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What is your favorite song in Latin?


Bob

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Music is a great way to learn a language. Since Latin is not spoken that much, it would be difficult to gain the listening and speaking skills required to me fluent. Songs are great to listen to and can strengthen listening skills.

There are many genres of music that have lyrics in Latin. Although Latin is not spoken much nowadays, several songs are exclusively sang in Latin.

My favorite Latin song is Carmina Burana.

I love it because the classical aspect combined with the choir is awesome. Although, songs like these are not the only Latin songs. There is also rock, hip hop, metal, etc.

This is a really funny video with misheard lyrics from Carmina Burana.

"Salsa cookies... send him to North Korea!!!"

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Carmina Burana is not actually a song, though, it's more of a body of work, compiled over a lot of time from the texts and tablatures left by it's authors, the Goliards. According to the latest investigations, it's now over 220 songs. It's also not all Latin, as there are a lot of songs in German, and also in French and Italian, I believe.

One of my favorite Latin songs is actually from the Carmina Burana (following as closely as possible the original notations, not the orchestral inventions of Carl Orff). Rene Clemencic's version is one of the best, I find, although the Corvus Corax (excellent band with loads of Latin songs) fast-paced version is also quite good:

Corvus Corax - In Taberna

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  • 2 weeks later...

Salve!

Music is indeed a powerful and fun way of learning a language. Especially if that language is dead like Latin. It is because of music or songs that I was able to better grasp the Latin language.

I have many songs that I like which are sung in Latin, but my favourite musical group that uses the Latin language to their lyrics would be Lesiem.

Lesiem is a New Age band based in Germany, and their Latin accents have a Germanic touch into them. Nonetheless, their singing is magnificent and their lyrics are helpful in learning the language. Many of their songs also reflect the lifestyles and ideals of the Ancient Roman Empire.

Here are some samples of their songs viz.

i.) Pater Patriae

ii.) Justitia

iii.) Poeta

iv.) Liberta

v.) Lesiëm

Regards,

The Antiquarian.

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Hey Antiquarian

Those Latin-songs that you provided are really awesome! How good is your Latin though? Do you understand all of the lyrics? I never learned latin in school, therefore I have some trouble to understand the lyrics. Still, it really sounds nice !

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 9 months later...

Too bad this topic is dying out, it's a very interesting one. Songs are an excellent way of enjoying one language. I like Adoramus Te, Adeste Fideles... there are actually a lot of songs written in Latin for the church - with lyrics, the music, the chords... You can find a great number of them.

But you should also try reading poems. It's true that they are all in a certain metric pattern (so reading them aloud is a bit of a problem if you don't follow it), but some of them are very interesting. Catullus is a good example (not all of his poems, though). He's not too difficult. Horace too may be easy to follow at times. You must have a dictionary at hand, though.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Latin music is one of my favorite music and i just love it. I was at Zumba dance and i fell in love with this music and i also have latin blood in my veins.I also bought me a latin dictionary so I can learn more latin as well.

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