Stones

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This article is about a song. For other uses, see Stone (disambiguation).

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"Stones" is a prevalent and well-known song that appears throughout the Ultima series.

In the games, the song is quite popular in Britannia and a favorite of Lord British. Iolo FitzOwen, a renowned bard and close friend of the king, composed the music; his wife Gwenno wrote the lyrics. In reality, the song was written by David R. Watson and Kathleen Jones, the real world counterparts of Iolo and Gwenno.

Lyrics

“

Long ago ran the sun on a folk who had a dream And the heart and the will and the power: They moved earth; they carved stone; moulded hill and channeled stream That we might stand on the wide plains of Wiltshire. Now men asked who they were, how they built and wonder why That they wrought standing stones of such size. What was done 'neath our shade? What was pray'ed 'neath our skies As we stood on the wyrd plains of Wiltshire. Oh what secrets we could tell if you'd listen and be still. Rid the stink and the noise from our skirts. But you haven't got the clue and perhaps you never will. Mute we stand on the cold plains of Wiltshire. Still we loom in the mists as the ages roll away And we say of our folk, "they are here!" That they built us and they died and you'll not be knowing why Save we stand on the bare plains of Wiltshire. – from The Book of Lore (Ultima V)

In-game Appearances

The sheet music for "Stones," as it appears in The Book of Lore

In Ultima V, "Stones" played a pivotal role in the course of the Avatar's quest to restore Lord British to power. The song had to be physically performed on Lord British's harpsichord in order to obtain the king's sandalwood box, a vastly crucial item in securing the king's return. The court composer, Lord Kenneth, was able to teach the hero how to play the harpsichord, if asked. Tim, the bard in residence at Empath Abbey, could also furnish the Avatar with rumors regarding miraculous occurrences linked to the song when played upon a kingly instrument. The actual musical notation for the song could be found in The Book of Lore.

In Ultima VI, it was necessary for the Avatar to join the Artisan's Guild of Minoc before the guildmaster, Selganor, would lend the Rune of Sacrifice. In order to do this, the hero had to perform "Stones" on a set of custom panpipes, which could be commissioned from Julia. Gwenno was able to provide the Avatar with the correct numerical notation for the song, which was 6789878767653.

In Ultima IX, the Avatar was required again to perform on the royal harpsichord – on this occasion in order to acquire the Ankh of Spirituality. The court musician at the time, Siona, was able to give the hero the sheet music necessary to play the tune once more.

Versions

Versions of "Stones" have appeared in the in-game music for Ultima V, Ultima VI, Ultima VII, Ultima VII Part Two, and Ultima IX. Outside the core series, "Stones" has also appeared in Runes of Virtue and Ultima Online.

Ultima IX provided two notably unconventional adaptions of "Stones": a contemporary rock version arranged and performed on electric guitar by Raph "Designer Dragon" Koster that can be heard on the Avatar's radio on Earth, and an electronica version co-written by lead designer Seth Mendelson that accompanies the ending credits of the game.

Two other variations were written for the canceled Ultima Online 2: a traditional composition written by George Oldziey and reminiscent of his Ultima IX arrangement, and an industrial version by Curse Mackey meant to illustrate the environment of the steampunk Juuka homeland. These were later reused for the Ultima Online expansion, Lord Blackthorn's Revenge.

In addition to these official appearances, multiple renditions of "Stones" can be heard in the fan remake projects Ultima V: Lazarus and The Ultima 6 Project.

Lore

“	Without question, the best known name in folk music is that of Iolo FitzOwen. “Stones,” a ballad about the mystic shrines, has long been popular among bards and the commonfolk. It is known to be a favorite of His Majesty, Lord British, as well. FitzOwen’s masterwork, with lyrics by his wife Gwenllian Gwalch’gaeaf, is a sample of fine music. – from The Book of Lore (Ultima V)

“

As a child, I remember hearing the song ‘Stones’ and associating that with Lord British. My mother would tell me it was his favorite song, and that he would play it on his harpsichord in his room for hours. I even read in my books on the Avatar that the song was used to open a secret door that revealed Lord British’s sandalwood box! I learned the song from a bowyer near Britain named Iolo, who said it was a favorite of his, too, and I've loved to play it ever since. Amy – from A Memory of Stones (Ultima IX)

Trivia

• "Stones" was written by David Watson and Kathleen Jones upon the newlyweds' return from their honeymoon. Watson's melody for the song came about serendipitously as he was restringing his lute, upon which Jones then provided accompanying lyrics.

• In each rendition of "Stones" from Ultima VII onward, the final verse of the original composition is omitted.

• In Ultima VII Part Two, selecting "Stones" on the music box at the Inn of the Sleeping Bull will draw a sentimental reaction from Iolo, before causing Shamino to contrarily moan, "Not Stones again..."

• Wiltshire is a county in England that is home to Salisbury Plains, on which rests Stonehenge. It is possible that this is Lord British's favorite song because it reminds him of the Britain he grew up in before coming to Sosaria.

External Links

• David Watson performs and discusses “Stones” (YouTube)
• The Stones Archive, hosting variations of the song for download.
• “Stones” – Video Game Music Preservation Foundation – includes renderings from a variety of games and music devices
• Ultima VI OST – Stones (YouTube) – The song as it appeared in the SNES version of Ultima VI.
• : The original MIDI of the song as it appeared in Ultima VII.