CRYSTAL PEACE

Recorded in 1986. Duration 67’ 09”

BEL CD 004. £10 / Cassette £8

(post & packing extra in the UK - £2 First Class Recorded Delivery)

CRYSTAL STAR

CRYSTAL PEACE

CHINTAMANI

Track 1: CRYSTAL STAR (19:28) this piece takes for its theme the strengthening of our contact with our Higher Self. It features the large collection of beautiful mellow-sounding Chinese Resting Bells with Chinese & Japanese Bell Trees, gradually including the more resonant sounds of Petalumines, bowed Planicerv and Nectarine, whose crystal-clear sounds are as beams of Light from our Higher Self, gently yet strongly aligning us to the inner world of Light. Within the inner silence we await the voice of the spirit. Within the chapel of our innermost heart we quietly wait. Before us a shining six-pointed Star hangs above the altar of White Light. The crystal of the star we feel resonating with the crystal of our heart. We feel the focus of the Great White Light pouring through the crystal bringing the White Fire of the Spirit to the awakening earth. With deep humility of spirit we follow the Path.

Features the large collection of beautiful mellow-sounding Chinese Resting Bells & Chinese - Japanese Bell Trees, gradually including the more resonant sounds of Petalumines, bowed Planicerv and Nectarine, whose crystal-clear sounds are as beams of Light from our Higher Self, gently opening us to the inner worlds.

The original version (recorded at home) took for its initial inspiration the painting titled "Unknown Singer" by Nicholas Roerich (view BELOW) - although I have only recently seen it in colour - courtesy Nicholas Roerich Museum's (New York) website. A black and white reproduction was all I had from a book published in the 1920s.

Unknown Singer. Nicholas Roerich 1920 by kind permission of the Nicholas Roerich Museum, New York.

Track 2: CRYSTAL PEACE (21:18) taking the theme of Crystals, this is a totally spontaneous improvisation weaving its way through Frank's entire collection of exotic healing sounds. Recorded within the temple acoustic using the one ‘sound-field’ microphone with no editing or mixing possible. What you hear is precisely what was played. The piece begins with the large sound plate and is followed by deep gongs and the long sustained sounds of the Petalumines before a single Tibetan singing bowl emerges which is eventually joined by the astonishing Petalumines – ringing on for an eternity – which are then joined by a Tibetan hand bell. Gradually leading into a section for sound plates and Petalumines, Trianguhermeezees, Pyrahermeezees, and Kyeezees (Burmese temple meditation gongs). In general, the piece floats along on sustained sounds punctuated in places by richly resonant vibrating instruments and ends upon the ethereal sounds of bowed Planicerv and Nectarine like gentle rays of sunlight piercing through the clouds. The link with crystals comes from the fact that I'd met Ra Bonawitz at the Festival of Mind, Body & Spirit some years earlier. He'd been very moved to find out where the sound was coming from during a performance of mine. We spoke and I mentioned my work with the White Eagle Lodge and immediately upon showing him a postcard picture of the Temple, he exclaimed that he had to make a crystal for this temple. That all went ahead. Another friend of mine, Robert Marsh was a member of the White Eagle Lodge at that time and had also befriended Ra and was working with crystals. He lived nearby and visited me with a friend whilst I was recording. This improvisation was dedicated to his presence, his work, and the energies of crystals. Robert had made me an amethyst to use whilst making my music.

Track 2: CRYSTAL PEACE. Click HERE for sound clip. My music features little repetition and unfolds more like a conversation or poem . This clip is but part of a larger whole. Unfortunately, some of my sounds do not faithfully reproduce into MP3's. You may also view the painting (Unknown Singer) above whilst listening.

The CD has an extra track CHINTAMANI (’91) over 26 minutes long for a set of 11 richly mystical-sounding ‘Noah Bells’ from India and featuring Frank’s ‘hanging sounds’ (where the sounds seemingly ‘hang’ or float upon/within the silence) – where Silence is truly golden! There is a very strong ‘Zen’ and ‘Taoist’ feel to the consciousness breathing through this piece – suitable for’ letting go’. ‘Chintamani’ arose from my composing contribution for the CD release of music for a Japanese installation (Ember Glance – The Permanence of Memory) in collaboration with David Sylvian. In fact, all that Sylvian had told me was that the theme was to do with ‘memory’. I never did hear what little he had composed prior to the session but I was amazed that I’d recorded a whole album with so few of my instruments! Being somewhat dissatisfied with Sylvian’s end product I wanted to explore in my own way what I could create using such a small number of instruments. So I chose to explore a simple meditative piece utilising the same mysterious sounds of 11 Indian ‘Noah Bells’, 7 of which had been featured prominently on Sylvian’s piece. The recording session consisted of two separate performances played with a short break between and absolutely no reference to one another. These two recordings are then simply played simultaneously from their first note in order to form the piece. The manner of improvising shifted between playing each single sound with no reference to the sounds around itself whatsoever - to sections where I did use my musical memory. Remarkably, the result sounds as if it were a single performance, so well do the two recordings complement one another. I spent some years pondering whether or not to add anything (flowing stream, dijeridu, etc) for a background. I was concerned that the Noah bells alone may have been too minimalist or too ‘spacey’. Finally, I decided that I liked it best quite simply as it is. It carries a very uniquely special and simple energy.

Petalumines are petal-discs invented and hand-made by Frank himself, whilst Trianguhermeezees and Pyrahermeezees were also invented and hand built by Frank. If interested check out the Inventions article. Planicerv and Nectarine are a set of 7 adapted Tuned sound-discs (made by Paiste), and a specially mounted set of numerous inverted bells respectively.

The following streams fed into this last track: Chintamani is sometimes referred to as the Philosopher’s Stone whilst the Russian artist Nicholas Roerich also painted an ancient Tibetan legend in ‘Chintamani – Treasure of the World' (see below). The piece is also dedicated to Lama Anagarika Govinda whose book “The Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism” has been such a great inspiration to me since the 1960’s. Within its pages the Chintamani Stone may be found.

Photograph taken at the time of recording in The White Temple of The White Eagle Lodge in January of 1986. For more details check out The White Temple Recordings.

Recorded by Richard Elen.

This recording was made entirely digitally and utilises UHJ-Ambisonic Surround-Sound techniques.

For a full technical account of this recording session read Richard’s article 'New Age' on the Ambisonic website.

Roerich also depicted, through several of his paintings, the Tibetan Legend of Chintamani that foretold of a sacred fire which would be carried on the back of a white horse down from the mountain heights to illumine the consciousness of humanity during a time of great darkness. See these beautiful paintings below. Interestingly, the first is depicted as taking place in the Grand Canyon possibly uniting East and West, or possibly foretelling of the spread of Tibetan Buddhism in America?.

Treasure of the World - Chintamani

Nicholas Roerich 1924

By very kind permission of :

The Nicholas Roerich Museum, New York.

Chintamani Treasure of the World.

Nicholas Roerich 1936

Nicholas Roerich Centre-Museum in Moscow

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