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NEW
PIECES: TIMED WITH RELEASE OF DARK CURSE (9/2/08)
Christine,
I've extended your descriptions placing the pieces in the storyline of
the book and the historical tradition of the Carpathians, with my descriptions
of the musical details, tradition, etc.
- Carpathian musical
aesthetics
-- In the sung Carpathian pieces, you'll hear elements that are shared
by many of the musical traditions in the Uralic geographical region,
some of which still exist -- from Eastern European (Bulgarian, Romanian,
Hungarian, Croatian, etc.) to Romany ("gypsy"). Some of these
elements include: the rapid alternation between major and minor modalities;
the use of close (tight) harmonies; the use of ritardos (slowing down
the piece) and crescendos (swelling in volume) for brief periods; the
use of glissandos (slides) and trills in the singing tradition; the
use of parallel fifths (as in the final invocation of the Song to
Heal the Earth); controlled dissonance; "call" and "response"
chanting (typical of many of the world's chanting traditions); extending
the length of a musical line (by adding a couple of bars) to heighten
dramatic effect; etc.
The Lullabye and Song to Heal the Earth illustrate two
rather different forms of Carpathian music (a quiet, intimate piece,
and an energetic ensemble piece) -- but whatever the form, Carpathian
music is full of feeling.
- Carpathian Lullabye
-- This song
is sung by women while the child is still in the womb or when the threat
of a miscarriage is obvious. The babies can hear them while inside of
them and the mothers can connect with them telepathically as well. The
lullabye is meant to reassure the child, to encourage the baby to hold
on to stay-you'll be protected by love even from inside until you are
born. That last line literally means that the mother's love will protect
her child until the child is born (rise).
Musically, the Carpathian Lullabye is in 3/4 time ("waltz
time"), as are a significant portion of the world's various "lullabye"
traditions (perhaps the most famous of which is "Brahm's Lullaby").
The "arrangement for solo voice" is the original context:
a mother singing to her child, unaccompanied. The "arrangement
for chorus and violin ensemble" illustrates how musical even the
simplest Carpathian pieces often are, and how easily they lend themselves
to contemporary instrumental or orchestral arrangements. (A wide range
of contemporary composers (including Dvorák and Smetana) have taken
advantage of a similar discovery, working other traditional Eastern
European music into their "symphonic poems".)
arrangement
for chorus and violin ensemble (1 minute, 38 seconds):
arrangement for
solo voice (1 minute, 38 seconds):
- Song To Heal
the Earth -- This is the earth healing song that is used by the
Carpathian women to heal soil filled with various toxins. The women
take a position on four sides and call to the universe to draw on the
healing energy with love and respect. The soil of the earth is their
resting place, the place they rejuvenate and they must make it safe
not only for themselves, but for their unborn children as well as their
men and living children. This is a beautiful ritual performed by the
women together as a whole, raising their voices together in harmony
and calling on the earth's minerals and healing properties to come forth
and help them save their children. They literally dance and sing to
heal the earth in a ceremony as old as their species. The dance and
notes of the song is adjusted according to the toxins felt through the
healer's bare feet. The feet are placed in a certain pattern and the
hands gracefully weave a healing spell while the dance is performed.
They must be especially careful when the soil is prepared for babies.
This is a ceremony of love and healing.
Musically, the ritual is divided into several sections:
- verse 1
-- a "call" and "response" section (where the
"chant leader" sings the "call" solo, and then
some or all of the women sing the response in the "close harmony"
style typical of the Carpathian musical tradition and the other
traditions in the same geographical region). The repeated response
-- Ai Emä Maγe -- is an invocation of the source of power
for the healing ritual: "Oh Mother Nature".
- chorus 1
-- with clapping, dancing, ancient horns, and other means used to
invoke and heighten the energies upon which the ritual is drawing.
- verse 2
- chorus 2
- closing invocation
-- In this closing part, two song leaders, in close harmony, take
all the energy gathered by the earlier portions of the song/ritual
and focus it entirely on the healing purpose.
What you will be
listening to are brief "tastes" of what typically would be
a significantly longer ritual, in which the verse and chorus parts are
developed and repeated many times, to be closed by a single rendition
of the final invocation.
choral arrangement
(3 minutes, 3 seconds):
- Warrior's Chant
-- Sarna Kontakawk (The Warriors’ Chant) is another longer example of
the Carpathian language. The warrior’s council takes place deep beneath
the earth in a chamber of crystals with magma far below that, so the
steam is natural and the wisdom of their ancestors is clear and focused.
This is a sacred place where they bloodswear to their prince and people
and affirm their code of honor as warriors and brothers. It is also
where battle strategies are born and all dissension is discussed as
well as any concerns warriors have that the wish to bring to the council
and open for discussion.
[I didn't add any copy here, as the copy describing the earlier male
chants is sufficient]
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