That was awesome. Sounded like it could have played in the background of a movie with lots of swords and horses and castles and whatnot. Definitely a riveting sound.

Interesting to see how, in centuries past and in other cultures, there was music to ANNOUNCE that someone was dead, rather than just music played AT their funeral (or wake) BECAUSE they were dead and "would have wanted that". Not knocking the tradition of playing a loved one's requests at their viewing or what-have-you, but it just fascinates me that music was, at least at one time, BOTH powerfully moving AND intensely practical. A news-bulletin and a concert all in one.

Don't know where else I'd find a thread like this on the people's level... maybe on a site devoted to cultural anthropology on the uber-academic level, but Mudcat is a treasure just for threads like this one.