Gor" page 89
"The musicians then again began to play, the sensous, melodious, exciting, wild music of Gor."
"Rogue of Gor" page 190
Musicians
"I found Turia to match my expectations. She was luxurious. Her shops were filled with rare, intriguing paraphernalia. I smelled perfumes that I had never smelled before. More than once we encountered a line of musicians dancing single file down the center of the street, playing on their flutes and drums, perhaps on their way to a feast."
"Nomads of Gor" page 87
"The Musicians had now begun to play. I have always enjoyed the melodies of Gor, though they tend on the whole to a certain wild, barbaric quality."
"Assassin of Gor" page 89
"The musicians then again began to play, the sensous, melodious, exciting, wild music of Gor."
"Rogue of Gor" page 190
"The music of Gor, or much of it, is very melodious and sensuous. Much of it seems made for the display of slaves before free men, but then, I suppose, that is exactly what it is made for."
"Dancer of Gor" page 180
"To one side, across a clearing from the fire, a bit in the background, was a group of nine musicians. They were not as yet playing, though one of them was absently tapping a rhythm on a small hand drum, the kaska; two others, with stringed instruments, were tuning them, putting their ears to the instruments. One of the instruments was an eight-stringed czehar, rather like a large flat oblong box; it is held across the lap when sitting cross-legged and is played with a horn pick; the other was the kalika, a six-stringed instrument; it, like the czehar, is flat-bridged and its strings are adjusted by means of small wooden cranks; on the other hand, it less resembles a low, flat box and suggests affinities to the banjo or guitar, though the sound box is hemispheric and the neck rather long; it, too, of course, like the czehar, is plucked;
I have never seen a bowed instrument on Gor; also, I might mention, I have never on Gor seen any written music; I do not know if a notation exists; melodies are passed on from father to son, from master to apprentice.
There was another kalika player, as well, but he was sitting there holding his instrument, watching the slave girls in the audience. The three flutists were polishing their instruments and talking together; it was shop talk I gathered, because one or the other would stop to illustrate some remark by a passage on his flute, and then one of the others would attempt to correct or improve on what he had done; occasionally their discussion grew heated.
There was also a second drummer, also with a kaska, and another fellow, a younger one, who sat very seriously before what appeared to me to be a pile of objects; among them was a notched stick, played by sliding a polished tem-wood stick across its surface; cymbals of various sorts; what was obviously a tambourine; and several other instruments of a percussion variety, bits of metal on wires, gourds filled with pebbles, slave bells mounted on hand rings, and such. These various things, from time to time, would be used not only by himself but by others in the group, probably the second kaska player and the third flutist.
Among Gorean musicians, incidentally, czehar players have the most prestige; there was only one in this group, I noted, and he was their leader; next follow the flutists and then the players of the kalika; the players of the drums come next; and the farthest fellow down the list is the man who keeps the bag of miscellaneous instruments, playing them and parceling them out to others as needed.
Lastly it might be mentioned, thinking it is of some interest, musicians on Gor are never enslaved; they may, of course, be exiled, tortured, slain and such; it is said, perhaps truly, that he who makes music must, like the tarn and the Vosk gull, be free."
"Nomads of Gor" page 153/487
"As at many of the larger markets, there are Musicians near the block, and a girl is given enough time to present herself well."
"Assassin of Gor" page 112
"The music of the musicians was quite good. I reached to my pouch, to take from it a golden tarn and throw it to them."
"Hunters of Gor" page 46
"We heard music in the distance, trumpets, drums, and cymbals."
"Captive of Gor" page 209
SONGS
Archaic Hymns
"The litany and responses of the congregation were now completed and the initiates, some twenty within the rail, began to sing in archaic Gorean. I could make out little of the wording. There was an accompaniment by sistrums. Portions of the hymn were taken up by four delicated boys, standing outside the white on a raised platform. Their heads were shaved and they wore robes resembling those of the initiates. Choirs of such boys often sang in the great temples. They were young male slaves, purchased by initiates, castrated by civil authorities and, in the monasteries, trained in song. I supposed, to one versed in music, their soprano voices were very beautiful. I did not care much for them. Here in the far north, of course, in Kassau, to have any such boys, properly trained in the archaic hymns, indicated some wealth. I did not think such singers existed even in Lydius."
"Marauders of Gor" page 33
Song of Tarl of Bristol
"I sing the siege of Ar, of gleaming Ar.
I sing the spears and walls of Ar, of Glorious Ar.
In the long years past of the siege of the city the siege of Ar of her spires and towers of undaunted Ar, Glorious Ar. I sing.
I sing of dark-haired Talena of the rage of Marlenus Ubar of Ar, Glorious Ar.
And of he I sing whose hair was like a larl from the sun of he who came once to the walls of Ar, Glorious Ar , he called Tarl of Bristol.
And, as the torches burned lower in the wall racks, the singer continued to sing, and sang of gray Pa-Kur, Master of the Assassins, leader of the hordes that feel on Ar after the theft of her Home Stone; and he sang, too, of banners and black helmets, of upraised standards, of the sun flashing on the lifted blades of spears, of high siege towers and deeds, of catapults of Ka-la-na and tem-wood, of the thunder of war tharlarion and the beatings of drums and the roars of trumpets, the clash of arms and the cries of men; and he sang, too, of the love of men for their city, and, foolishly, knowing so little of men, he sang, too, the bravery of men, and their loyalties and their courage; and he sang then, too, of duels; of duels fought even on the walls of Ar herself, even at the great gate; and of tarnsmen locked in duels to the death over the spires of Ar; and yet another duel, one fought on the height of Ar's cylinder of justice, between Pak-Kur, and he, in the song, called Tarl of Bristol."
"Raiders of Gor" pages 225/6
Bargemen Song
"...lost in her music, a gentle, slow melody, rather sad. I had heard it sung some two years ago by the bargemen on the Cartius, a tributary of the Bosk, far to the south and west of Ar."
"Assassins of Gor" page 207
The Hope of Tina (song from Cos)
"The 'Hope of Tina,' a melody of Cos which would surely be popular with most of the fellows present, on the other hand, was an excellent choice. It was supposedly the expression of the yearning, or hope, of a young girl that she may be so beautiful, and so feminine, and marvelous, that she will prove acceptable as a slave."
"Vagabonds of Gor" page 37/8
Blue Sky Song
"Some of the Tuchuks began to sing the Blue Sky Song, the refrain of which is that thought I die, yet there will be the bosk, the grass and sky."
"Nomads of Gor" page 263
Song of the Caravans of Tor
"Her fingers touched the six strings, a note at a time, and then a melody, of the caravans of Tor, a song of love."
"Assassin of Gor" page 264
Torvaldsland Song
"The men of Torvaldsland began to sing at the oars. The men of Torvaldsland sang with great voices. The men of Torvaldsland singing, the oars lifting and dipping, the serpent of Ivar Forkbeard took its way from the harbor of Kassau."
"Marauders of Gor" page 54
Red Hunters Song
"That drum in one hand of the hunter standing now in the midst of the group was some two and one half feet in diameter. He was now striking on it and singing. I could not make out the song, but it had to do with the mild winds which blow in the summer. These songs, incidentally, are rather like tools or carvings. It is unusual for one man or woman to sing another's songs. One is expected to make up one's own songs. It is expected that every man will be able to make up songs and sing them, just as every man is supposed to be able to carve and hunt. These songs are usually very simple, but some of them are quite beautiful, and some are quite touching. Both men and women sing, of course. (...)
Sometimes they sing of feasting clothes, and lovers, and their skill in quartering tabuk. Another man now took the drum and began to sing. He sang of a kayak-making song, customarily sung to the leather, wood, and sinew, with which he worked, that it not betray him on the polar sea. A fellow after him sang a sleen song, usually sung on the water, encouraging the sleen to swim to where he might strike them. The next song dealt with a rascal who, supposedly hunting for tabuk, lay down and rubbed his boots on a rock, later returning to his companions with a report of luckless hunting, indicating his worn boots as evidence of his lengthy trekking. From the looks cast about the room I gathered the rascal might even be present. One fellow at least, seemed quite embarrassed. He soon leaped up, however, and sang a song about the first fellow, something about a fellow who could not make good arrows. Two women sang after this, the first about gathering birds' eggs when she was a little girl, and the other about her joy in seeing the face of a relative whom she had not seen in more than two years.
It is rather commendable, I think, that the red hunters make up songs. They are not as critical as many other people. To them it is often more important that one whom they love sings than it is that his song is a good song. If it is a 'true' song, and comes from the heart, they are pleased to hear it. Perhaps then it is a "good song," after all. Songs, even simple ones, are regarded by the red hunters as being precious and rather mysterious. They are pleased that there are songs. As it is said. 'No one knows from where songs come.' "
"Beasts of Gor" page 262/3
The Ten Maids of Hammerfest (a pirate song)
"On the Tuka the rowers were singing, lustily. They wore an odd assortment of garbs. Insignia has been torn from clothing. Crests had been ripped from helmets, identificatory devices pried from the convex surfaces of shields. It was not a song of Ar they sang, but a river song, a song of pirates and brawlers, 'The Ten Maids of Hammerfest,' in which is recounted the fates which befell these lovely lasses. I was mildly scandalized that the stout fellows of Ar, soldiers and gentlemen, as Gorean gentlemen go, would even know these lyrics, let alone sing them with such unabashed gusto."
"Guardsman of Gor" page 93
Block Melodies
"The reference to 'block melodies' had to do with certain melodies which are commonly used in slave markets, in the display of the merchandise. Some were apparently developed for the purpose, and others simply utilized for it. Such melodies tend to be sexually stimulating, and powerfully so, both for the merchandise being vended, who must dance to them, and for the buyers."
"Vagabonds of Gor" page 37
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Czehar
"The czehar is a long, low, rectangular instrument. It is played, held across the lap. It has eight strings, plucked with a horn pick."
"Kajira of Gor" page 108
Cymbals
"The drums, the cymbals, the trumpets, were now quite close."
"Captive of Gor" page 209
"On the thumb and first finger of both her left and right hand were golden finger cymbals."
"Tribesmen of Gor" page 8
"There was a clear note of the finger cymbals, sharp, delicate, bright, and the slave girl danced before us."
"Tribesmen of Gor" page 8
Drums
"I found Turia to match my expectations. She was luxurious. Her shops were filled with rare, intriguing paraphernalia. I smelled perfumes that I had never smelled before. More than once we encountered a line of musicians dancing single file down the center of the street, playing on their flutes and drums, perhaps on their way to a feast. I was pleased to see again, though often done in silk, the splendid varieties of caste colors of the typical Gorean city, to hear once more the cries of peddlers that I knew so well, the cake sellers, the hawkers of vegetables, the wine vendor bending under a double verrskin of his vintage."
"Nomads of Gor" page 87
"The drummer's fingers light on the taut skin of his instrument, the kaska, then adjusting it, then trying it again, then tapping lightly, then more vigorously, with swift, brief rhythms, limbering his wrists, fingers and hands."
"Dancer of Gor" page 180
"The sound of the great tarn drums reached us, those huge drums whose signals control the complex war formations of Gor's flying cavalries."
"Tarnsman of Gor" page 130
"The drum of the red hunters is large and heavy. It has a handle and is disklike. It requires strength to manage it. It is held in one hand and beaten with a stick held in the other. Its frame is generally of wood and its cover, of hide, usually tabuk hide, is fixed on the frame by sinew. Interestingly the drum is not struck on the head, or hide cover, but on the frame. It has an odd resonance. That drum in one hand of the hunter standing now in the midst of the group was some two and one half feet in diameter."
"Beasts of Gor" pages 261/2
"One wiped the flute, the other was addressing himself to the tabor, loosening some pegs, relaxing the tension of the drumhead. The drumhead is usually made of verr skin, as most often are wineskins."
"Vagabonds of Gor" page 36
Flute
"A girl on a flute and a sudden pounding on twin tabors, small, hand drums, called my attention to the square of sand at the side of which sat the musicians."
"Explorers of Gor" page 133
"One wiped the flute, the other was addressing himself to the tabor, loosening some pegs, relaxing the tension of the drumhead. The drumhead is usually made of verr skin, as most often are wineskins."
"Vagabonds of Gor" page 36
"There was suddenly near us, startling us, another skirl of notes on a flute, the common double flute."
"Magicians of Gor" page 120
Kalika
"The slave girl sitting on the furs, for the kalika is played either sitting or standing, bent over her instrument, her hair falling over the neck of it, lost in her music, a gentle, slow melody, rather sad. I had heard it sung some two years ago by the bargemen on the Cartius, a tributary of the Bosk, far to the south and west of Ar."
"Assassins of Gor" page 207
Kaska
"The drummer's fingers light on the taut skin of his instrument, the kaska, then adjusting it, then trying it again, then tapping lightly, then more vigorously, with swift, brief rhythms, limbering his wrists, fingers and hands."
"Dancer of Gor" page 180
Tabors
"A girl on a flute and a sudden pounding on twin tabors, small, hand drums, called my attention to the square of sand at the side of which sat the musicians."
"Explorers of Gor" page 133
Tambourine
"There was also a second drummer, also with a kaska, and another fellow, a younger one, who sat very seriously beore what appeared to me to be a pile of objects; among them was a notched stick, played by sliding a polished tem-wood stick across its surface; cymbals of various sorts; what was obviously a tambourine; and several other instruments of a percussion variety, bits of metal on wires, gourds filled with pebbles, slave bells mounted on hand rings, and such."
"Nomads of Gor" page 153
Trumpet
"We heard music in the distance, trumpets, drums, and cymbals."
"Captive of Gor" page 209
"Behind him came musicians, with their trumpets, and cymbals and drums."
"Captive of Gor" page 209
"There was a clear note of the finger cymbals, sharp, delicate, bright, and the slave girl danced before us."
"Tribesmen of Gor" page 8
Notched stick
"There was also a second drummer, also with a kaska, and another fellow, a younger one, who sat very seriously beore what appeared to me to be a pile of objects; among them was a notched stick, played by sliding a polished tem-wood stick across its surface; cymbals of various sorts; what was obviously a tambourine; and several other instruments of a percussion variety, bits of metal on wires, gourds filled with pebbles, slave bells mounted on hand rings, and such."
"Nomads of Gor" page 153
Whistles
"These rattles were then joined by the fifing of whistles, shrill and high, formed from the wing bones of the taloned Herlit."
"Blood Brothers of Gor" page 40
PLAYS
"�Pull down your skirt, slut!� cried the free woman in the audience.
�Be quiet,� said a free man to the woman. �It is only a play.�
�Be silent yourself!� she cried back at him.
�Would that you were a slave,� he growled. �You would pay richly for your impertinence.�
�I am not a slave,� she said.
�Obviously,� he said.
�And I shall never be a slave,� she said.
�Do not be too sure of that,� he said.
�Beast,� she said.
�I wonder if you would be any good chained in a tent,� he said.
�Monster!� she said.
�Let us observe the drama,� suggested another fellow."
"Players of Gor" page 121