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»Healing Buddha Oratory - a lovesong for Tibet«

Posted by Christian Bollmann on May 16, 2009 at 9:30

»Healing Buddha Oratory - a lovesong for Tibet«
Die neue CD von Christian Bollmann und dem Obertonchor

Einen Tag nach dem die CD 2008 aus der Fertigung kam, kamen die ersten Schreckensmeldungen aus Lhasa. Auch nach diesem vergangenen Jahr braucht Tibet weiterhin unsere Unterstützung. Ich hoffe dass diese CD hilft, die Sympathie für Tibet in der Welt zu stärken und damit einhergehend auch dazu beiträgt, das Verhältnis von China und Tibet zu heilen.

Ich freue mich, Ihnen die CD, an der wir 3 Jahre gearbeitet haben, vorzustellen und hoffe auf gute Resonanzen.

Die »Love-Songs for Tibet« sind Fundstücke auf der Suche nach Hörwelten »jenseits der entferntesten Ufer«. Sie wollen ein Klangtor zur Entgrenzung öffnen und entfalten ihre Liebe, Harmonie und Schönheit allmählich im strömenden Puls der Zeit.

Christian Bollmann und der Obertonchor laden ein:

  • zum Mitschwingen in mantrischen Klangkreisen, die sich verdichten - und lösen
  • zur Hingabe an tragende Klangmuster, die sich verweben - und verwehen
  • zur Einkehr in magischen Klangoasen, die uns schützen, stärken - und innehalten lassen.


»Healing-Buddha Oratory - a lovesong for Tibet« - entstand aus der konzertanten Fassung zentraler Mantren des Buddhismus unter dem Arbeitstitel »Tibetzyklus«.
Anita Holtmann schrieb in ihrem Sabbatjahr Melodien für vierstimmigen Chor zu den Mantren Om Mani Peme Hung, Om Tare Tam Soha und Gate Gate Paragate. Christian Bollmannn lernte etwa zur gleichen Zeit über Jutta Reichardt und Yesche Udo Regel das Medizin-Buddha Ritual kennen und erhielt eine Einweihung in den Gebrauch des Mantras von Lama Phuntsok im Kamalashila Institut, die ihn zu der musikalischen Bearbeitung des Mantras inspirierte. Aus der intensiven Arbeit mit dem Obertonchor und weiteren Musikern entstand unter der Leitung von Christian Bollmann die Komposition des Mantrischen Oratoriums, einem Klangritual für westliche Ohren.


Cover der neuen CD


»Klangenergetische Spannungsfelder und rhythmische Entschleunigung gehen eine Symbiose ein. Der aktiv lauschende Hörer wird in Erlebnissphären geleitet, die sonst vielleicht nur träumend im besänftigenden und zugleich Kraft spendenden Schlaf - oder in tiefer Meditation - berührt werden. «(Christoph Cleve)
»Diese Annäherung an die Mantren und ihre geistigen Inhalte hat im Chor einen fruchtbaren Prozess ausgelöst. Dies wünschen wir auch unseren Hörern.« - Christian Bollmann

»Bei der Entstehung meiner drei Stücke hatte ich immer ganz bestimmte Bilder von Orten, von Menschen und Begegnungen während meiner Reisen durch Ladakh und Tibet vor Augen und ich wollte durch die Vertonung der Mantren meine ganz tiefe Verbundenheit mit diesen Menschen zum Ausdruck bringen, die ihre Religion so unbeirrt, so fröhlich und so tief gläubig leben und praktizieren. Es war für mich der Ausdruck für meine erlebten Gefühle, für meine Bewunderung, meine Liebe und auch für eine heimliche Sehnsucht. Allein diese Gefühle waren es, die die Melodien zu den Mantren entstehen ließen. Damit verbunden war auch die Hoffnung, in der Andersartigkeit meiner Vertonung, der westlichen Welt einen Zugang zum Verständnis der tibetischen Kultur zu erleichtern, ohne dabei das religiöse Empfinden dieser Völker zu verletzen.« Anita Anjana Holtmann

Klangbeispiele finden Sie auf meiner Homepage www.lichthaus-musik.de.
Die CD kostet pro Einheit (Stück): 18,00 Euro (inkl. 19 % MwSt.). - ein Euro pro CD geht an die Kinder Tibets.

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Europian Overtonechoir

Posted by Filip Rydlo on March 26, 2008 at 0:30
on Tuesday 25th of March 2008, in the castle in Podebrady (CZ) I joined the meeting of European Overtone Choir for that day only. Too bad I did not have more holidays - I would have staid there till friday and sing on the concert...I very much enjoyed giving a one hour lesson of advanced overtonesinging for about 32 overtonesingers.Woooooow, it was fantastic new experience for me. I Love it !I have never worked with so many skilled ovt.singers before !I would like to send big *HUG* and greeting especially to those ovt.singers: Bodo (I thank Thee, it honors me that Thou hast recorded my lesson), Theresa (whom I Love for Her beautiful and shining soul), Goesta (who invited Spektrum to Sweden), Mathias (who helps to organize EOC meetings), Mila (who organizes EOC and connects EOC with Spektrum), Wolfgang Saus (who has gently introduced me to all new EOC members when I offered this advanced lesson),and to all the others that attended my lesson. And also to all the overtonesinging children there and to all members of EOC. ....Big overtone greeting to you all ! :)P.S. I plan to make videolessons here for You. So come and join this network! ;)
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Om For Peace

Posted by Baird Hersey on March 19, 2008 at 5:00

It's a simple idea: gather people together and sing a continuous OM as a meditation for peace. On Easter Sunday March 23rd, 2008 at 6:00 PM EDT, US, people, all over the world, who want to give expression to their wish for peace will gather in groups to join in the sound of many voices singing as one in an extended OM.

Each person, as a meditation on peace, sings their own note at their own rate guided by their breath. Within the group this builds an exquisitely beautiful, rising and falling, subtly changing, continuos chord. Many voices resonating together in one sound.

How to do this? Set a place to gather; yoga studio, mediation center, dance studio, theater, or living room. Spread the word and invite as many people as you can. Begin at 6:00 PM, Eastern Daylight Time, US, and sing OM as long as the sound wants to go on, hopefully for at least an hour. Even if you can't get together with other people sing on your own knowing that people in other places are singing with you.

People of all faiths and beliefs are welcome. No musical experience is necessary only the willingness to add your voice for peace to the sound of OM.

This is our sixth year. Last year I heard from people all over the world who had participated. Please forward this to anyone who might be interested or your mailing list. And PLEASE let us know how it goes.

Here in Woodstock we will be coming together at Mountain View Studio off of Rock City Road.

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Christian Bollmann - Spirit in Soundspace

Posted by Christian Bollmann on October 31, 2007 at 7:30
Background

My first encounter with sung overtones was in 1969 at a performance of Karl Stockhausen's "Stimmung" ("Mood") in the studio of the Beethoven Concert Hall in Bonn. The atmosphere created by the entirely new way of handling vocal sounds made me astonishingly alert and curious although I had always enjoyed singing, and had sung a lot, my main interest up until then had been in playing instruments. Just as I had recently heard synthesizer music for the first time, and had had the opportunity to play such an instrument for the first time I ended up experimenting with the voice. In 1972, l experienced Michael Vetter with his wife Atsuko in a concert in the Bonn Center, how he explored the possibilities of the voice with overtones and vocal color using intuition and improvisation. Once again, I was fascinated, this time by how natural deep and matter-of-fact this musical playing was in its subtle possibilities. I visited him frequently and in playing together, I recognized, among other things, the basic ways of making overtones audible by means of sung tones.

Christian Bollmann - harmonic chant . horns . didgeridoo . soundbowls


Spirit in Soundspace

During my studies at the Conservatory of Music in Cologne from 1972 to 1980, I concentrated not only on the traditional curriculum, but also on jazz and new music, later on composition, new music theatre, and electronic music. During this time, overtone singing was a kind of "musique privee" a musical form of meditation, in order to recover from the shock of my education, and to encounter once again my own most inner music freely and with inspiration. After some wild times in the most varied constellations, I decided to take time to reorient myself and to find out what I really wanted.

The first thing was to set up seminars for meditative creative music, in which the voice is the center of attention as a "biological organic synthesizer", and thus overtone singing as an important element. Breathe, movement and voice as a familiar and direct instrument in which all participants are equally able to gather musical and human experience, which can be easily applied, to instruments. The second thing was the dream of a small studio, in which I could try out and realize my musical ideas whenever I wanted to. Along the path of working with these two "instruments", there came into being a group for singing overtones, the Workshop Choir, as well as music for theatrical and film productions choral compositions for Antigone the Bacchic, and plays of Aristophanes "Aquamorphose", the piece about the sounds of water with Christoph Müller, and the first compositions for the "Overtone Choir Düsseldorf", which I founded in 1985.

The Overtone Choir Project 90 was formed in the autumn of 1989 to continue the idea of the Overtone Choir Düsseldorf with a large ensemble. The goal of the project is to go together along a path of elemental musical work, and to grow in the experience of community and coming to terms with musical structures, compositions, and free improvisations, with the focus on the overtone series. In consciously dealing with these musical aspects, also contain aspects of social, spiritual, and personal growth (experience of self, group, concert, and recording situations), the universal laws of music become clear, and form the process of personal and communal growth.


Introduction - Possible contents of a lecture

The overtone music which is composed and performed by Christian Bollmann may sound exotic to some ears - it is interesting to note, however, that it has its roots in European musical culture. Early western music was, like the music of all other cultural groups and peoples; shaped by overtones this was especially true for the tone quality of vocal production, as well as the ideal timbre of instruments. The music was oriented towards the fundamental, in other words, exclusively directed at a middle point. Thus the desire of the people of that time to praise the one God and become one with Him found expression in this musical analogy. One example of this is found in the singing of Gregorian chant. It stays entirely within the modal boundaries of the church modes. If one listens to this singing with concentration, it is possible to perceive the overtones.

Spiral dance of overtones

In the course of cultural development, musical aspirations changed. During the Baroque period. For instance, composers wanted to take long harmonic journeys. However, longer modulations could only be carried out within limits, because of the pure tuning. The reason is as follows: if one piles pure fifths on top of each other, as is familiar from the image of the circle of fifths, one does not arrive back exactly at the starting point, but instead at a tone that is a bit higher. To think of it spatially, it means that the circle of fifths is, according to the pure harmonic tuning, a spiral- a three dimensional evolutionary structure! This system, however, could not be applied to keyboard instruments.

The spiral gets flattened

Someone finally came up with the idea of dividing the extra note left over from the piling up of fifths into twelve equal parts. Then the parts were subtracted from each fifth, and thus a circle of fifths was created with an even temperament, which differed only slightly from what the ear was accustomed to hearing. To make the spatial analogy again, the formerly three-dimensional overtone spiral was reduced to a two dimensional circle- the spiral was literally banged flat. As a result, composers could finally modulate endlessly, and Johann Sebastian Bach could write his "Well tempered Klavier".

A new ideal sound: the "slim figure"

There was another problem: the new circle of fifths did not match the other voices and instruments with their sounds full of overtones. The overtones of the instruments competed with the slightly changed tempered intervals of the keyboard instruments. As a result, new instruments with a "slimmer" sound were built and at the same time, the sound ideal of singers was changed. Most overtones were consciously avoided. They disturbed the new tempered system. A new sound aesthetic predominated and determined musical events. Johann Sebastian Bach brought counterpoint to its culmination during the Baroque period. The masters of all following musical epochs reached comparable heights. In the meantime, the serial composition technique was taken over by composers and listeners in the analytical and scientific consciousness of modern music. In this musical landscape, experimental music began, with the help of unusual instruments and newly developed synthesizers, to place single tones at the centre of attention. The natural result was that overtones, suppressed for so long, were able to unfold fully. Revived in this way, they became the real plaything of music.

The voice as instrument gets rediscovered

At the end of the 60's, in a phase of reduction, contemplation, and the development of minimal music, several composers, in different parts of the world, discovered overtones invocal sound simultaneously. Karlheinz Stockhausen made a special mark concerning them. In his composition "Stimmung", written in 1968 for six vocalists, he showed an entirely new way of working with the voice. Michael Vetter, who was working with Stockhausen at that time, developed his "way of the voice" in the area of improvisation and meditation. In 1975, David Hykes founded the Harmonic Choir in New York.

Christian Bollmann and his New Meditative Music

Christian Bollmann founded the Overtone Choir Düsseldorf in 1985. His compositions and performing instructions contain meditative as well as dynamic aspects. In addition, there are elements that flow from the modality of Gregorian chant, jazz, and other assimilated forms of world music into his works. In the course of years, an independent western overtone culture has developed, which carries on the heritage of the most ancient, original form of music. This original form of music is the root of all musical cultures. It is based on tone, with its inherent law of the overtone series. This overtone culture is also a current in new music. It has moved away from the dissonant and spectacular into the meditative, spiritual domain. The aspiration of this music has been broadened. Thus is the healing quality of these sounds being increasingly holistically explored and included in the compositions.

Many people, upon hearing consciously sung overtones for the first time, speak enthusiastically about sounds of the spheres, which extend brightly and colorful over the listener like a rainbow Like white light, which is sent through a prism and is broken down into its spectrum of colors, the overtones dance delicately and as clearly as a bell, not to be located around the fundamental produced by the singer or instrument. Those who enter the world of overtones find themselves on a many - dimensional acoustical voyage of discovery. The singing of one's own overtones or contemplative listening leads to internal and external soundspaces, which lead into meditation and also have a harmonizing effect on body, soul and mind. The resulting holistic healing effect is used among other things in medicine. A clinic in Hamburg, for instance, successfully treats cancer patients with the overtones of a special Sandawa monochord.

Physical foundations

All notes consist of several parts: a quantitative- the pitch, or fundamental, and a qualitative- the timbre, the overtones. Because of these characteristics, not only the absolute pitch is recognizable, but also the source, be it a piano, an aeroplane, or a blackbird. The individually characteristic timbre is determined by the dominance of individual overtones, the so-called resonance frequencies that vibrate along with the fundamental. Physically, the overtones have an undivided numerical relationship to the fundamental (1:2:3:4 etc.). However, only a few of these overtones correspond exactly to the evenly tempered scale, which is customarily used in western civilization. The higher the overtones get, the more they deviate from it. However, in other cultures, many intervals are derived from overtones.

Overtones in the series of analogous, harmonic laws of nature

The astonishing analogies of overtone intervals to other physical magnitudes, such as the astronomical revolution period of planets, the biological construction of the body, the architectural proportions of the Egyptian pyramids or Gothic cathedrals, the biological construction of the body, and to quantum and atomic physics, have occupied the world of science for thousands of years and place overtones in the series of analogous, harmonic laws of nature.

Pythagoras, a monk, and overtones

In the European cultural region, it was Pythagoras who, living and teaching in a spiritual community, recognized the musical I mathematical transcending realities of overtones. The actual existence of overtones themselves was, however, proven by the French monk Mann Mersenne as late as 1636 and scientifically demonstrated by Josef Sauveur around 1700. These days, overtones are being examined as examples of universal harmonies from around the world at the "Hans Kayser Institute for exploration of the basis of harmony" at the Musikhochschule (college of music) in Vienna.

Feedbacks on his music
  • „ . . . his work is characteristic for the fact that it sets art, music, spirit and nature, subject and object into a holistic perspective. Christian Bollmann’s work is of an outstanding quality and originality and unique in Europe . . .“ (Prof. Herman Wedekind)
  • „If there is something like Taoism as sound experience, then it is implemented in the best way possible in Christian’s work.“ (Prof. Joachim Ernst Berendt)
  • „Again cordial thanks for the great music. It reaches into the deepest layers of the soul and transforms many shadows. I am completely inspired ! “ (Trudi Thali, Swiss)
  • „After this weekend there is still deep joy resonating in me – thank you.“ (workshop attendee)
  • „Besides the acoustic, the resuming aspects particulary touched me. The Love showing up through your work found its completion in the healing songs we celebrated. This group meditation created a marvelous atmosphere, where really holy moments came to presence and where true miracles can happen.“ (Frank Brakonier, workshop attendee)
  • „I just heard you on a CD sampler called, "Planet Chant." A lot of coincidences concern this, it seems. Anyway, I listened to the cut, "Confirmation" which is about 4:30 minutes, non stop for an hour, then I said during the final replay, 'okay, I'm going to make myself get up and leave now.' I felt like I had done some serious meditation, one focus, breathing really slow, heart rate down and a feeling of simple happiness. I was especially struck by the total absence of any sad content, you know? Like, there is no sad content in sun light, the natural world is just beaming away with a smile on its face, that seems to be the message of the overtone series. Olivier Messaien's music is like that too, no darkness anywhere.“ Steve Tortorici music director of WUWF in Pensacola, Florida
  • „Your spirit is such a clear angel. Sounds like your journey unfolded with magic as I would have guessed. Thank you for spreading the beautiful vibrations to people and places that need it so much.“ Kimba/Kauai
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The Story of Our CD with Krishna Das

Posted by Baird Hersey on October 21, 2007 at 7:30
Gathering in the LightIn October of 2004 Krishna Das attended a release party for PRANA's first CD, "The Eternal Embrace". After Prana had sung, Krishna Das said to Baird, "Let's make a record together or something".Over the next year the "or something" was Krishna Das inviting Prana to sing at his larger benefit Kirtans in the New York area. As a part of those evenings KD would join Prana to sing Baird's arrangement of his chant "Puja". The combination of the ethereal sound of overtone singing supporting the rich, open hearted voice of Krishna Das was stunning.In 2006 Baird and KD decided to record "Puja" for Prana's new CD. The resulting 12 minute piece was so striking, they resolved to record an entire CD together. The result is "Gathering in the Light", Krishna Das singing seven of his most beloved chants over arrangements created by Baird and sung by Prana.On four pieces percussion was added: Jerry Marotta, (Peter Gabriel, Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello) on hand percussion and drums, South Indian Masters Drummers Subash Chandran, playing ghatam (clay pot), Ganesh Kumar playing kanjira (tunable tambourine), and Arjun Alan Bruggeman on Tabla.The only sound on this recording is the human voice and percussion."Gathering In The Light" is dedicated to Pattabhi Jois and Neem Karoli Baba
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