“Om, we contemplate the shining glory of the revered Source, the origin of Earth, Air and the Heavens. May the Supreme Divinity enlighten us to the highest Truth!"
The Gayatri Mantra is an invocation to the life-giving Sun as a symbol for the divine Light of recognition. It opens, clarifies and purifies the heart. As a tightly guarded Arcanum it was traditionally passed on from mouth to ear. Only in the last few decades has it been accessible to everyone
THE GAYATRI MANTRA is one of India’s oldest & most powerful healing mantras! Following ancient Indo-European roots Mikuskovics Baum devote their 3rd album to the cosmic event of the summer solstice and interpret this sacred Indian mantra with mono- & double-voiced vocals and the acoustics of the Classical & Celtic harp, overtone chants and the ancient Indian instruments “Bansuri" & "Morchang"
Following Indian tradition Mikuskovics Baum repeat the mantra 108 times but divides the traditionally uninterrupted recitation into 3 blocks of 36 passages with each block embedded in 3 repetitions of the primal syllable AUM. The 3 blocks are further divided into 3 loops of 12 passages and each loop is divided again into 4 times 3 with the middle block divided into 3 by 4 mantra passages. The result is a mystic number game with the digits 3 and 4. Three traditionally stands for Spirit, Four for Matter. The 3 blocks are connected through 2 instrumental improvisations based on a traditional Indian devotional rhythm called Bhajani Theka. Recited that way the mantra follows classical Western European song style using formal mirroring with introduction, climax and conclusion and is also conforming to the stylistics of classical Indian music: alap, raga/taal & conclusion
A beautiful, intensely green landscape Lovely to the eye
The soil fragrant The meadow caresses your feet
It supports you because you know it will Because you sense it as part of yourself and yourself as part of the greater whole
You walk towards sunrise Bright colors in the sky Every breath balm for your body Each blank line a blessing for your mind Every lived Now a present to your soul
Old European Christmas Carols & Music for the quiet season
As the days grow shorter and the world gets colder we long for warmth and comfort. It’s a time for contemplation and silence. Long before the advent of Christianity many ancient cultures around the globe commemorated this time when the sun is at it’s lowest and the earth is closest to death. For without the sun there is no life on earth...
Winter solstice marks the rebirth of light, expressed through the lengthening of days. Ancient Rome celebrated the Saturnalia. Pre–Christian northern and western Europe had it’s Yultide. For Christians Jesus himself is the incarnation of god s eternal light, born in the darkest night as the light of the world.
Following these traditions Bernhard Mikuskovics & Georg Baum perform old European Christmas carols in a new and exquisite way with the touching sounds of vocals, overtone singing, classical & celtic harp, jew’s harp, horn pipe, guitar, overtone harp & sruti box
Also Dorian, step II-III; Lydian, step VII-I; Mixolydian, step VI-VII; Aeolian, step V-VI; Locrian, step IV-V & Ionian, step III-IV. If we should attempt to map the most obvious combinations of fundamental and harmonics in overtone singing, it is essential to find a simple way of illustrating them in sounds and images as the field is vast.
Stuart Hinds lately shared his work “Making Music with Overtone Singing” which is available at his home page
Here I have used an ordinary table in a text document program. The sounds were plotted into https://onlinesequencer.net which can be used freely without registering. If anyone feels tempted to contribute with a sung version of the exercise, please share it with us! The simplest way to do this may be YouTube or https://clyp.it/
More exercises may be uploaded if enough interest is shown.
The exercise may be transposed to any tonal pitch; the keyboard pattern is merely meant as an aid to identify the minor and major steps within the modal scales and to illustrate which harmonics apply to the scale pattern (the ones in white cells).
Posted by Julia Renöckl on November 11, 2017 at 21:49
wunderschönes weihnachtliches Chorprogramm, gewürzt mit Obertönen. Kommt und staunt: 30.11. 2017 19.30 Mürzzuschlag 7.12. 2017 19.00 Ried im Innkreis 13. 12. 2017 20.30 Karlskirche Wien
If you sing within in a modal scale and you want your accentuated harmonics to stay within that framework here is your key diagram.
The smaller, divided circles indicate which harmonics can be accentuated at each step of the modal scales if you want to keep the harmonics within the pattern of the scale.
Intervals from the Harmonic Series:
- Perfect Fifth: Two yellows + one blue (Harmonics 3, 6 & 12)
- Just Major Third: Two yellows (Harmonics 5 & 10)
- Minor Seventh: Three yellows + two blues (Harmonic 7)
- Major Second: One yellow
The diagram is essential for polyphonic overtone singers and also gives an explanation to why harmonics sometimes sound strangely off in certain contexts. For example at the first step of the Locrian scale (and second of the Aeolian; third of the Mixolydian; fourth of the Lydian; fifth of the Phrygian; sixth of the Dorian, and seventh of the Ionian) you can only use harmonic 7 if the accentuated overtones should fit within the scale (plus, of course, harmonics 2, 4 & 8 which are octaves). At the first step of Mixolydian (and second of the Lydian; third of the phrygian, ... etc.) there are much more options (harmonics 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12 plus 2, 4 and 8).
I included the harmonic seventh even though it will sound very flat in many contexts. On the other hand I omitted the partial 11, which may be used as a perfect or augmented fourth if your audience have tolerant ears, but it is even more off (about a quarter tone) than partial 7.
Posted by Stuart Hinds on October 8, 2017 at 19:30
I want everybody to have my new book, so I’m giving it away for free! “Making Music with Overtone Singing” includes lessons, exercises, and 14 songs from easy to advanced skill level. Download it today at my website: www.stuarthinds.com/downloads Please share with all your overtone singing friends.
Posted by Wolfgang Saus on September 20, 2017 at 15:41
I developed a hearing test for professional musicians. It aimes on the development of a better awareness of overtones in singing voice. The website is in German right now, use google translate if needed. But the main content is the sound samples anyway.
An alle fortgeschrittenen Obertoninteressierten und -sängerInnen im Deutschsprachigen Raum!
Liebe Freunde und FreundInnen der feinen Klänge!
Die 2. Saison des neuen österreichischen Obertonchores, von Oktober 2016 – Juni 2017 in Wien ist erfolgreich absolviert, ab morgen beginnt die AIONIGMA Oberton.Sommer.Chorwoche in Kärnten mit dem Abschlußkonzert in der Wallfahrtskirche Maria Wörth am 8.Juli um 20:00 Uhr und nach der Sommerpause beginnt die neue Chorsaison, zu der ich herzlich einlade!
Obwohl Aionigma seinen Sitz in Österreich hat, ist es ein Anliegen des Projektes, eine Plattform für gemeinsame Chorarbeit von ObertonsängerInnen aus dem deutschsprachigen Raum zu sein.
In diesem Sinne freue ich mich über die weitere gemeinsame Arbeit an und mit Aionigma, freue mich über eure Anmeldungen und über Eure Mitarbeit und wünsche einen schönen Sommer!
Aionigma is an international Overtone choir based in Austria
It was founded in 2015 by Austrian overtone singer & multiinstrumentalist Bernhard Mikuskovics and initially appeard in front of the public at famous pilgrimage church Maria Wörth, Carinthia on Juli 9th 2016
Aionigma is a creative combination of two Greek words "Aion" and "Ainigma"
While the Greek word "aion" stands for eternity "ainigma" means as much as mystery, phenomenon or secret
Composed the meaning is something like infinite mystery or infinite secret
This perfectly describes the work of creativity in connection with the mystery of the overtones as parts of nature and harmonic existence in all dimensions and in all aspects of being
with:
Bernhard Mikuskovics, Gerhard Kowarz, Martin Schaffner,
In the Indian source texts about chakras and in traditional imagery, there is relatively much agreement on their location and the number of petals of the lotuses, so it is partly understandable if some tend to believe that these traits have their background in the hidden constitution of man – in subtle 'bodies' which may be observed clairvoyantly. I would advise those folks to realize that there many chakra systems in the old traditions and that they attribute the chakras with very different colours and number of petals.
Three Score
And even more striking of the most widely used model is how the structure testifies to a mindset penetrated by a sexagesimal (base 60) number system. We usually associate this system with the Mesopotamian cultures, and we still bear witness of it on our left wrist with the dial divided into 60 minutes and seconds.
Primal Perspectives
If you start counting petals of the chakra lotuses from the base: 4-6-10, a mathematical mind can not fail to notice that these numbers are doubles of the first three prime numbers: 2x2; 2x3 and 2x5. It is an arithmetic statement which invites to further investigations.
Primes will be central in the following; they are the numerical 'atoms' in a system where all other integers can be seen as 'molecules', composed of atoms. The molecule 60 is thus composed by the atoms 2, 3 and 5 (2x2x3x5).
If you even have some sense of how music arises in the harmonic series, which precisely can be considered as integers expressed in music, you will know that 2 (the ratio 1:2) mirrors the octave; 3 mirrors the perfect fifth (2:3), and 5 mirrors the just major third (4:5).
The octave spiral is a mapping of the harmonic series. Each revolution of the spiral corresponds to an octave (1: 2). For each new prime, a new tone quality occurs. Athttp://suonoterapia.org/overtones/you can hear how the tones sound on the interactive graphics that Marco Gianotta has programmed.
The Whole and the Parts
In the light of prime numbers 60 is a wise choice as base for a number system, because it has more divisors (numbers which it is divisible by without remainder) than any other number of that order of magnitude: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20 , 30. It is due to its composition of essential primes: 60 = 2x2x3x5.
Geometrically, it is also beneficial to relate to a whole of 60 (or 6x60 = 360, like the degrees of the circle). Just look at the fundamental polygons which are hidden in a good old fashioned wrist watch:
Gods, Number and Music as One!
It is hardly pure speculation to assume that the old Mesopotamians not only used the system on everything measureable, but had established a holistic mindset which included planets, time measurement, gods and ... music.
Consider the Mesopotamian parnassus of gods, who are speaking in a strong and elementary mathematical-musical language:
60: Creator / Heavenly God: Anu
50: God of Wisdom, Waters and Mountains: Enki
40: God of the Fresh Waters: Ea / Enlil
30: Moon: Sin / Nanna
20: Sun: Shamash / Utu
15: Venus: Ishtar / Innanna
12: Mars: Nergal
10: Jupiter: Bel / Marduk
Images of the gods are known in particular from the cylindrical seals and their imprints in clay. The correspondence between numbers and gods could vary slightly, but basically it's about dividing the whole, the totality, 60, in the simplest ways. In some systems, multiple of 10 are male, while the female are divisible by 5 (15, 25, 35, ...).
To understand the music of this, we shall study the culture-bearing monochord (no, it was not 'invented' Pythagoras, but it is certainly not impossible that he traveled to Babylonia and learned there as Iamblichus wrote).
For a string length of 60 units – be it inches, centimeters or anything – in the octave between 30 and 60, a major scale appears, whose elements all belong to the so-called Just Intonation. That is, the notes are ratios which appear by divisions of the string in 2, 3 and 5 units, respectivly ... the first three prime numbers mentioned above.
30-32-36-40-45-48-54-60 corresponds to do'-ti-la-so-fa-mi-re-do. Or, dissolved to prime factors:
The above mentioned gods and their numbers 60-50-40-30-20-15-12-10 interpreted as length ratios will reveal first a minor triad: 60-50-40. The harmonics of the fundamental tone, 60, appear at the lengths 60-30-20-15-12-10, corresponding to the relative frequencies 1-2-3-4-5-6 and the notes prime, octave, pefect fifth, double octave, just major third and perfect fifth respectively.
On the beautiful bull headed lyres, which have been found in the home town of the biblical Abraham, every string was devoted to one of the gods. This is a replica.
Chakra du Printemps
Now we should be ready to view the chakra number system from a music perspective, which gives us an image which may not have been conceived by higher intuitive seeing, but is woven into cultural contexts. The vital question is not whether the one sequence 4-6-10-12-16-96-1,000 is more or less correct than all the many other interpretations of the 'frequency' numbers of the chakras (the old Indians did not interprete in terms of 'energy' and 'frequencies'), but what was intended by their authors. The reason for the interconnection between the hexagesimal number system and the chakra system, and whether the musical language has been chosen deliberately. This is worth reflection and study.
I do not think that the tantrics of ancient India meditated at these musical intervals in the context of the chakras, as it is not evident from the sources, but I am quite convinced that over a large period of time there has been the exchange of mathematical ideas and views between Mesopotamia and India. See, for example, Kim Plofker's Mathematics in India, chapter 2.5 and consider the large numbers attributed to Indian cosmological time cycles of yugas and kalpas.
In the diagram is distinguished between intervals as functions and steps: Black font under the symbols are functions; white writing between the individual functions are steps.
In a musical sense, we are talking about a system that contains everything you could wish for from musical building blocks, and just barely nine octaves from 2 to 1,000. There are nine octaves from 2 to 1,024 (= 2^9).
The spectrum of tone frequencies that the human ear can perceive is often indicated as 20-20,000 Hz, equivalent to barely ten octaves, and a concert piano spans a little more than seven octaves, so musically speaking, the frequency band is absolutely appropriate.
Chakra & Mantra
Elemental Syllables
Each chakra is ruled by an element. The five mahābhūtas have their roots back to the rise of sāmkhya philosophy before common era: Earth, water, fire, air and ākāśa ('radiance' or 'space', often translated as 'ether'). Later, these elements were incorporated into the chakra system and each corresponds to a socalled bīja (seed) mantra:
Lam-Vam-Ram-Yam-Ham-Aum is the sequence from base to brow. With the consonants L, V, R, J (as Y is obviously pronounced in the context) and H, the meditator will be guided to explore his vocal tract.
Bīja mantras and most other mantras end with one of the three nasals / humming sounds: m, n and [ŋ] (the ng sound, which is more fundamental than the alphabet indicates). It is a meaningful, sound based way to relate to the language when going from an open vowel towards a nasal, and it certainly supports the experience of the mental direction inward. Other spiritual traditions have also been aware of the three primary nasals, and if you think about it, it will surely give MeaNi[ŋ]. The word mantra has the same linguistic root as man ... and meaning! Manas refers to mind, so mantra should be the mind's tool, not a hypnotic strip.
Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu with their consorts sitting on lotus flowers. About 1770 Yellow, India. Image Source:Wikipedia.
AUM
... is the mantra par excellence, which in the context of the spirituality of the Upanishads represent creation on a cosmical scale. It presides over the brow chakra and is reproduced in sanskrit by the three characters A-U-M, which among other aspects relate to the Trinity Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva (Trimurti).
At the same time, from a purely phonetic perspective, AUM is a fundamental organic sequence of rounded back throat vowels from the most open [α] towards the most narrow [U] which inevitably leads to an ending in the nasal M. A musically trained ear will typically hear accentuated elements of the harmonic series from around #6-8 stepwise downwards when the vowel sequence is intonated with precision.
Below a reproduction where I have sung the sequence with accentuated harmonics in the program Overtone Analyzer, which translates sound to spectrography.
A similar organic sequence from the most open [α] sound to the nasal / humming sound [η] goes via [a]-[æ]-[ɛ]-[e]-[i] and can be reproduced in compact form as AING, the mantra of the goddess Saraswati.
So it's not only the Indian gods who may appear to us with three heads. As I understand the word sound (Scandinavian / German: Klang), I am facing three very fundamental expressions of life:
Numbers, language and music
... and it may also have to do with the chakras.
The octave spiral, which illustrates the correlation between speech and harmonics. An Interactive version is available athttp://suonoterapia.org/overtones/.
Release of the record An Anthology of Mongolian Khöömii
A Buda Musique Label Double CD, 47 p. booklet (in French/English/Mongol)
Through 43 tracks, including 28 previously unreleased, this double disc gathers the essentials of Mongolian khöömii, from early sound archives to the present day, to show the history and evolution of the art over sixty years (1954- 2016) and three generations.
The Anthology continues by the end of January with many textual and audiovisual supplements (12 videos), commentaries on the tracks, musicians’ biographies, and the “Making Of” the record. See the PDF or online at www.routesnomades.fr/en/anthology.
Artistic direction and executive production: Johanni Curtet & Nomindari Shagdarsuren
contact@routesnomades.fr / www.routesnomades.fr
With the support of the French Society for Ethnomusicology and the Unit of History and Arts Criticism (EA 1279), University of Rennes 2.
IDEE & ZIELSETZUNG:
Nachdem es 2015 mit der Gründung des Obertonchores „AIONIGMA“ gelungen ist, einen österreichisch-internationalen Obertonchor ins Leben zu rufen, der 2015/16 bereits eine erfolgreiche Saison in Wien inkl. Oberton.Sommer.Chorwoche.Kärnten.2016 mit Abschlusskonzert in der Pfarrkirche Maria Wörth absolviert hat, lade ich nun erneut sehr herzlich ObertonsängerInnen aus dem deutschsprachigen Raum dazu ein, im Sommer 2017 gemeinsam in die harmonischen Schwingungen der Schöpfung einzutauchen, den Gesang zu verfeinern, Techniken zu erweitern und auszubauen, in einem Konzert gemeinsam aufzutreten und das Erarbeitete einem Publikum darzubieten und gleichzeitig direkt an einem der schönsten Seen Österreichs, dem Wörthersee, eine angenehme Zeit zu erleben.
Wir verbinden Unterricht mit Proben und entwickeln in einer Woche im traumhaft gelegenen Maria Wörth gemeinsam ein Konzertprogramm, das wir in einem Abschlusskonzert in der Wallfahrtskirche Maria Wörth am Samstag, den 8. Juli 2017 präsentieren. Neben der Stimme dürfen auch obertonreiche Instrumente zum Einsatz gebracht werden z.B.: Didgeridoo, Maultrommel, Mundbogen, Monochord/Obertonharfe, Klangschalen, Sansula/Kalimba, Obertonflöten...
Gemeinsam
schaffen wir in wunderbarem Umfeld & Akustik 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
INHALTE:
- Singen in der Obertonreihe
- Experimentieren mit Obertönen und Obertoninstrumenten
- Üben und Vertiefen der 3 westlichen Obertongesangstechniken
- gemeinsames Tönen & Konzertieren
ZIELGRUPPE & VORAUSSETZUNGEN:
Mitglieder des Wiener Obertonchores AIONIGMA, TeilnehmerInnen der Sommerkurswochen in St. Veit an der Glan sowie obertoninteressierte Menschen, die mindestens einen Wochenendkurs zum Thema Obertongesang bei mir oder anderen LehrerInnen belegt bzw. Grundkenntnisse in Obertongesang und Freude am Arbeiten mit der Stimme haben.
TERMIN: Sonntag, 2. Juli 2017 (Anreise) – Sonntag, 9. Juli 2017 (Abreise)
UNTERRICHT & PROBEN:
Der Unterricht findet von Montag – Freitag jeweils am Vormittag von 10:00 – 12:00 Uhr, die Proben immer von 15:00 – 17:00 Uhr im Seminarraum des Pfarrhofes des Wallfahrtskirche Maria Wörth statt, sodaß am Morgen vor dem Vormittagsblock, in der Mittagspause und/oder nach dem Nachmittagsblock genügend Zeit zum Relaxen, Baden im Wörthersee am hauseigenen Strand oder für sonstige Aktivitäten besteht. Mittwoch Nachmittag ist frei!
KONZERTE:
Das Chorkonzert findet am Samstag, 8. Juli 2017 in der Wallfahrtskirche Maria Wörth statt!
CHORWOCHENBEITRAG: € 425.- (inkl. Teilnahme am Chorkonzert)
LEITUNG: Bernhard Mikuskovics
UNTERKUNFT & VERPFLEGUNG IM PFARRHOF MARIA WÖRTH:
Reserviert sind von Sonntag, 2. Juli bis Sonntag, 2. Juli 2017 Betten auf der Basis Doppelzimmer/Selbstversorgung - Kosten: € 30,.- pro Person/Nacht (inkl.: Fremdenverkehrsabgabe, Bettwäsche, Handtücher, Küchenbenützung, Strandbenützung, Parkplätze) Achtung: das Bettenkontingent im Pfarrhof ist begrenzt! Die Unterbringung im Pfarrhof erfolgt nach eingegangener Anmeldung. 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 die Verpflegung sorgen wir selbst,. Dazu wird es am Anreisetag eine Vorbesprechung geben.
An alle fortgeschrittenen Obertoninteressierten und -sängerInnen im Deutschsprachigen Raum!
Liebe Freunde und FreundInnen der feinen Klänge!
Die 1. Saison des neuen österreichischen Obertonchores, von Oktober 2015 – Juni 2016 in Wien, und die Oberton.Sommer.Chorwoche in Kärnten in der 1. Juliwoche waren eine wunderbare gemeinsame Arbeit und ein großer Erfolg:
In Wien trafen sich 6 Obertonsänger zu regelmäßigen monatlichen Proben. Vier davon nahmen an der Sommer.Oberton.Chorwoche im wunderschönen Maria Wörth in Kärnten teil und erarbeiteten mit Obertonsängerinnen aus Kärnten, der Steiermark und einem Obertonsänger und -musiker aus der Schweiz ein wunderbares Konzertprogramm, das in einem gemeinsamen öffentlichen Konzert zum Abschluss der Woche am 9. Juli in der Wallfahrtskirche Maria Wörth präsentiert wurde. Vielen Dank an alle TeilnehmerInnen die das möglich gemacht haben: der Obertonchor AIONIGMA ist nun geboren!
Nachdem sich noch bei der Obertonchorwoche alle TeilnehmerInnen schon für die Teilnahme an der nächsten Obertonchorwoche in Kärnten 2017 interessiert haben, auch Interesse an einer Obertonchorarbeit in Kärnten und der Steiermark besteht und es generell für die gemeinsame Chorarbeit wichtig ist, die Proben nicht mit Erlernen und Perfektionieren von Obertontechniken und dem genauen Ansingen von Obertönen zu vermischen, biete ich ab nun, zusätzlich zu den monatlichen Treffen in Wien und der Oberton.Sommer.Chorwoche in Kärnten im Juli, einmal im Herbst und Frühjahr ein Oberton.Chor.Intensiv.Seminar in Kärnten und für interessierte NeueinsteigerInnen ein Oberton.Grundlagen.Seminar in Wien vor der kommenden Chorsaison an.
Ich empfehle allen AionigmateilnehmerInnen die Teilnahme an zumindest einem der Intensivseminare in Kärnten, um einerseits ihren Obertongesang zu verfeinern und andererseits den gemeinsamen Austausch mit anderen ObertonsängerInnen zu pflegen:
Obwohl Aionigma seinen Sitz in Österreich hat, ist es ein Anliegen des Projektes, eine Plattform für gemeinsame Chorarbeit von ObertonsängerInnen aus dem deutschsprachigen Raum zu sein.
In diesem Sinne freue ich mich über die weitere gemeinsame Arbeit an und mit Aionigma, freue mich über eure Anmeldungen und über Eure Mitarbeit!
