Hammershus Castle (Animation/Soundtrack)

[mediumaevum]

UPDATE:

All animations have been finished. It's been a fun project.

Hammershus in the 14th century:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ27-cakm9Y

Hammershus in the 16th century:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yOMUkUiars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zT3EBmtETQ

----

A project I've been working on for 4 years:
Hammershus Castle. Aside from soundtracks, I've made all the animation myself using Blender.

It is a reconstruction of one of the largest castles of Northern Europe, as it might have looked like in the 14th-16th century in its heyday.

It contains film soundtracks, medieval-inspired music and animations of castles, dragons and other medieval stuff.

Enjoy.

[3lu5iv3]

sounds great and looks great. looking forward to the final version.

[enroe]

Wonderful - you are evidently recreating these great
castles in Blender. It turned out really well!

[mediumaevum]

The animations have been finished.
Enjoy.

[eassae]

I like it(14th). Very nice automation on the choir, a lot of movement and depth. The light piano ostinato in the first part of the song was particularly nice.

The other two are beautiful as well. Love the flute.

[ChameleonMusic]

Always just opinion as always ( and I can see that others disagree)!

Hammershus in the 14th century:
You've done a very good job on the choir parts here - they're excellent both musically and in terms of the simple, warm production!

Personally, I found the other parts to be a bit of a distraction musically and would've loved to hear it all as just voices? The parts all work without a doubt, but I'm not sure that they actually 'add' anything significant and possibly take something away in terms of purity / simplicity of sound?

Hammershus in the 16th century video 1:
For me the various sounds worked much more effectively here creating a gentle, mysterious, magical atmosphere.


Hammershus in the 16th century video 2:
The music works pretty effectively overall for me...loved the well-timed string rise just after 50 secs and the ebb and flow is all judged perfectly right to the end.

This next point can be applied to all 3 to some extent...

There is a lovely static, solid, strength to this piece...it comes from the low, sustained pedal note that continues throughout the whole piece, but...

There were moments where I think a little move away from that pedal note for just a few bars each time would've seriously lifted it all to new heights of intensity...that's sort of the point of pedal notes and ostinatos - they bring the music 'down' so much that even a little, brief harmonic change is intensified.

last general point:
With the historical connection, it would've been interesting to have more genuine musical ideas directly from each time period rather than just these generic 'olde worlde' motifs? but I do accept that it might've been less effective maybe as the genuine article is NOT what people think it is!
________________________________________________________________________________

Videos looked great to me - very impressive!

[mediumaevum]

Always just opinion as always ( and I can see that others disagree)!

Hammershus in the 14th century:
You've done a very good job on the choir parts here - they're excellent both musically and in terms of the simple, warm production!

Personally, I found the other parts to be a bit of a distraction musically and would've loved to hear it all as just voices? The parts all work without a doubt, but I'm not sure that they actually 'add' anything significant and possibly take something away in terms of purity / simplicity of sound?

Thanks for the critique - that's something I will strongly consider in my future works.

Hammershus in the 16th century video 1:
For me the various sounds worked much more effectively here creating a gentle, mysterious, magical atmosphere.

Thanks - that was indeed the goal.
My intention with the soundtrack was to create some mysterious atmosphere bringing old ruins back to its heyday and create this "ambient-filmic-hidde-in-the-mist" feeling right to the listener, as a way to "travel back in time" for the modern listener.

Hammershus in the 16th century video 2:
The music works pretty effectively overall for me...loved the well-timed string rise just after 50 secs and the ebb and flow is all judged perfectly right to the end.

This next point can be applied to all 3 to some extent...

There is a lovely static, solid, strength to this piece...it comes from the low, sustained pedal note that continues throughout the whole piece, but...

There were moments where I think a little move away from that pedal note for just a few bars each time would've seriously lifted it all to new heights of intensity...that's sort of the point of pedal notes and ostinatos - they bring the music 'down' so much that even a little, brief harmonic change is intensified.

last general point:
With the historical connection, it would've been interesting to have more genuine musical ideas directly from each time period rather than just these generic 'olde worlde' motifs? but I do accept that it might've been less effective maybe as the genuine article is NOT what people think it is!
________________________________________________________________________________

Videos looked great to me - very impressive!

Thank you for the critique.

My main challenge was to keep the music as simple as possible, as to not distract the viewer from the main focus: The animations. The music should support the animations, not do something "on its own".

Yet I wanted to have some movement, to not have the viewer fall asleep while watching the animations. It was a very difficult task for me as a non-professional composer, to satisfy the listeners and viewers simultaneously - while keeping their attention for as long as possible while telling a story using only music and pictures.

The very few words that do exist in the Hammershus 16th century no. 1 was intended to be kept as short as possible, and let the model "do the talking" so to speak, with the music generating the "atomosphere".

Initially I did think about creating some more authentic medieval music for these animations, but I decided not to because medieval music would be too distracting, too "wild". The animation is the main goal, the soundtrack exists to support the animation.

Btw. this animation below is their current video at Hammershus Visitor's Center. It's personally not of my taste which is why I decided to make my own castle model and animation:

https://vimeo.com/296648642

[ChameleonMusic]

Yes, your videos and music are much better than that one!!!

initially I did think about creating some more authentic medieval music for these animations, but I decided not to because medieval music would be too distracting, too "wild".

Medieval music can be very, very calm at times you know!

Also, that's what I meant about the historical angle...

1300 is pretty late in the medieval period with various options available.

1576 is well into the Renaissance period with a very different style of music having established itself across much of Europe.

[mediumaevum]

Yes, your videos and music are much better than that one!!!

initially I did think about creating some more authentic medieval music for these animations, but I decided not to because medieval music would be too distracting, too "wild".

Medieval music can be very, very calm at times you know!

Also, that's what I meant about the historical angle...

1300 is pretty late in the medieval period with various options available.

1576 is well into the Renaissance period with a very different style of music having established itself across much of Europe.

That's all true, but in the 16th century, Hammershus was no longer owned by the Church, but the Crown, handed over from the the Hanseatic League. Which means if I should choose any music from this period, it would have to be secular and therefore folk music or something else that is too distracting.

You have to consider that medieval melodies, secular and sacred, were very elaborate. This would be too distracing for the viewer, I fear.

Even in the 14th century when the castle was owned by the Church, the bishop(s) who owned it were more interested in wealth and earthly/secular matters than the spiritual/religious.

This is why I've chosen an entirely different path regarding composition of these soundtracks, by allowing for a less historically authentic, more filmic atmosphere.

When we're talking about music in the 1570s, we're talking stuff like Palestrina, which - aside from being catholic (at that time Denmark had been Protestant for 40 years) a bit too wild, too elaborate to work as a supporting soundtrack for a travel-back-in-time filmic atmosphere.

[ChameleonMusic]

Yes, your videos and music are much better than that one!!!

initially I did think about creating some more authentic medieval music for these animations, but I decided not to because medieval music would be too distracting, too "wild".

Medieval music can be very, very calm at times you know!

Also, that's what I meant about the historical angle...

1300 is pretty late in the medieval period with various options available.

1576 is well into the Renaissance period with a very different style of music having established itself across much of Europe.

That's all true, but in the 16th century, Hammershus was no longer owned by the Church, but the Crown, handed over from the the Hanseatic League. Which means if I should choose any music from this period, it would have to be secular and therefore folk music or something else that is too distracting.

You have to consider that medieval melodies, secular and sacred, were very elaborate. This would be too distracing for the viewer, I fear.

Even in the 14th century when the castle was owned by the Church, the bishop(s) who owned it were more interested in wealth and earthly/secular matters than the spiritual/religious.

This is why I've chosen an entirely different path regarding composition of these soundtracks, by allowing for a less historically authentic, more filmic atmosphere.

When we're talking about music in the 1570s, we're talking stuff like Palestrina, which - aside from being catholic (at that time Denmark had been Protestant for 40 years) a bit too wild, too elaborate to work as a supporting soundtrack for a travel-back-in-time filmic atmosphere.

Yes, I get your point entirely and I DO think you've gone down a sensible path, but...

As someone who's studied medieval music for decades (both secular and sacred) I can definitely say that there's plenty of laidback, chilled music in both areas...ditto Renaissance...including plenty of Protestant church pieces from the early 1500s onwards!

[drumity]

Just had time to watch the first one.
Man, this is great !
Very moving !
Keep up this very important work !

(( D ))

[mediumaevum]

Just had time to watch the first one.
Man, this is great !
Very moving !
Keep up this very important work !

(( D ))

Thanks a lot!