TIBETAN
SINGING BOWLS VOLUME 10:
HIMALAYAN
STUDIES #4
(2005) 77:01
BEL
CD 020
(CD
only) £10
(post
& packing extra in the UK - £2 First Class Recorded Delivery)
For Review click
HERE
#1
The
Adoration of the Magi.
(10-2-2002) (6:44)
This
is a spontaneous improvisation played upon a collection of seven overtone Singing
bowls chosen especially to work together. It is the only time I have played this
particular combination of bowls. Two of these bowls
are over 500 years old.
#2
Book
of Life. (NKR)
(13-1-2005)
(7:00)
This
is an improvisation upon a set of Yin Bowls (42) and a set of Yang Bowls (23).
These are each laid out in the form of a spiral with the Yin Bowls on the
listener's Right-hand side and the Yang Bowls upon the listener's Left-hand side. Something of the
gentleness and communion with Nature, spiritual and animal, suffuses this subtle
slow-moving improvisation.
To
listen please click HERE
To
view the Roerich painting with this music click
HERE
#3
Arhat.
(NKR)
(16-12-2004)
(7:29)
The
music places its focus upon the serene, peaceful, and harmonious qualities
expressed in the picture whilst also utilising Singing Bowls attuned to the
meditative (and altered) states of consciousness and spiritual vibrations of a
being at this highly advanced level of spiritual evolution.
To
listen please click HERE
To
view the Roerich painting with this music click HERE
#4
Milarepa
the One Who Hearkened - at Sunrise Comprehending the Voices of the Devas.
(NKR)
(17-1-2005)
(5:42)
The
music begins with two struck singing bowls and then mysterious-sounding Gong
sounds are heard gradually creating a crescendo of sound - imitating the
sunrise. Sounds akin to the 'spirit murmur' of composer Alan Hovhaness are then
added alongside other sounds representing the shafts of light depicted in this
beautiful painting. A Deva is the Eastern name for an Angel.
To
listen please click HERE
To
view the Roerich painting with this music click HERE
#5
The
Sound of Milarepa's Vision. (12 -1-2005)
(4:40)
The
two spirals of Yang and Yin bowls plus the 34" Symphonic Gong being stroked
and rubbed feature in
this improvisation.
#6
Guardian
of the Desert. (NKR)
(17-12-2004)
(6:02)
A
Conch Shell trumpet is sounded twice
representing the ancient link between the Moon and ritual and ceremonial. Then
bowl chords are sounded in an endeavour to put into sound the ordering of these
ancient stones.
To
listen please click HERE
To
view the Roerich painting with this music click HERE
#7
On the Heights. (Tumo) (NKR)
(19-1-2005)
(6:32)
Small
Yin bowls stroked provide high-pitched bowls with very high harmonics. Against
this sea of sound two bowls are struck whilst a Heart chakra bowl further
enhances the sense of spiritual heart-warmth to metaphorically represent this
ancient practise of Tumo.
To
listen please click HERE
To
view the Roerich painting with this music click HERE
#8
Stronghold
of Tibet. (NKR)
(13-1-2005)
(3:41)
Another
improvisation upon the Yang and Yin spirals of bowls.
To
listen please click HERE
To
view the Roerich painting with this music click HERE
#9
Morning
Prayer. (NKR)
(13-1-2005)
(5:22)
The
music features a Tuned Gong (G#) with a set of singing bowls that produce a
repeated pattern with the singing bowls gradually increasing in number and also
rising in pitch.
To
listen please click HERE
To
view the Roerich painting with this music click HERE
#10
Dream
Awakening. (2-2004) (6:47)
A
strike upon a Tibetan invocation cymbal (TIng-shag) opens the piece leading into
three strikes upon a 400-year-old Japanese Zen Buddhist temple bell (Densho) and
then a pair of Singing bowls. I awoke one morning with this piece in my
consciousness as a waking dream. It was a very strong impression. I felt that I
had to record it.
#11
Tiger's
Nest. (NKR)
(13-1-2005)
(5:45)
The
music is an improvisation upon a set of Yin Bowls (42) and a set of Yang Bowls
(23). An attempt to depict the magical space between the stupas and temple
buildings in the foreground and this sacred temple over the way.
To
listen please click HERE
To
view the Roerich painting with this music click
HERE
#12
Surfing
the Silence. (12-1-2005)
(13:22)
A
spontaneous improvisation upon the equipment as set out for the Friday evening
concert. Amidst the set of 42 Yin Bowls and 23 Yang bowls was placed another
sequence of 60 or more Singing bowls in a horse-shoe-shaped configuration. The
improvisation was mostly upon these inner bowls and the upper end. It exploits
the pulsating qualities of matched pairs. .Listen to hear how many levels of
rhythmic pulsings you are able to hear.
Track
titles with (NKR)
beside them indicate that the inspiration was from a painting, by the Russian
artist Professor Nicholas Roerich (1874 - 1947), of the same name.
To
view the Nicholas Roerich paintings on this CD click HERE
This
is the fourth in a Series of 5 CDs entitled HIMALAYAN STUDIES. They were
not intended to be a Series but as time passed by more and more pieces unfolded
within the context of this project until a Series evolved. In what seemed no
time at all, I had just over enough for 4 CDs - which nicely celebrated my 4
decades of music-making - so I turned my attention to the possibility of a fifth
CD. The idea then occurred to myself that I could include some early pieces that
were unavailable and then the thought further developed into including pieces
from each decade.
I
have a great love of the beautiful paintings of the Russian artist Nicholas
Roerich (1874 - 1947). His painting output of around 7,000 pictures, falls into
three main periods: Stone Age, Theatrical & Himalayan. Amongst the many
Himalayan paintings there are many simply titled Himalaya whilst others may be
titled Himalayan Landscape, Himalayan Sketches and Himalayan Studies. I thought
of these pieces much as his Himalayan Studies. Not major works executed over a
long period of time but perhaps more in the nature of a sketch. Many of my works
are very long and so I chose to title this series of shorter pieces as HIMALAYAN
STUDIES. This
series also features a departure from my previous habit of including fairly
extensive liner notes with the CD booklet. This series will feature a minimum of
details inside the liner notes with more of my customary extensive notes
provided on this website for those seeking more information. For a link to this
information click HERE
During
2004 many new pieces came through me. I found that many of these pieces
indicated a new direction in my work. Originally, during 2002, I had it in the
back of my mind to release a CD of Singing Bowl music featuring short tracks
that were mostly improvised - without any over-dubs. This impulse drew closer to
actualisation during 2004. As I focussed my creativity
upon short pieces they simply continued to unfold. I just went with the flow
working on the pieces as they arose in my creative consciousness regardless of
whether they featured over-dubs or not.
During
2004 Ian Dale (owner of Amphonic) had very generously and kindly offered to me
both his time and recording facilities. Having spent most of the year trying to
arrange a mutually convenient date, we finally settled on January 10th 2005 and
I duly arrived with the vast majority of my singing bowls. I stayed with Ian and
his lovely wife Donna and their two sons Jamie and Ryan for a week of memorable
recording sessions ending with two live concerts in the studio to invited guests
on the Friday and Saturday evenings. Pieces from these sessions supplied the
remaining tracks for this CD. Naturally, there are some more pieces from
these sessions and they
will most likely appear on a CD to be released in due course. My inspiration
behind these sessions was to concentrate more on producing a CD of recordings of
the bowls with no overdubs, as was my original intention behind this latest
HIMALAYAN STUDIES Series. The improvisations from this series of recording
sessions are featured on this CD upon Tracks #2, #5, #8, #9, #11, & #12.
For
the recording session at Amphonics I had 42 YIN bowls on my left and 23 YANG
bowls on my right and two microphones were used to capture the proceedings. No
post-recording mixing was done. What you hear is exactly what was recorded at
the time in its totality. I also set up a gong stand behind me to house the two PAISTE
gongs for the sessions - a 34" Symphonic Gong that I bought in 1973 (Tracks
#4 & #5) and a Symphonic Tuned Gong G# 2 (Track #9). Upon arriving at the studio, I decided to begin the sessions
by laying out two sets of bowls before entering the world of countless other
special bowls. As it transpired, I regrettably did not have the time or
conditions to explore those other
areas. I had never, ever before played this particular combination of bowls together
neither had I ever performed with them laid out beside one another in this way and each
piece was a totally spontaneous improvisation. The family of YIN bowls feature mainly
Manipura bowls that have been carefully selected and grouped together over many
years in order to explore the microtonal world of their unique harmonic cloud
clusters. These range from around 3" to 7" in diameter. Some of the
improvisations included the 34" Symphonic Gong behind me. Improvisations
were then performed within the family of YIN bowls alone and, then, likewise,
within the group of YANG bowls. As the sessions unfolded, and I felt that it was time to move on from
this opening arrangement - to begin to explore other possibilities from within my
assortment of Singing bowls - I would place a small selection of varying kinds
of other bowls
between these two sets. For instance, for two improvisations, I
placed a set of Chinese Qing (Buddha Bells). For the final improvisation upon
this CD entitled SURFING THE SILENCE the set-up was as for the evening concerts.
For these I moved the two sets of YIN & YANG bowls apart and placed a layout
of other bowls in a horseshoe configuration - as is often the case when I give
live performances. During the daytime of the final day (Saturday) I played two improvisations upon this group
of my bowls (as left from the Friday evening concert) and this was the first one of these.
By
and large the music on this CD is focussed upon Tibetan Singing Bowls and sometimes there
are also Tibetan Bells (Drilbu), Tibetan Cymbals (Ting-Shag), Himalayan Bowls,
Gongs, Chinese Qing (Resting Bells), and instruments
hand-made by myself: Conch Shell Trumpets, strings of bells,
various Windchimes.
I
chose to title the series HIMALAYAN STUDIES. This series also features a
departure from my previous habit of including fairly extensive liner notes with
the CD inset. This series will feature a minimum of details inside the liner
notes with more of my customary extensive notes provided on this website for
those seeking more information. This page constitutes the more extended liner
notes for this CD whilst more information regarding the overall Series may be
accessed by clicking HERE
TO
ORDER (please make all cheques payable to FRANK PERRY): -
Frank Perry,
3 Drake Close,
Ringwood,
Hants, BH24 1UG
United Kingdom.
Telephone: 01425-470168
©
Copyright by Frank Perry 2005. All rights reserved.
©
Frank Perry, 2005. All of these articles are copyright. They may individually be
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without the permission of the copyright holder. None
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