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Narada·World 72438-11390-2-8
2002
1. Lasse pour quoi [refusai] [6:21]
an. early 14th century, French
2. La Serena [4:32]
Sephardic, Judeo-Spanish
3. Breton Medley [3:58]
instrumental, Brittany
HILDEGARD von BINGEN
4. O Felix [anima] [5:19]
responsorium · Riesencodex, fol. 470v
12th century, Latin
5. Ben pode Santa Maria [3:09]
CSM 362
13th century, Galician-Portuguese
Peter ABELARD
6. O Quanta Qualia [4:00]
12th century, Latin
7. Sackpipslåt [2:41]
instrumental, Sweden
Martin CODAX. Cantiga de amigo VII
8. Aj Ondas [5:13]
ca VII
early 14th century, Galician
Comtessa BEATRIZ de DIA
9. A chantar m'er [6:32]
Late 12th century, French Provençal
10. Inna-l-Malak [5:24]
Byzantine, Arabic
11. El Rey de Francia [4:32]
Sephardic, Judeo-Spanish
Azam Ali, vocals, hammered dulcimer
Greg Ellis, frame drums, riq, dumbek, bells, keyboards, tuned gong and bowls, vocal drones, karkarba, cajon, nagara
Ethan James, hurdy gurdy, nyckelharpa
Shira Kammen, rebec, vielle
Dann Torrez, saz
Naser Musa, oud
Cameron Stone, cello
Pejman Hadadi, tombak, daf
Chris Bleth, duduk
Nicole Baker, soprano voice
Mark Beasom, bass voice
George Stearne, tenor voice
Having
been born in Iran and grown up in India, I was introduced to the music
of medieval Europe only after arriving in the United States in 1985.
What initially struck me about the music was how similar the melodic
sensibilities were to the music of my heritage. I could not help but
feel the same shudder of awe when I first heard the music of Hildegard
Von Bingen as I did when I was a child walking by temples in India and
hearing prayers and chants sung through the sound of ringing bells. I
felt that, even though the musical approach was quite different due to
cultural differences, the root desire of the music conveyed the same
sentiments — to commune with God and sing his praises. Other times I
feel this music strikes a chord within me that is as old as my soul
itself and transcends the confines and myths of illusory time and space.
It
is hard for me to regard this body of work as a solo debut, given that
these are all traditional pieces which have been around since before my
lifetime and have been interpreted or recorded by numerous musical
theorists and performers. I think of this album rather as a small detour
from my work with Vas, not only to pay tribute to some of the music and
composers that have inspired me on my musical journey, but to explore
through these compositions the correlation between the music of medieval
Europe and the music of the Arab world.
Although any evidence as
to the influence of Arabic music on that of medieval Europe proves to
be highly ambiguous, there are many who believe the influence was great;
still, there are many purists who dispute this theory, thus shying away
from introducing any Arabic elements into their work. All this having
been said, it is important to note that the evidence with respect to the
true performances of some of these pieces is veiled in the mystery of
their time, therefore leaving much room for the numerous interpretations
and theories that exist.
My intent was to give this music a
contemporary feel in hopes of exposing its beauty to people who, with
absolutely no reference point, may find the more purist, academic
approach to be too austere or inaccessible. Having a vast collection of
medieval music myself, I highly encourage anyone who responds to the
works here to seek out the sources of this music and discover this
magnificent treasure trove of our human legacy. For this reason I
decided to show the many colors of medieval music by uniting the works
of various regions and composers on one canvas.
But mainly my
desire to do this project was born of a need to communicate with this
music in my own way; to honor the memory and echo the sentiments of all
the magnificent voices who have sung these songs throughout the ages and
kept them alive for all of us. I have abandoned all rules and
restrictions in order to interpret these songs and chants in a way most
natural to me and have sung them as honestly as possible, given that I
do not speak the languages represented.
I believe that all
artistic creation is a direct response to an innate call each artist
receives. Sometimes that call comes in the form of nature, love, an
experience, etc., but for me that call has most often come in the form
of music. I am constantly interacting with the music that I discover and
love. I see this interplay as an ongoing dialogue and a longing in our
quest for the divine. In medieval times, the voice was regarded in the
highest esteem, above all other instruments, for it reflected the purest
image of God. I share this sentiment in that, for me, singing and
praying are one and the same.
l see the human voice as a
reflection of the truest self within us, through which we can mirror
forth, either through prayer or song, the beauty and the Grace of God.
— Azam Ali
This
album is dedicated to the memory of Phoolan Devi, India's “Bandit
Queen”, who lost her life on July 18th, 2001. May she never be forgotten
so that her tragic life will have not been lived in vain.
And
To
the women of Afghanistan, Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East who are
the first victims of fanaticism and intolerance. Their courage in the
face of insurmountable oppression has made them into the world's most
unwilling soldiers.
A portion of the proceeds from this album
will go to support the efforts of RAWA (Revolutionary Association of the
Women of Afghanistan)
www.rawa.org
Lasse Pour Quois
(Anonymous, early 14th century. French)
Of the countless 12th and 13th century Trobairitz
(female poet-musicians) who graced the magnificent courts of medieval
Europe, we know only the names of a mere handful, which is why the
source of many of the poems and melodies such as this one remains a
mystery. The language of the troubadours, known as Old Provençal, was
the language spoken in the southern half of present day France. The
poems of the Trobairitz mostly portrait the joys or sorrows of a woman in love. Here a woman sings of her regret for refusing the one whom she loves.
Chris Bleth: duduk
Greg Ellis: frame drum, riq, dumbek, bells
Ethan James: hurdy gurdy
Shira Kammen: rebec
Dann Torres: saz
Azam Ali: voice, hammered dulcimer
La Serena
(Sephardic, Judeo-Spanish)
“A woman sits in the window of a tower in the sea
and sings melancholically to the sailors going by”.
The
songs of the Sephardim (Spanish Jews), handed down orally from
generation to generation, tell the stories of their lives, their
history, and their culture during their settlement in the Iberian
peninsula until their exile in 1492. The Sephardic language is known as
Judezmo or Judeo-Spanish, which is the Spanish language of the middle
ages.
As a result of the Jewish Diaspora Sephardic communities
were established throughout the Mediterranean, North Africa, Turkey,
Egypt, Greece, Palestine, Syria, and the Balkan states. Although they
managed to preserve their culture by maintaining their Hispanic
traditions wherever they lived, their music became greatly influenced by
the cultures they inhabited, hence creating the immensely diverse
repertoire of Sephardic songs we hear today.
The one thing that
intrigues me most is that during the Islamic conquest of Spain, the
Muslims and the Jews lived in peaceful co-existence. Their communities
were strongly linked until the 14th century when the Catholic
re-conquest and the Inquisition brought the peace between them to a
bitter end.
Chris Bleth: duduk
Greg Ellis: keyboards, orchestral percussion
Shira Kammen: vielle
Naser Musa: oud
Cameron Stone: cello
Azam Ali: voice
Breton Medley
(instrumental)
This piece is based on three traditional folk dances melodies from Brittany.
Chris Bleth: duduk
O felix
Greg Ellis: tuned gongs & bowls, keyboards, vocal drones
Ben Pode Santa Maria
Naser Musa: oud
O Quanta Qualia
Nicole Baker: soprano
Sackpipslåt
Ethan James: nyckelharpa
Aj Ondas
Chris Bleth: duduk
A Chantar m'er
Chris Bleth: duduk
Inna-l-Malak
Greg Ellis: vocal drones
El Rey de Francia
Naser Musa: oud
Thank
you to Weslay Van Linda and the Narada staff; Cheryl McEnaney for all
your generosity, support and friendship; my extended family Caryl, Reya
and Mickey Hart; John Diliberto, and Jeff Towne at Echoes for your
undiminished support all these years; Fritz Heede for taking the initial
steps with me; Ethan James, a modern day Troubadour; my dear friend
Alfred Madain; Tyler Bates, for your incredible kindness; Umberto
Belfiore at UCLA for helping me with my research; Dan Pinder for your
musical contributions and magical mixes; little William for the
priceless moments during mixing; all the gifted musicians who poured
their hearts into this recording; and my beloved friends, you who know
who you are...
Ethan James: hurdy gurdy
Shira Kammen: vielle
Prejman Hadadi: tombak, daf
Greg Ellis: frame drum, riq, bells
(12th century, Latin)
It
was the music of the visionary Abbess Hildegard Von Bingen that first
opened my ears and my heart to the music of medieval Europe. In my
opinion, she was one of the greatest and most prolific souls to have
graced this earth. Although she is best known for her music, which are
some of the most beautiful and unique compositions written in the middle
ages, she was also a mystic, naturalist and playwright. Her
renunciation of the world, her passionate dedication to a life of
creativity, and her extreme devotion to God have left us with a
profoundly deep legacy of music and spirituality.
Azam Ali: voice
(Cantigas de Santa Maria, 13th century, Galician-Portuguese)
The Cantigas de Santa Maria
is the largest collection of monophonic songs to have survived along
with the texts. They are compiled from some 400 songs that celebrate the
divine virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and recount tales of the
miracles she performed. It is widely believed that in the 13th and the
14th century, the Jewish and Arab musicians of the courts played a very
important role in the performance of the Cantigas. This pieces tells of
how the Virgin Mary restored the sight of a goldsmith of Chartres.
Greg Ellis: frame drum, karkarba, cajon, nagara
Azam Ali: voice
(12th century, Latin)
Written
by Peter Abelard, a French philosopher, poet, and musician. His love
affair and secret marriage with the niece of Canon Fulbert, Heloise,
tragically ended after Fulbert had Abelard castrated. As a result, they
both retreated to monastic lives.
Aside from his numerous
theological writings, which aroused much opposition and caused him to be
charged a number of times with heresy, he composed a hymn book for
Heloise of which the melody for only this piece O Quanta Qualia,
the hymn for Saturday, has survived. It is believed that he also
composed many love songs, but if this is true, they have all sadly been
lost.
Azam Ali: soprano
Mark Beasom: bass
George Stearne: tenor
(instrumental)
This is a Medieval melody from Sweden, which is traditionally played on the bagpipe.
Cameron Stone: cello
Greg Ellis: frame drums, riq, bells
(Early 14th century, Galician)
Written
by the Galician troubadour Martin Codax from the perspective of a woman
looking out to sea, singing to the waves as she longs for her lover who
is far away.
Greg Ellis: keyboards, tuned gong, cymbal, wood block
Azam Ali: voice
(Late 12th century, French Provençal)
Written by the mysterious Comtessa Beatrix de Dia, this piece is sadly the only extant melody written by a Trobairitz.
Known as one of the greatest poetess of all time, here she bitterly
tells the tale of unrequited love for a man other than her husband. The
opening line literally translates as “I must sing of that which I would
rather keep in silence”.
Greg Ellis: frame drum, riq, cymbal, bells, keyboards
Pejman Hadadi: tombak
Shira Kammen: vielle
Azam Ali: voice
(Byzantine, Arabic)
This
is an original composition by Soeur Marie Keyrouz who is originally
from Lebanon but resides in France. It is a chant to the Blessed Virgin
on the resurrection of Christ. The melody is based in the ancient
Byzantine tradition, in which chants are sung strictly a cappella without the use of any western instrumentation.
Although
I have taken many liberties on this album, it was Soeur Marie Keyrouz's
wish that I maintain the traditional and sacred integrity of this chant
by keeping it true to the format in which she composed and performed
it.
In my opinion, her voice is one of the most beautiful an
precious jewels in this world. For the past seven years since I
discovered it , it has been part of my everyday life. The performance of
this piece is a humble attempt on my part solely to pay tribute to a
woman who has greatly inspired me.
Azam Ali: voice
(Sephardic, Judeo-Spanish)
“One
day while embroidering, a princess, the youngest if three daughters of
the King of France, falls into a dream. Awakened by her mother, she
recounts her dream in which her mother interprets as an omen of a
princes who will come to carry her off to far away lands”.
Pejman Hadadi: tombak, daf
Greg Ellis: frame drum, riq, keyboards
Azam Ali: voice
Thank you to Soeur Marie Keyrouz, Hildegard
Von Bingen, Emily Van Evera, Lisa Gerrard, Elisabeth Fraser, Asha
Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar, Tzvetanka Varimezova, and the countless other
women and singersnwho have inspired so much creativity and goodness in
me over the years. May your voices and music echo throughout the
heavenly spheres until the end of time.
My deepest gratitude
to my best friend and musical partner Greg Ellis, without whom the
making of music is an incomplete experience. Your talent, passion, and
dedication have been my muse for so many years. Although this album has
my name on it, you and I both know that in the heavens this counts as
one of ours.
Produced by Azam Ali
Engineered by Greg Ellis
except O Quanta Qualia engineered by Dan Pinder
Additional engineering by Azam Ali
String arrangements by Greg Ellis
Mixed by Dan Pinder
Mastered by Steve Hall at Future Disc
Recorded at Atman Studios November, 2001 - March, 2002
O Quanta Qualia recorded at St. Tyler's
Photography (copy) Trinette Reed
Designed by Kurt Pfeifer
All arrangements by Azam Ali, except
Breton Medley and Sackpipslat by Ethan James, Azam Ali and Greg Ellis
Inna-l-Malak, composed and arranged by Soeur Marie Keyrouz
P C Narada Productions, Inc
NARADA WORLD
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