I've been nominated for this year's Native American Music Awards with my Bearheart Kokopelli album "Vision Quest" in category 24 "Best Native Heart Recording", with my video "Walking The Sacred Path" in category 32 "Best Instrumental Video" and I need your support as public voting is now part of the process of determining the winners at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/20thNAMAAwards
Meïkhâneh records its new album in August and September 2021
Chants du dehors, chants du dedans -"Songs from the Outside, Songs from the Inside"
To be released in January 2022 on the Buda Musique label
Available in mid-December 2021 for crowdfunders only
You can help us!
The Songs from the Outside and the Songs from the Inside echo what sings within us, whether we keep inside or share; what comes from us or what comes from elsewhere. These are the songs of introspection, songs of comfort, of invention and of dreaming. The need for inside when you're outside. They also evoke the call of space, the need to see the horizon, to breathe air and to feel the elements. The call of travel. The momentum towards the distance and towards others. In praise of nature. The need for the outside when you are inside.
Meïkhâneh is composed of Maria Laurent (vocals, banjo, tovshuur lute, transverse flute), Johanni Curtet (Mongolian overtone and throat singing, guitar, dombra lute, morin khuur fiddle), Milad Pasta (vocals, percussions).
Two guest musicians on bowed strings (viola and double bass) will add their colors to the arrangements: Dylan James on the doublebass and Pauline Willerval on the gadulka fiddle.
The recording and mixing are with the American sound engineer Bob Coke (Ben Harper, Souad Massi, Mukta, Daby Touré, Moriarty, Bashung, Noir Désir, JL Aubert, Jeff Beck, etc.) at Studio du Faune in Montauban-de-Bretagne (Fr).
Although the album will be released on a label, the entire artistic part (creation, recording, mixing) is produced by our organization, Association Cas Particuliers.
To help us, sharing information to your network is the best thing!
I am pleased to announce the publication of a special issue entirely dedicated to khöömii of the "Asian Music" journal, in which I participated:
Transregional Politics of Throat-Singing as Cultural Heritage in Inner and Central Asia, a special issue
ASIAN MUSIC, Volume 52, Number 2, Summer/Fall 2021
Charlotte D’Evelyn, Guest Editor
Robert O. Beahrs, Andrew Colwell, Associate Guest Editors
Johanni Curtet, Assistant Guest Editor
Table of Contents
From the Editor, Ricardo D. Trimillos
From the Guest Editors, Charlotte D'Evelyn, Robert O. Beahrs, Andrew Colwell
Grounding Heritage
Cradle of Drone-Overtone and Timbre-Centered Music: Cultural -Landscapes of the Indigenous Peoples of the Altai Mountain Range and Its Neighboring Areas, Carole Pegg
Propriety, Property, and Heritage in the Performance of Mongol Khöömii, Andrew Colwell
Gifts of the Sygytchy-Sons: Tethering Melodies to Land, Kin, and Life Energy at the Khöömei Ovaa, Tyva Republic, Robert O. Beahrs
Transregional Responses
Khöömii, World Lists, and the Question of Representation, Johanni Curtet
Khöömii, Chooryn Duu, and Dissonant Heritage in Inner Mongolia, China, Charlotte D'Evelyn
(Re)Claiming a Vocal Vernacular: Revival and Modernization of Kömei in Contemporary Kazakh Music, Saida Daukeyeva
Afterword
Khöömei and Heritage: An Afterword, Theodore Levin
Khöömei—Ambassador to the World: An Afterword, Valentina Süzükei translated by Sean Quirk
OVERTONE SINGING
INTERTWINES MUSIC, MATHS, ... AND LANGUAGE!
Hopefully the above statement doesn't sound too overrating for anyone who personally has given attention to overtone singing, where the music very obviously is expressed through number and wovel sounds.
Two days ago I appealed for assistance to translate the interface of the Overtone Spiral program, and I am overwhelmed by the kind and generous responses, which may lead to a German, a Spanish, a Romanian, and maybe even a Finnish version.
I also shared a link to the program in various music theory and microtonal groups, and the respons was great. One of the most pleasing things was how Paul Christian from Minneapolis within minutes was able to write about 100 lines code, which could not only render the Ari graphic (Ari for 'arithmetics') I have used for representation of numbers in the app, but it included four different ways of systematisation.
LEARN TO COUNT WITH OVERTONE SINGING
Overtone singers ought to be aware, that each new prime number introduces a new musical function through the harmonic series.
Ari is not a number system like the [2, 5] base 10 system which forms the basis of most modern number culture, or like the sexagesimal [2, 3, 5] system used in ancient Mesopotamia. Ari is a representation of the essence of number analysis, the prime factorization. As such it is also a representation of music.
Brief introduction:
- The numbers appear as circles/wheels which are divided by 'spokes'.
- Prime numbers (2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, ...) appear as wheels with a number of spokes/radials going all the way from perimeter to center.
- Each added concentric ring indicates that the number consist of one further factorization element.
Example:
15 = 3x5 may be a good place to start as it is composed by the two first odd primes, 3 (perfect fifth in music) and 5 (just major third in music). A perfect fifth interval plus a just major third interval gives us the just major seventh (=15).
The circle representation shows four versions, different ways of systemising.
In the two upper ones all 15 subdivisions can be seen in the outer ring.
In the two lower ones the rings only illustrates the primes, 3 and 5 in different order.
Marco Gianotta is a great friend and a formidable programmer. Some years ago he fulfilled my dream of seeing the overtone spiral in an interactive version, and he even added some opportunities which I hadn't dared to even dream of.
I am still confident that the overtone spiral/octave spiral is a most fundamental approach to the essence of music, and that this visualization may help not only to get a better grip of the nature of overtone singing and to relevant exercises, but also to get an important feeling for a very potent understanding and language which intertwines fundamental areas of conception as music, mathematics, and phonetics.
Lately I have translated the UI and info texts to Danish, and I would love to se a further dissemmination and awarenes of this beautiful program, so let me know if your translation skills are good enough to add more languages to the interface (so far it includes Italian, English, and Danish ... and Spanish, German, Romanian, and Finnish may be coming).
/Skye
You want to sing overtones on several fundamental tones? You would like to practice polyphonic overtone singing with scores? You need simple overtone melodies that you can sing? You are looking for tips and tricks to train your brain for the strange two-way attention during overtone singing? You would like to sing overtones in several voices together with others? You teach overtone singing and are happy about teaching material?
If only one of these things applies, then have a look at sing2!
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sing2 - Overtone Melodies for Women
A collection of songs for the introduction to polyphonic singing - conceived for female voice, but also singable for men. Free Download (book and soundfiles) is possible on my website: https://www.polyphona.de/sing2-en.html
When I worked in a mental hospital, I rolled my cart full of musical instruments and gadgets down the hall every morning. The patients who lingered in the hallway smiled and banged drums as they passed. Some people asked me if I had their favorite band on my iPad. Some would peek out of their rooms and exclaim, "Molly is here!" It's time for a music therapy group! Often times, I would hear of patients sleeping in their rooms when I arrived, but their friends would gently wake them up with a self-assured, "You don't want to miss this."
Music to my ears
I have been fortunate enough to serve many children and adults in various mental health settings as a music therapist. I have heard stories of resilience, strength and adversity. I have worked with people who have lived through trauma, depression, grief, addiction and more. These people did not come to me at their prime, but despite feeling lost or broken, the music provided the opportunity for them to express themselves and to experience safety, free essay writers online about this peace and comfort.
Research shows the benefits of music therapy for various mental health issues, including depression, trauma, and schizophrenia (to name a few). Music acts as a way to deal with emotions, trauma, and grief, but music can also be used as a regulating or calming agent for anxiety or deregulation.
Music therapy involves four major interventions:
Lyrical analysis
While talk therapy allows a person to talk about topics that may be difficult to discuss, lyric analysis introduces a new and less threatening approach to dealing with emotions, thoughts, and experiences. A person receiving music therapy is encouraged to offer insight, alternative lyrics, and tangible tools or themes from lyrics that can apply to obstacles in their life and treatment. We all have a song that we care deeply about and enjoy. Lyric analysis gives an individual the opportunity to identify song lyrics that may correlate with their experience.
Improvisational music
Playing instruments can encourage emotional expression, socialization, and exploration of various therapeutic themes (ie Conflict, Communication, Grieving, etc.). For example, a band can create a "storm" by playing drums, rain sticks, thunder tubes and other percussion instruments. The group can note areas of escalation and de-escalation in the improvisation, and the group can correlate the “ups and downs” of the storm to particular feelings they may have. This creates an opportunity for the group to discuss their feelings more.
Listening to active music
Music can be used to regulate mood. Because of its rhythmic and repetitive aspects, music engages the neocortex of our brain, which calms us down and reduces impulsivity. We often use music to match or change our mood. While there are benefits to matching music to our mood, it can potentially keep us depressed, angry, or anxious. To change mood states, a music therapist can play music to match the person's current mood, then slowly shift to a more positive or calm state. Song writing
Writing songs provides opportunities for expression in positive and rewarding ways. Anyone can create lyrics that reflect their ownthoughts and experiences, and select the instruments and sounds that best reflect the emotion behind the lyrics. This process can be very rewarding and can help build self-esteem. This intervention can also create a sense of pride, as someone listens to their own creation.
On another side
When I was working in a residential treatment center, I was informed that a child refused to continue to see his usual therapist. Although he initially hesitated to meet me, he quickly got excited about our music therapy sessions.
During our first session we decided to check out the lyrics to “Carry On” by FUN. I asked her to explain what it means to be a "shining star", which is mentioned several times in the song. I was expecting this 8 year old to tell me something simple, like "that means you are special". But he surprised me when he said, in a neutral tone, “It means that you are something that other people notice.
Kurs buchen: Sende eine Email an harmonische.welt@gmx.net - Du erhältst eine Anmeldebestätigung und die Bankdaten zur Überweisung des Kursbeitrages. Nach dem Eingang des Kursbeitrag erhältst Du einen Link zur Teilnahme.
Dieses virtuelle Kursangebot ist auf eine Klassengröße von maximal 15 Teilnehmern beschränkt, um Deine Lernerfahrung zu maximieren.
Bitte stelle sicher, dass Deine Internetgeschwindigkeit Video-Chat / Konferenzen verarbeiten kann, bevor Du Dich anmeldest.
Der Kurs wird über Zoom abgehalten. Wenn Du Zoom noch nicht hast, kannst Du es hier herunterladen:https://zoom.us/
Bist Du neu bei Zoom und nicht sicher, wie es ausgeführt werden soll? Klicke hier für ein einfaches Video-Tutorial, um Dir den Einstieg zu erleichtern: https://youtu.be/fMUxzrgZvZQ
A modern and polyphonic exploration of the traditional overtone singing from Mongolia
Khöömii and throat singing in polyphony: a treasure for the lovers of Mongolian overtone singing!
After a first self-producted album in 2009 and a participation in the double-disc An Anthology of Mongolian Khöömiiin 2017, Khusugtun releases Jangar, its second opus. Since over 10 years, it is one of the most celebrated khöömiiand throat singing groups from Mongolia. Revealed by the Khöömii International Festival of Ulaanbaatar, BBC Proms, Rainforest Music Festival, Khusugtun has acquired international renown. With its impressive khöömii soloists, it has become one of the influences of the phenomenal band The Hu.
The peculiarity of this sextet lies in the use of vocal polyphony, a recent exploration in the Mongolian throat singing tradition. Their repertoire, almost entirely dedicated to khöömii (throat singing), is made up of traditional forms, such as praise songs (magtaal), short songs (bogino duu), or compositions inspired by the Mongolian music tradition.
The group accompanies itself with the horse-head fiddles morin khuur, their double-bass version ikh khuur, the lute tovshuur anddombra, guitar, cello and the zither yatga. In addition, they use instruments with play on overtones, such as mouth harp in metal (tömör khuur)and bamboo (khulsan khuur), as well as the musical bow (numan khuur). This instrument has been forgotten and Khusugtun is contributing to bring it up to date.
Synonymous with "nomads", their name represents the desire to travel by music, like their ancestors who migrated across the globe. The group characterizes its style with melodious tunes intended to purify listeners from the ambient stress of the twenty-first century. What matters to them is that people listen to their music by imagining the landscape and the beauty of nature, to free themselves from daily worries. Thanks to a peerless level of interpretation, their powerful music is full of large space that makes us feel good.
Johanni Curtet
Khusugtun:
-Ariunbold Dashdorj: vocals, khöömii, ikh khuur grand horse-head fiddle, guitar, tömör khuur metal mouth harp
-Batzorig Vaanchig: vocals, khöömii, morin khuur horse-head fiddle, numan khuur musical bow, tömör khuur metal mouth harp
-Amarbayasgalan Chovjoo: vocals, yatga zither, khulsan khuur bamboo mouth harp
-Chuluunbaatar Oyuungerel: vocals, khöömii, morin khuur horse-head ddle, tovshuur lute, numan khuur musical bow, tömör khuur metal mouth harp
-Ulambayar Khürelbaatar: vocals, khöömii, tovshuur and dombra lutes, cello, numan khuur musical bow, tömör khuur metal mouth harp
-Adiyaadorj Gombosüren: vocals,khöömii, limbe and tsuur flutes, percussions (djembe, shakers), numan khuur musical bow, tömör khuur metal mouth harp
Production: Khusugtun, Routes Nomades, Buda Musique
Liebe alle! Nach vielen Wochen Oberton-Auszeit gibt’s wieder neue Termine! Juhu! Ich hoffe, ihr seid alle wohlauf und freut euch so wie ich auf das gemeinsame Singen und Klingen. • Am 23. August 2020 ab 11.00 sind Gerhard Narbeshuber und ich eingeladen, als special act beim Ö1 Klassik Picknick im Schlosspark Wieselburg Obertonkonzert-Einlagen zu singen/musizieren. Siehe Anhang! • Am 25. September 2020 singen/spielen Gerhard Narbeshuber und ich um 19.00 ein Oberton-Konzert im neuen Saal des www.nussland.at. • Konzert in der Hans-Nemecek-Hütte mit Gerhard Narbeshuber und mir im Oktober. Nähere Infos folgen… • Am 7. und 8. November 2020 gibt’s einen Obertonworkshop für AnfängerInnen und Fortgeschrittene in der Wiener www.stimmwerkstatt.at. • Von 27. bis 29. November leite ich einen AnfängerInnen-Oberton-Workshop im wunderbaren Spiegelsaal des Schlosses Puchberg bei Wels. • Am 28. November 2020 singe/spiele ich (Stimme, Oberton, Shrutibox, Flöten) seit langem wieder einmal ein Trio-Konzert Mizharmoniques mit Gerhard Narbeshuber (Cello, Oberton/Unterton), Laurenz Schiffermüller (Perkussion) in Puchberg bei Wels • Am 9. und 10. Jänner findet ein AnfängerInnen- und Fortgeschrittenen-Obertonworkshop in der www.stimmwerkstatt.at statt.
Kurs buchen: Sende eine Email an harmonische.welt@gmx.net - Du erhältst eine Anmeldebestätigung und die Bankdaten zur Überweisung des Kursbeitrages. Nach dem Eingang des Kursbeitrag erhältst Du einen Link zur Teilnahme.
Dieses virtuelle Kursangebot ist auf eine Klassengröße von maximal 15 Teilnehmern beschränkt, um Deine Lernerfahrung zu maximieren.
Bitte stelle sicher, dass Deine Internetgeschwindigkeit Video-Chat / Konferenzen verarbeiten kann, bevor Du Dich anmeldest.
Der Kurs wird über Zoom abgehalten. Wenn Du Zoom noch nicht hast, kannst Du es hier herunterladen: https://zoom.us/
Bist Du neu bei Zoom und nicht sicher, wie es ausgeführt werden soll? Klicke hier für ein einfaches Video-Tutorial, um Dir den Einstieg zu erleichtern: https://youtu.be/fMUxzrgZvZQ
A big Thank You to Danny Wetzels who introduced me to overtone singing, who was and is a musical inspiration and a friend to me throughout the years.
Big Thank You to Wolfgang Saus who has a deep understanding of the human voice, who is brilliant in teaching how to hear and sing overtones and who supported me massively in creating this documentary.
Thank You to David Hykes who touched me as a singer as much as an inspirational being.
Thank You to Christian Bollmann, Hosoo Dangaa Khosbayar, Jill Purce and Mark van Tongeren - without your presence, knowledge, voice and contribution this project couldn't have manifested.
And Thank You to David Lindner for your help to publish this project through the Traumzeit Verlag.
The Overtone Advent Calendar is a loose collection of overtone videos and recordings of various colours. This year it is organized by Jens Ickert - Thanks a lot!! We would be happy to include your advent articles related to overtone singing and overtones in our calendar and look forward to receiving numerous submissions! jensickert@hotmail.com
Dear friends, fans, followers and lovers of our music:
We are thrilled to announce that we won a Global Music Award for our album Lux Natus Est.
It is an absolute honor for us to be recognized for our work with this wonderful prize the second time, after our newest album "Timeless" has been nominated for a Native American Music Award, for an Indian Summer Music Award, for a One World Music Award and won a Global Music Award in spring this year!
For those, who want to experience us live: On 20.12.2019 at 19:00 o´clock we perform at Klosterneuburg abbey. Here´s the concert-link:
It is an interesting experience even thoughthe reverberation room is not designed for beautiful acoustics but to be able to meausure transmission loss of building elements (absorbtion of different materials). It is situated in the Technical University of Denmark, in Lyngby, north of Copenhagen. The surfaces are hard (concrete), and the cones on the floor and walls work as difusers which spread the sound waves and allow an experience of a room much bigger than it actually is.
My friend Flemming and I were kindly allowed to do recordings, videos, and photos for an article and along the way we caught the moment to do a few vocal improvisations. We are not throat singers, so you may ask what tempted us to do basso profundo/vocal fry/strohbass. One of the factors is obviously the dimensions of the room. We didn't bring a measure tape but knew that its volume is 240 cubic meters, meaning that each side and the height is between 5 and 8 meters. Using the wave formula this allows us to find some of the prominent resonances. f x λ = v , where f is the frequency, lambda is the wave length, and the constant v is the speed of sound in air:
f(8 m) = 343 m/s : 8 m = 42,875 Hz (s^-1) f(5 m) = 343 m/s : 5 m = 68,6 Hz
This roughly corresponds to the interval G1:C2 ('scientific pitch notation'). ... and it is the tonal depths that Flemming and I for some reason where inspired to delve into.
"Luminous and fascinating on a lot of different levels, “Timeless” is a brilliant convergence of improvisation, unusual, thoughtful instrumentation, sensitivity, mindfulness, and magical soundscapes..." (Dyan Garris, New Age CDs)
"Timeless is beauty, serenity, earthy tones, colors, the sounds and sights of many different peoples of the world coming together, it is like tapping into a global spiritual vein of gold..." (Keith Hannaleck, New Age Music Reviews)
Auch heuer gibt es wieder die Möglichkeit, im Rahmen eines einwöchigen Obertonretreats am wunderschönen Wörthersee, in Kärnten gemeinsam in die geheimnisvolle Klangwelt der Obertöne einzutauchen:
Beim 4. AIONIGMA Oberton.Sommer.Retreat am wunderschönen Wörthersee im Süden Österreichs!
IDEE & ZIELSETZUNG: Beginnende und fortgeschrittene ObertonsängerInnen sowie obertoninteressierte und -begeisterte Menschen aus Österreich und aus dem deutschsprachigen Raum treffen einander am wunderschönen, idyllischen Wörthersee in Kärnten, entwickeln gemeinsam ein Konzertprogramm und präsentieren es in einem Konzert in der Wallfahrtskirche Maria Wörth der Öffentlichkeit. Neben der Stimme dürfen auch andere obertonreiche Instrumente zum Einsatz gebracht werden z.B.: Didgeridoo, Maultrommel, Mundbogen, Monochord/Obertonharfe, Klangschalen, Sansula/Kalimba, Obertonflöten...
Gemeinsam
- erschaffen wir einen kreativen Klangraum
- tauchen wir in die harmonischen Schwingungen der Schöpfung ein
- entwickeln wir unsere Stimme und optimieren unsere Singtechniken
- wiederholen wir Bekanntes und lernen Neues
- treffen wir Menschen mit der gleichen Begeisterung für Obertöne
- erfahren wir den Zusammenklang unserer Stimmen im Rahmen eines gemeinsamen Konzertes
TERMIN & ORT: Sonntag, 30. Juni (Anreise) – Sonntag, 7. Juli 2019 (Abreise), Pfarrhof Maria Wörth,
AIONIGMA Konzert in der Wallfahrtskirche Maria Wörth am 6. Juli 2019
ZIELGRUPPE: Alle an Obertongesang und -musik interessierten Menschen, die Freude am Arbeiten mit der Stimme haben.
LEITUNG & PRODUKTION: Bernhard Mikuskovics
KOSTEN: Frühbucher bis 15. April 2018 € 450.- danach € 550.-
UNTERKUNFT & VERPFLEGUNG IM PFARRHOF MARIA WÖRTH: Reserviert sind von Sonntag, 30. Juni bis Sonntag, 7. Juli 2019 Betten auf der Basis Doppelzimmer/Selbstversorgung - Kosten: ca. 30,.- pro Person / Nacht (inkl.: Fremdenverkehrsabgabe, Bettwäsche, Handtücher, Küchenbenützung, Strandbenützung, Tret- und Ruderbootbenützung, Parkplätze) Achtung: das Bettenkontingent im Pfarrhof ist begrenzt! Die Unterbringung im Pfarrhof erfolgt nach eingegangener Anmeldung und ist extra zu bezahlen. Sollten sich mehr TeilnehmerInnen anmelden, als im Pfarrhof untergebracht werden können, so ist dies möglich, es kann aber nicht garantiert werden, dass der Preis dem des Pfarrhofes entspricht. Strandmitbenützung ist in jedem Fall möglich. Für gute Verpflegung sorgen wir als Gruppe selbst.
INFORMATION & ANMELDUNG: Email: aionigma@gmx.at / Mobil: +43 (0)664 5166035
"Luminous and fascinating on a lot of different levels, “Timeless” is a brilliant convergence of improvisation, unusual, thoughtful instrumentation, sensitivity, mindfulness, and magical soundscapes..." -> Read the whole review by Dyan Garris
"Timeless is beauty, serenity, earthy tones, colors, the sounds and sights of many different peoples of the world coming together, it is like tapping into a global spiritual vein of gold..." -> Read the whole review by Keith Hannaleck
"How do the bowls (acetabula) sound? - What a sweet tone they produce when they are struck in different ways. Man accepts their sound with such great gladness that he believes hearing to be the best sense." Cassiodorus (approx. 485 in southern Italy-c. 585)
Tibetan singing bowls have a wonderful, pure sound, but they are hardly Tibetan, in fact it was probably only in 1972, with Henry Wolff and Nancy Henning's album Tibetan Bells, that the idea of where they came from was launched:
As with many concepts with origin in new age many misleading notions about singing bowls have arised, first to mention may be what they are made of. The Wikipedia lookup give us a much needed dismantling of some of the worst misconceptions, but ironically, it then repeats a myth that no one should take too seriously, but which is seen over and over again, namely that the so-called crystal singing bowls ”are made of re-formed crushed synthetic crystal.” As I have explained elsewhere, this type of bowl, like any other glass, is made of quartz sand, albeit of a type having a high purity percentage, with respect to the content of silicon dioxide, SiO2, the most common mineral of the Earth's crust, which for instance is found in common Danish beach sand.
The singing bowls are already expensive, but if they were made according to the recipes that are typically presented in the new age environments, they would not have been payable at all, and the seven metals (gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, lead, mercury), which is so much talked and written about, is thus from an old European, not a Tibetan, tradition where they are believed to correlate with seven celestial bodies (In order: the Sun, the Moon, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury).
So singing bowls are made of bell bronze, which is an alloy of copper and tin. And talking about materials I can't help pointing out that you can find very beautiful sound in brass, glass, hammered steel, porcelain, aluminium et cetera of salad and fruit bowls. Listen to a song where I accompany myself by a hammered stainless steel bowl from IKEA which cost about five pounds. Unfortunately, the recording is not in the highest technical quality:
Here is a sound spectrogram of the above-mentioned bowl and my voice, respectively, while trying to intonate to its sound. The red and white writing within the frame have been added by me subsequently. There are two things that are worth noting besides the fact that the sound spectrum of the bowl is somewhat more complex than most bowls sold as singing bowls:
* The bowl's tone (left) does not reveal a harmonic structure (having dissimilar frequency distance between its partials), while my voice (right) does have a harmonic structure (partials being multiples of about 140 Hz). In other words and in technical terms the bowl displays some degree of inharmonicity. * I do not intonate according to neither partial #1 or #2 of the bowl, but the interval between partial #3 and #4 which I adapt as a fundamental tone (~ 140 Hz, about C♯)
CULTURAL ROOTS OF SINGING BOWLS
As stated in the Wikipedia lookup, one must seek the roots of the singing bowls in China, and there is no evidence of singing bowls in use in Tibet before modern times. The following reminds me of other myths that have been dealt with here on the blog, namely the notion that taijitu (the ying-yang symbol) has a history of thousands of years when in fact it is limited to about 500 years and there is evidence for significantly older finds of it in Europe. Likewise the notion about the rainbow spectrum colours assigned to the chakras which also is actually not much more than 50 years old.
Sound bowls were used musically in the Byzantine Empire at least 1,500 years ago!
A new age girl band is turning it up to eleven... or maybe it is rather an old age band. The image is a mosaic from a Byzantine villa in the village of Maryamin near Hama in the present Syria. It is believed to originate between late in the 4th and 6th centuries.
It is doubtful if the two erotes are treading the organ bellows, as the organ pumps of that time were water driven. Aulos is often called a double flute, but it is a double reed instrument, so 'double-oboe' would be more accurate. Then there is a sizeable cithara ... and my word if they haven't run a whole arsenal of singing bowls in position too!!?
The music is probably less relaxing and spherical than what we would associate with singing bowl music. The two flank figures both use instruments known ascrotala, that have sounded like castanets.
As can also be seen from the introductory quotation, the notion has merit: Both in the Eastern and in the Western Roman Empire, they were devoted to the sound of the sounding bowls. Their name was oxyvaphi, and the culture of their music is dealt with in this dissertation from page 59 onwards. The text also contains a number of quotes on the supposed Greek origin of these sound bowls and their materials. Look here as well!
Again in the center of the motive: More Byzantine singing bowls (although one could suspect that Chagall has lent his hand to the image): 6th Century, Vienna Genesis. The picture refers to a Bible text, Genesis, 40, 20, Joseph as a dream reader at Pharaoh, and reproduces a banquet with lying courtiers besides the stage, and, at the top, right, the scene with the baker being hanged from a tree.
Finally to be mentioned is a different precursor to the modern singing bowl culture, namely theglass harmonica, whichBenjamin Franklinoptimized in 1761, allowing more complex music to be played on it. There is such an instrument at theMusic Museumin Copenhagen. Thus we can finish delving into music:
