Here is a video in which I explain some of the things that are essential for those who start on the path of learning to sing overtones. Enjoy!

The post How to hear your own overtones? appeared first on Fusica.

The story began a long time ago and more or less by accident. In 1989 I was a student volunteer for the Voices Festival in The Netherlands and Belgium. First I was assigned to assist the King’s Singers on their tour, as a representative of the festival organisation. One of the top choirs in classical music at that moment. Then the festival changed my assignment. They learnt about my interest in world music and decided I was more suitable for a traditional music program. The largest of two groups I guided was Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, which was quickly becoming a public favorite, with ongoing concert tours around the world for years to come. The other ensemble was much less known: A Cumpagnia from the isle of Corsica. The ensemble was built around the artistic community of Pigna and had just launched an album of traditional Corsican songs on the Harmonia Mundi label.
It was a life-changing experience to witness these musicians rehearse and perform their music day by day, and to assist them with their needs. The best part was yet to come though. At the end of their succesful double-bill tour in the Netherlands and Belgium, they told me one of them would not fly back to Corsica: sensing that this young student was very eager to absorb as much as he could from musical traditions, they wondered: would I be interested to use the ticket and come to Corsica? It was an offer you can’t refuse. But I refused. I had musicology exams coming up and declined the kind offer with pain in my heart. However, the invitation was made, and I would come at a more convenient time.

First visit to Corsica
That moment came Summer next year. With a friend I hitchhiked to South France, got on the ferry and arrived on the stunningly beautiful island of Corsica. There I looked for Mr. Acquaviva in a supermarket he managed in a little town. He kindly invited us to join the rehearsal a few days later, and so I came to make my first visit to the little village of Pigna, the residency of the artistic community of ‘vagabonds’ established over a decade earlier by Toni and Nicole Casalonga. It was (still is) a typical, gorgeous mediterranean hillside village: compact, with small winding cobblestone roads (mostly too narrow for cars), and solid houses built from natural rocks, ages ago. The weekly rehearsal took place at the Casa Musicale, a restaurant and pension at the edge of the village, with a grand view over the Bay of Calvi. It is too long ago to remember all the details; I think they played more instruments than they did in the concert tour, but they surely sang a lot as well. What has really stayed with me, however, is Nando’s invitation to join their singing. I never sang with musicians, only privately, and occasionally. The thought of joining musicians who had just toured in Dutch and Belgium theaters was utterly surprising. Singing? Me? With you?? Nando reassured me, explaining I could simply tag along and try: no big deal! On that spot some of my reservations about my voice, perhaps an instinctive shyness, as if it is something better kept private, vanished. I sang along and thoroughly enjoyed being part of the roaring harmonies these men produced.

We came back later to the Casa Musicale to stay overnight in the pension. I particularly remember eating in the restaurant, on the terrace, and tasting locally grown tomatoes unlike any tomato I ever ate before, as well as a dish with local basil. Al the senses were stimulated enough to make me long to go back. But I had to wait a few decades before that came to pass. The memory of the musicians remained, and in particular of Nando’s unexpected invitation to come to Pigna and join the singing. The seeds were planted and were nourished by the albums of Corsican music I found. Far away from the island itself, I immersed myself time and again in their rich polyphonies and often sang along.

The open-throated voice in traditional polyphonic singing
The singers of A Cumpagnia are all masters of the various forms of Corsican polyphony, the art of weaving several melodic lines together in ever-changing ways. Many Corsican villages have their own distinct repertoire of singing, which are either religious (and based on Latin texts) or secular (and based on poetry in the Corsican language). When singing a paghjella, three male singers produce their own vocal line with a powerful, open-throated chest voice. All vowels are produced with a minimum of obstruction in the vocal tract, in contrast with (European) classical singing, for which the open sound is modified by posturing the back and root of the tongue in different ways, and lowering the jaw. The sound flow is not as direct as it could be, and makes the tone darker. It adds a certain amount of artifice – and quite a lot of it in the case of some singers and styles. Add to it the typical vibrato that is produced deeper down in the throat and you are already far, far away from the natural open-throated sound of traditional Corsican singing.

As a young student, growing up hearing plenty of classical music at home, as well as jazz and pop (with many techniques to add colouring), this natural voice struck me as different. I was mesmerized by the qualities of the voices. There was a rawness and … honesty, as if the inner quality of a man comes through unveiled. When the second and third voice joined the main singer, they supercharged it, their lines joining in full force, making themselves stand out just as clear as the main voice. Usually the Corsican three-part polyphony would proceed as follows: shortly after the main singer begins the opening phrase, the others step in to add a note of their choice. Together they produce a three-tone chord, but the main melody and the chords keep changing. The two other singers follow the lead singer, adding a bass note and another note in between the lead voice and the bass. Each song type has well-established procedures for the development of the main voice. This gives each voice some room to play with their part. The bass wil generally start mid-range and in the course of several phrases descend to the lowest tone. Every time I hear it, this gives me the feeling there is something centering about Corsican polyphony: during a song you experience a gravitational force that is guaranteed to put you firmly on the ground when the phrase or song ends. Another feature is that many songs are in a minor key, but end on a major key.

Nando’s Mimofonia

One of the things that impressed me during A Cumpagnia’s first visit was the use of a sign language to create vocal polyphony. Nando would sing with two other men, and use his hands and fingers to indicate the harmony that they would sing. In this way the trio could remain in a natural flow of singing, while Nando could communicate possibilities and direction for the harmony in real time without talking. He could indicate how fast or slow they would change the chord, moving down or up, holding back certain progressions, make a bigger leap than usuaul etc. I found it amazing that a single person could hear the chords he wished to hear in his head and had a way to tell the others to follow the progressions he was foreseeing.

Another reason why it struck me, was that as a newcomer, the three voices were so resonant, and my ears were so attuned to overtones, that the richness overwhelmed and intoxicated me. Later, when listening to album recordings of Corsican polyphony, I sometimes could not tell how many parts there were. I might believe I was hearing 5 singers when in fact there were only three. And even I saw there were just three singers, I had a hard time catching everything that was happening. In the live sitation, onstage or during practise in Pigna, there was someone for whom all these parts were so transparent, that he had the mental space to create his own line on the spot as well as the two others, and use hand gestures to direct them. Nando did that without visible effort: he had a certain softness in his facial expressions, and a fluency in the way his hands and arms moved. During one visit, I asked him to show me how he used it, and we made photographs of each hand sign. (Unfortunately, I cannot find any video where we see the mimofonia live in action).

20+ years later

Decades later, I had a chance to get to know Nando better during various visits to Corsica, and occasional long-distance phone calls. My wife organised aromatherapy tours in the Meditterranean, and I insisted we should all go to this island, because I had vivid memories not only of the music, but also of the powerful aromas. After I had taken our family of four around the island for a two-week exploration, she felt that this was something to share with her students, lovers of fragrance, flowers, essential oils and botanical and cultural explorations in general. And so I became a tourguide for Chinese-speaking visitors. The itinerary always included a visit to Pigna and a concert or workshop with Nando and other musicians.

When we first arrived as a family, we visited the splendid botanical garden Parc Sallecia before heading for Pigna. In the park’s shop, we bought an album by a singer with the same name as Nando: Battista Acquaviva. That evening we went to the opening of the Festivoce (a great festival that is still happening every year). I saw Nando and introduced myself, 20+ years after we last met. He was standing next to a beautiful, tall lady: the one from the album we had just bought! It was his daughter. And so began a re-acquaintance and deeper understanding of Corsican music.

When the first group of aromatherapists arrived in Pigna next year, Nando performed together with Battista (a privilege that did not last long since she soon became a sensation (12 million views and counting!) in the French version of the popular TV-show The Voice.) Nando shared his passion for Corsican music, and welcomed me at home together with his family each time I visited. It was usually a day, or maybe two, that I was in the region. We had lots to talk about: I was hungry to learn more about his musical life and that of Pigna and the island as a whole. And Nando was very interested in musicology. I learnt that mimofonia was Nando’s own way to understand and create the polyphonic forms of his native region. It was he who had invented this system, which was not in general use – though one other active singer and teacher, Nicole Casalonga, also uses it to this day. Alongside the gestures, Nando wished to codify and indicate the finer variations in tuning, for which Corsican singers posses such a skilled ear.

Last but not least, Nando was a poet, a fanastic storyteller, philosopher: he could talk in the most captivating way about music and connect it with plants, fragrances, history, literature. Above all, he would speak from an unparallelled poetic imagination, weaving words and ideas like no one else. Here is his description of polyphony, from the album A Cumpagnia – in Paghjella:

Besides Casa Musicale, I would sometimes visit Claude Bellagamba, who runs a bar/restaurant in Pigna. His voice rings like a bell and makes the most extraordinary flourishes: you can hear him on many tracks of the seminal album Corsica – Chants Polyphoniques. On one occasion, it was time for a next step in my attempts to understand Corsican polyphony, and give my understanding of mimofonia a try without the aid of other singers singing my part. One of my favorite songs is Ecco Bella, and that’s what we tried to sing together. Click below to hear our version: the lead voice is by Claude Bellagamba, I was trying my best with the bass, and Nando usually comes in later to provide the highest voice.

The pandemic put an end to our yearly travels and I have not returned to Corsica again, yet. I treasure the memories and the generous sharing of his skill and knowledge. He passed on his skills to many others, and especially to Battista, who gives her own unique colour and expression to old and new music from the Balagne and elsewhere. I still take to heart that precious first session in Pigna. I recall this episode in my own Ocean of Voices workshops about musical traditions, encouraging students to start trying out new things with their voices.

Thank you, Nando and family, and thank you, members of A Cumpagnia!

More Sources

The breakthrough album that also led to their tour to the Benelux was E Voce Di U Cumune, Marcel Pérès – Corsica : Chants Polyphoniques from 1987.

Reissued and also on the streaming platforms in its ugly new ‘budget series’ cover. Make sure to check it out, the musicians were all in their prime, around 30 years young.

The album A Cumpagnia In Paghjella is also a great starting point (https://www.casa-editions.com/boutique/p/in-paghjella-a-cumpagnia).

Many more albums can be found on the label Casa Editions, run in Pigna.

If you want to read more:
The definitive work about Nando’s investigations into Corsican polyphony, including his mimofonia, is: Ignazio Macchiarella, ‘Il Restauratore di Polifonie’, in his book Ignazio Macchiarella (editor) – Tre Voce per Pensare il Mondo. Pratiche polifoniche confraternali in Corsica, Il Campo, 2011: pp. 142-.173.
A thorough English introduction to Corsican music is Caroline Bithel’s Transported by Song:
Corsican Voices from Oral Tradition to World Stage. Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, 2007.

Hear another example of an open-throated voice? Listen to each voice in this video I recorded of a Miserere from Castelsardo, Sardinia.

Sardinia and Corsica are also discussed in my book Overtone Singing, with a recording from Sardinia where a very clear overtone melody can be heard above the four singers (on the Anthology of Overtone Singing). Go to the page of The Overtone Singing Book.

Hear Nando and his daughter Battista perform together, at 17m 45s in this video:

The post Corsican Polyphony and Nando Aquaviva’s Mimofonia appeared first on Fusica.

Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à célébrer la naissance de l’œuvre multi-instrument “Le Rêve” lors de cette “Listening Party”.

“Le Rêve” est une création dirigée par Arnaud Lechat (貓阿諾), qui y joue de la flûte, Daf et Bendir, avec la participation de Mark van Tongeren (voix, guimbardes, shruti box) et Zhan Yachun (詹雅淳) à la danse. Arnaud et Mark ont enregistré une version purement musicale en avril 2024, sortie en novembre de la même année. L’enregistrement et le mastering ont été réalisés par Yannick Dauby (澎葉生), qui assurera pour l’occasion une expérience d’écoute de haute qualité grâce à son matériel professionnel. L’équipe de création de “Le Rêve” ainsi que la percussionniste Mona Kaveh Ahangari présenteront les origines de ce projet. En plus de l’album et de contenus audio-visuels, la soirée comprendra une performance improvisée ainsi qu’une version inédite d’un des morceaux.

夢境｝Listening Party : Le Rêve

信鴿法國書店很高興邀請各位讀者透過這場Listening Party，一起來慶祝《夢境 Le Rêve》這部多樂器作品的誕生。

《夢境 Le Rêve》由負責蕭與打擊樂的貓阿諾領銜創作，加上Mark van Tongeren的人聲、口簧、Shruti box演出以及詹雅淳的舞蹈表演。貓阿諾與 Mark 於2024年4月錄製了純音樂版，於同年11月發行。聲音錄製與母帶處理由澎葉生負責，本場Listening Party將由他以專業設備帶來高品質聆聽體驗。《夢境 Le Rêve》的創作團隊，以及打擊樂手 Mona Kaveh Ahangari，將為大家介紹計畫起源。除了專輯本身及相關影音作品外，現場也將呈現即興演出以及一首尚未發表的曲目版本。

Listening Party – Le Rêve
時間 Date / 地點 Lieu

2025.04.25 ven. 19:30 Librairie Le Pigeonnier 信鴿法國書店

報名 | Inscription | reservations compulsory

* 本活動已額滿 *
* Complet *
* sold out *

* 本活動將以法中雙語語進行，英語輔助。 Cette rencontre se déroulera en bilingue français-chinois. This event is bilingual French/Mandarin.

The physical album is now available in stores across Taiwan and will be available around the world on all the major streaming services by the time of the Listening Party.

on APPLE MUSIC

on SPOTIFY

Or watch the compilation video of the performances that Yachun

showed during the evening.

With/avec

Arnaud Lechat est un musicien et compositeur français installé à Taiwan. Il travaille pour de nombreuses pièces de danse, d’improvisation moderne, de cirque, de littérature et de poésie, ainsi que pour le dessin et le cinéma. Arnaud est co-réalisateur du film documentaire “Doumadiao” sur l’opéra taïwanais et l’auteur de nombreux documentaires pour Radio Taiwan Internationale sur les musiques de Taiwan dans son émission “Désorientales”. Il a récemment publié trois albums : “Delivrænce 9”, “Transhuman / Subhuman” et “Sur les ailes de l’heure bleue”. Un quatrième album, “Le Rêve”, réalisé en duo avec Mark van Tongeren, vient également de sortir.

貓阿諾 Arnaud Lechat
法國音樂家貓阿諾 Arnaud Lechat 是一位居住在台灣的法國音樂家和作曲家。在長達 25 年的創作生涯中，他參與了許多現代舞、即興音樂、馬戲、文學與詩歌、雜技、繪畫和電影的作品。貓阿諾是探討台灣歌仔戲的紀錄片《Doumadiao》的共同導演，同時也是台灣廣播電台節目《Désorientales》的多部台灣音樂紀錄片的製作人。他曾發行：《Delivrænce 9》、《Transhuman / Subhuman》以及《Sur les ailes de l’heure bleue》等三張專輯，並與 Mark van Tongeren 合作，在2024年推出了第四張專輯《Le Rêve》。

Zhan Yachun
Born in Taichung, Taiwan. She is a freelance performer, dance art creator and performance art teacher. She likes to explore her own possibilities through experimentation and improvisation in dance art. By chance, she began to collaborate with different musicians as a dancer in improvisation concerts in these few years. Current works include 2018 « Ridiculous », « Neverland », 2020 « The », 2021 « An Imagination About the Soul » video version, 2022 « Fairy Tale Life Accident », « Untitled »,2023 in D-Lab which is a platform of create to published «Caterpillar» ,2024 «Lady W & Lady M».

Zhan Yachun, née à Taichung, Taïwan, est une artiste indépendante et enseignante en arts de la performance. Elle explore les possibilités de la danse à travers l’expérimentation et l’improvisation. Ces dernières années, elle a commencé à collaborer avec des musiciens en tant que danseuse lors de concerts d’improvisation. Elle continue également de créer des œuvres de danse. Parmi ses récents travaux figurent Ridiculous (2018), Neverland et The (2020), An Imagination About the Soul (version vidéo, 2021), Fairy Tale Life Accident et Untitled (2022), ainsi que Caterpillar en 2023 sur la plateforme D-Lab. En 2024, elle a créé Lady W & Lady M.

詹雅淳 Zhan Yachun

來自於台中的詹雅淳是一位自由表演者、舞蹈藝術創作者及表演藝術教師。她喜歡透過實驗和即興創作來探索自己在舞蹈藝術中的可能性。近幾年來，她偶然開始作為舞者與不同音樂家合作參與即興演出。並持續創作舞蹈肢體作品。近期作品包括 2018 年的《Ridiculous》，《Neverland》，2020 年的《The》，2021 年的《An Imagination About the Soul》影片版，2022 年的《Fairy Tale Life Accident》，《Untitled》，2023 年在 D-Lab 平台上創作並發表的《Caterpillar》，以及 2024 年的《Lady W & Lady M》。

Yannick Dauby (France / Taiwan)

Sound artist and field recordist. Sound designer/mixer for cinéma.
Audio documentary, experimental music and micro-movies enthusiast.
Inspired by ethnographic practices, stories about forests & mountains and marine ecology. Collaborates with communities in rural Taiwan and Indigenous territories.

Enregistrement de terrain et création sonore. Post-production audio pour l’image. Amateur de documentaires sonores, de musique expérimentale et de micro-cinéma. Inspiré par la pratique de l’ethnographie, les histoires de montagnes et de forêts et l’écologie marine. Collabore avec des communautés rurales et aborigènes à Taiwan.

www.kalerne.net

澎葉生 Yannick Dauby

現場錄音與聲音創作、作品音訊後製。 澎葉生熱愛聲音紀錄片、實驗音樂與微電影。他靈感來自民族誌的實踐、山林故事與海洋生態，並與台灣的農村與原住民社群合作。

Recording in progress

Mona Kaveh Ahangari

Mona Kaveh Ahangari, née à Téhéran en 1982, a débuté sa carrière musicale en 2005 et est devenue une joueuse de daf de niveau avancé en 2013. Elle a joué avec des ensembles renommés en Iran et à l’international avant de fonder le Barin Ensemble en 2016. En s’installant à Taïwan en 2018, elle est devenue la seule enseignante de daf du pays, organisant des concerts et des ateliers pour promouvoir la musique et la culture iraniennes. En 2020, elle a fondé le Mastaneh Music Band et le Daf Ensemble, les seuls groupes taïwanais dédiés à la musique iranienne, mettant en avant des musiciens taïwanais interprétant des rythmes iraniens. À travers sa musique et ses performances, elle continue de favoriser les échanges culturels.

Mona Kaveh Ahangari 於 1982 年出生於德黑蘭，2005 年開始音樂生涯，並於 2013 年成為高階達夫鼓（Daf）演奏家。她曾與伊朗及國際知名樂團合作演出，並於 2016 年創立 Barin Ensemble。2018 年，她移居台灣，成為全台唯一的達夫鼓教師，並透過演出及工作坊推廣伊朗音樂與文化。2020 年，她創立 Mastaneh Music Band 及 Daf Ensemble，這是台灣唯一專注於伊朗音樂的樂團，並獨特地由台灣音樂家演奏伊朗節奏。她的音樂創作與演出，持續促進文化交流。

Mark van Tongeren

Mark van Tongeren 是一位民族音樂學家和音樂家，擁有萊頓大學創意與表演藝術學院的藝術研究博士學位。他有超過 30 年的戲劇、音樂和舞蹈製作經驗，並曾在西伯利亞、台灣和藏族僑民社區進行田野調查。他以在泛音歌唱和圖瓦 khöömei 音樂領域的工作而聞名，並通過他的書籍《Overtone Singing》（Terra Nova Press 2022）以及他的專輯《Anthology of Overtone Singing》展示了這些研究成果。他是國際音樂與舞蹈傳統理事會原住民音樂與舞蹈學術小組的副主席，並曾或目前與 Silo Theatre、Oorbeek、Parafonia、IUooUI 等團體以及許多其他藝術家合作。

Mark van Tongeren est un ethnomusicologue et musicien titulaire d’un doctorat en recherche artistique de l’Académie des Arts Créatifs et Performants de l’Université de Leiden. Il possède plus de 30 ans d’expérience dans les productions théâtrales, musicales et de danse, et a effectué des travaux de terrain en Sibérie, à Taiwan et au sein de la diaspora tibétaine. Il est surtout connu pour son travail dans le domaine du chant harmonique et du khöömei touvain, à travers son livre Overtone Singing (Terra Nova Press 2022) et son album Anthology of Overtone Singing. Il est vice-président du groupe d’étude pour la musique et la danse indigènes du Conseil international pour les traditions de la musique et de la danse, et a été ou est encore actif au sein des groupes Silo Theatre, Oorbeek, Parafonia, IUooUI et avec de nombreux autres artistes.

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or how to combine the art of writing meaningful non-sense texts with hypnosis methods

Next week I am teaching a group of hypnosis students in Taipei. They are the students of a man who goes by the nickname of La Mian (ramen, or Japanese thick noodles) who is specialized in hypnosis and teaches and applies it in a wide range of methods. He came to my workshop Ocean of Voices recently, a 3-day exploration of the richness of musical traditions around the world (focusing on the voice). We had several amazing sessions where everyone went through his or her own transformations while singing, chanting, drumming, playing, or just listening to everyone else. Paths to change the body, change the mind and empower your creative imagination through the voice: a dynamic key or bridge that sits in between the body and mind, working its logical and illogical ways in both directions.

Photos taken during the Oceaen of Voices of workshop in Nantou, Taiwan. Above, La Mian with the Bunun people from XinYi. Below, session during the workshop.

You could call the logical part the verbal: the voice as speech, as reason and gossip.

You could call the illogical part transverbal: the voice as sound and music, as noise and non-sense.

Transverbal is a term Michael Vetter coined to group together, and give purpose to, his vast corpus of creative work, in music, in visual arts, in writing. It led, among other things, to his writing of okyo’s, which is Japanese for sutras. His sutras were not Buddhist texts, but used the sounds of the Japanese language as a template from which he created ‘texts’ without meaning. It was not merely a capricious thing, a joke, or an anti-religious sentiment. Vetter was serious about it. He had practised chanting and reciting actual sutras for year after year during his 13 year stay in Japan, going about the streets begging for alms or performing ceremonial. But, in a true Zen vein, he would not eschew the occasional humorous twist in his own okyos either.

I got to know Michael Vetter’s okyos in the mid 1990s and was impressed with their form and sound and Vetter’s precise reasoning for why he created them. Later I began to write my own occasional okyos. Last year I decided to write an okyo every day for one year, to commemorate Michael’s birth (in 1943) and passing (in 2013), now eighty and ten years ago. I shape these okyos, naturally, but they also shape me, and invite me or teach me to push for new ideas about sound, language and symbol. Here is one example which I will take to the Hypnokyo workshop:

Here is another one

And here is one that you can listen to in the video, below:

 

So next week my okyos are going to be tested by students of hypnosis. They learn a range of sounding techniques that could enhance or expand their hypnosis practise. I am really looking forward to see what they will do with it, and hope I can be their guinea pig to test the efficacy of the okyos. Not long ago, hypnosis was regarded as somewhat occult, esoteric and strange. In recent years it has become more widely accepted and it began to loose its strangeness in public opinion. The approach now seems to be more practical: it is yet another way for us – complicated, sensitive and often limited and hyperrational human beings – to understand the mysteries of life and self, and to make sense of the world around us in new, more attuned ways.

You can enjoy listening to one of my okyos in this video (thanks to Sky for editing).

And I will read this week’s episode of one of my favorite newsletters, which happens to be devoted to clinical hypnosis.

The post HYPNOKYO appeared first on Fusica.

I listen to invisible machines.

Crème de la crème of Jew’s harp players in my home, 2006.

Two members of IUooUI getting ready for the first series of performances.

Good old jamming in preparation of the Latencies project, connecting Taipei and Amsterdam.

The post Some recent videos appeared first on Fusica.

Today is the opening of the exhibition dedicated to the work of my dear friend Joachim Hartz, who passed away on August 14, 2021: painter, musician, videographer, scenographer. etc. etc.. Here I introduce a soundpiece we made in the mid 90s and some context of my early work in collaboration with Silo Theater and Jochem. The Dutch version contains a more detailed account of my early memories as a sound explorer with Silo Theatre, founded by Milou Veling, and its predecessors at the Object Theatre department in the Amsterdam Theatre School. The Soundpiece is part of the exhibition and also available below.

Jochem Hartz in the performance installation of Silotheater, Een kaar in de graansilo, Festival De Parade, 1995. Photo Ania Harre.

In spring 2021 I began to organise the transfers of my DAT tapes with recordings from the Silo and from the Silo Theatre. When I learnt that no action was undertaken by my sound guy, some six weeks ago, I found someone with a DAT machine. I attempted to transfer some tapes, but several tapes, including one Silo tape, broke. When the news about Jochem arrived I went to look for audiocassettes recorded under the bridge during Een Kaar in de Graansilo, at Festival De Parade, 1995. One crippled recording of the Waterorgan turned up, and a complete one. The last one was immediately followed by an excerpt of a recording made by Jochem and others in an actual silo, with a long delay time. It was a repetitive sound of clanging metal, a pan flute and some voices. They vaguely reminded me of church bells and seemes somehow fitting as a sonic farewell to Jochem, so I decided to keep these two connected pieces in the original form, live from under a bridge in Amsterdam.

Waterorgel Kaarklok (Waterorgan Silobell).

Waterorgan designed and built by Jochem Hartz, played by Jochem and Mark van Tongeren

Silobell played by members of Silotheatre in the Graansilo.

All rights for the sound piece and photos reserved by the respective makers.

Jochem’s Waterorgan

In 1994 or 1995 Jochem had built a waterorgan. It consisted of several pipes that were placed vertically, and also vertically movable. These were not round pipes, but square ones, made of four planks. Like any organ pipe, the sound was produced through a slit in the side of the pipe. In ordinary organ pipes there is a bellows system that pushes air through the pipes. Jochem’s organ had a different method of producing airflow: the pipes were resting in a trough filled with water. The lower end of each pipe was open. By moving the pipes up and down by hand, we would change the height of the water inside the pipe, and add air pressure. I am not 100% sure about how it worked anymore: supposedly we pushed one or two pipes deeper into the water using one or two hands, driving the water level up into the pipe and increasing the air pressure, so that the tone began to sound. Once we let a pipe down again, the water would slowly recede, the pressure would be reduced and the tone would slowly fade out. The control of the tones was therefore not so direct, and not stable either. This allowed for several effects usually avoided in organ pipes, like the sound of moving air without a clear tone, or the occurance of so-called ‘voorlopertonen.’ These less stable tones would give rise to the flageolets (instrumental overtones) you hear. Of course Jochem was still working on this organ as we began to play it. Then we obtained precious studio time and the help of a sound engineer to make recordings to be played back in the theatre performance. We made several attempts to arrive at a satisfactory composition, adjusting things on the go. The recordings became part of a mix of playback sounds I would play and live sounds at the performance Een Kaar in de Graansilo.

Silotheater, Een kaar in de graansilo, De Parade, 1995. Photo Ania Harre.

The exhibtion opens today at the Fuse Gallery, NDSM, Amsterdam, and runs till October 3.

http://www.ndsm-fuse.eu/programma.html.

Here is a a video of some of Jochem’s work.

ADDITION October 2021: I just saw this video of the actual exhibition which I could not attend (10.000 km away). I am stunned really by the amount of work on display, what a productive guy he was!

What follows are my memories of Jochem’s early performances and our collaboration, including my first-ever performance, in Dutch.

Scène 1 Akte 1.
Eerste herinnering.

Rond 1990 gaat Daphne Object Theater studeren en zo doende zie ik vanaf het eerste jaar heel veel voorstellingen van alle studenten, vaak als collectief werk. De herinnering aan de allereerste voorstelling is nog in mijn geheugen gebrand. Vooral het stuk van Jochem.

We zitten te kijken naar een rij kartonnen borden op een afstand van een meter of 3-4. Daarop tekeningen of schilderingen van brommers (of mensen op brommers? – daar wil ik van af zijn). We horen het geluid van brommers die stilstaan, pruttelende motortjes. De borden bewegen amper, maar gaan gaandeweg een beetje onrustig heen en weer. Misschien een stuk of 10? De brommertjes beginnen zich te roeren, de geluiden worden wat drukker. Gepruttel wordt af en toe een dotje gas. De borden willen naar voren, dat is duidelijk. Het lawaai neemt toe, harder en harder, met van die aggresieve gas-stoten waar je je als wandelaar op een oversteekplaats niet bij op je gemak voelt. Nu wordt het echt heel onrustig, de brommers beginnen enorm intimiderend lawaai te maken. Dan opeens gaat er een bel: kennelijk was het een brug die weer open gaat. Het volle geweld barst los. De borden spuiten naar voren, recht op ons af, het geluid wordt angstaanjagend. Terwijl wij terugdeinzen is het geluid opeens weg, het licht uit en de zaal weer pikdonker.

(Jochem maakte de opname daadwerkelijk bij een geopende brug vlakbij de Theaterschool, en souffleerde de wachtenden, met  microfoon in de hand, steeds heftiger de gashendels te openen).

Silotheater, Een kaar in de graansilo, De Parade, 1995. Photo Ania Harre.

Scéne 1 Akte 2.
Tulundusac.

Milou maakt een voorstelling over een IJslandse mythe en nodigt mij uit om boventonen te zingen. Toevallig heb ik een paar weken geleden (augustus 2021) de opnames van deze voorstelling en de voorbereidingen teruggehoord op een oude cassette. Langdurig irritant geratel van een zware ketting over een katrol, een authentieke luchtdruk sirene (zo een die ik na 30 jaar opnieuw zie en hoor in een restaurantje in Yilan waar de chefkok aan alle gasten demonstreert wat het is), druk gepraat en geroep, en ik maar oefenen met zingen.
Jochem maakt een apparaat waarmee een bos omgehakt moet worden. Nou ja, wat heet. Het bos zijn slierten die van het plafond van de theaterzaal naar beneden hangen, plastic slierten. De machine is een stel wieken waar scheermesjes aan vastgemaakt zitten die dus al draaiend, horizontaal dat plastic moeten doorsnijden. En die wordt aangedreven door de motor van een centrifuge. En hoe wordt die machine dan wel gebruikt? Welnu die machine (inclusief die motor) moet op het hoofd van een boventoonzanger komen. En die motor moet op zeker moment flink gaan draaien. Dan loopt die boventoonzanger al zingend door dat bos en worden de bomen dus gekapt. Logisch toch? (Laat ik nou toevallig ook nog eens bang zijn voor centrifuge-motoren, die eens bijna mijn hand meesleurden en mijn arm aan gruzelementen draaiden omdat ik dacht een beetje te kunnen spelen met een handdoek die ik naar binnen liet zakken, terwijl het onding op volle toeren draaide. Ik keek ademloos naar de geweldige en mogelijk ook gewelddadige kracht van techniek). De scene in het bos met boventoonzang en een zacht-ronkende motor werd ruw maar wel opzettelijk verstoord door vreselijke lawaaiïge apparaten, als kettingzagen, ook door Jochem bediend. Dankzij Jochem kan niemand mij ervan beschuldigen dat ik alleen maar zoet-zalvende boventonen zing, mijn debuut uit 1992 is het bewijs. Milou houdt zich ondertussen met 1001 dingen bezig maar voor zover ik me herinner laat ze ons lekker onze gang gaan, heel karakteristiek, een werkwijze die ze later nog zal verfijnen en die tot allerlei memorabele sessies leidt.

Silotheater, Een kaar in de graansilo, De Parade, 1995. Photo Ania Harre.

Scène 1 Akte 3.
Waterorgel

Jochem heeft een waterorgel gebouwd voor de afstudeervoorstelling van Milou waar ik ook weer aan mee doe: ‘Een Kaar in de Graansilo,’ 1995. Jochem heeft daarvoor een fraai waterorgel gemaakt. Die bestaat uit enkele verticale, beweegbare pijpen die een toon kunnen maken door een sleuf in de zijkant. Het zijn geen ronde pijpen maar vierkante, zelf in elkaar gelijmd door Jochem van vier planken. Normaalgesproken drijft een blaasbalg de lucht door de pijpen, maar Jochem heeft een alternatief systeem bedacht: de rij pijpen rust in een trog met water en het ondereinde van elke pijp is open. Door ze met de hand omhoog te trekken uit het water en weer neer te laten, kan je de hoogte van het waterniveau en dus de luchtdruk variëren. Volgens mij trokken we ze omhoog waardoor het water laag kwam te staan en de pijp als het ware ‘inademde,’ en begonnnen dan de pijp gecontroleerd weer in het water te laten zakken waardoor de toon ging klinken (maar het kan evengoed eerst omhoog halen geweest zijn). We konden de toon niet helemaal direct of stabiel controleren, hij stierf langzaam weg naarmate de druk weer wegviel. Er ontstonden zo geluiden die normale orgelbouwers koste wat kost willen vermijden, zoals het geluid van duidelijk hoorbare ‘ademende’ lucht en voorlopertonen (dat dat zo heette leerde ik later van instrumentenbouwer Horst Rickels, die mogelijk de aanzet had gegeven voor Jochem’s waterorgel tijdens lessen op de Theaterschoool). Deze minder stabiele tonen leidden tot de flageoletten (instrumentale boventonen) die je hoort. Uiteraard was Jochem nog bezig zijn orgel te bouwen toen we ermee begonnen te spelen. We kregen studiotijd en een technicus toegegewezen om opnames te maken voor gebruik tijdens de voorstelling, deden diverse pogingen om tot een rudimentaire compositie te komen en leerden al doende. De opnames werden onderdeel van een mix van allerlei geluiden die ik van banden en obscure elpees en cds had verzameld, en vermengd met live gezongen en gespeelde geluiden en muziek.

Silotheater, Een kaar in de graansilo, De Parade, 1995. Photo Ania Harre.

Scène 2 Akte 1.
De Parade

De chemie rond het brandende kernpunt van Milou en Jochem breidt zich uit tot een organisme dat zichzelf voortdurend ontwikkelt en transformeert. Terts Brinkhof ziet het stuk en nodigt Milou uit om op een uithoek van festival De Parade te komen spelen, onder de brug over de Amstel. We krijgen de kans het stuk nog wekenlang op te voeren, vaak non-stop gedurende lange avonden. Ik voel me als een vis in het water in deze vreemde multidimensionale wereld, waarin mensen over het plafond en de zijmuren lopen, de grond een spiegelend oppervlak is, en het achterdoek soms een peilloze diepte van een soort tunnel laat zien, die toch geen tunnel is (het is een filmopname loodrecht naar beneden in een kaar van de Graansilo). Wat hier gebeurt, is veel groter dan wat ik ooit zal kunnen bevatten. De biotoop die Milou om ons heen bouwt zwelt aan tot haast mythische proporties: bouwers, restaurateurs, licht- en projectiemensen, performers, en vooral veel denkers-makers zoals Jochem. Ik begrijp soms bar weinig van de discussies waar dit allemaal over gaat, maar het prikkelt enorm en opent deuren. Alles hecht zich diep in mijn wezen vast en plant zich ook in mijn onderbewustzijn. Gedurende tientallen jaren zullen Jochem, Milou en de Graansilo in allerlei fantastische dromen opduiken, allemaal terug te voeren op die eerste voorstellingen.

Silotheater, Een kaar in de graansilo, De Parade, 1995. Photos Ania Harre.

De Waterorgel Opname

Dit voorjaar wilde ik mijn digitale audiocasettes laten overzetten van opnamesessies in een kaar (de verticale schacht die als opslagplaats voor graan etc. diende) en van andere geluiden gebruikt voor Silo Theater. Toen ik merkte dat daar niets van kwam vond ik in augustus iemand met een DAT machine en wilde beginnen met het overzetten. 1 of 2 Silo tapes braken of wilden niet afspelen. Toen het nieuws over Jochem’s dood kwam ging ik de gewone audiocassettes checken. De opname hier is een fragment van vier uur tape opnames, live onder de brug op de Parade, 1995. Het Waterorgel kwam diverse malen voorbij en wordt hier gevolgd door een opname die een aantal leden van Silo Theater maakten in zo’n kaar van de Graansilo aan de Westerdoksdijk. De lange galm van de kaar en het kerkklok-achtige geluid met wat vage andere geluiden, voorafgegaan door Jochem’s waterorgel, vormde de soundtrack van mijn eigen rouwproces hier in Taiwan. Vandaag opent de tentoonstelling aan het zeer diverse werk van deze veelzijdige kunstenaar en dierbare vriend. Inderdaad, “Jochem was een hartzvriend van velen” zoals de poster vermeldt.

Jochem Hartz, 1999. Photo by Mark van Tongeren

Het ligt in de bedoeling dat dit bescheiden audioretrospectief rondom Jochem een vervolg krijgt met meer audioreleases uit de Silo en van Silo Theater.

Hier is nog een mooi artikel in Trouw gewijd aan Jochem.

Rechten van audio, video en foto voorbehouden.

All rights of audio/video/photo reserved.

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Ja, ze zijn er! 12 momentopnames van het half-ongeleide projectiel dat Oorbeek heet.

Cut to tape by Kasper Frenkel in the Electric Monkey studios in Amsterdam using loads of vintage equipment. Mixed down, with real tape, in fact, for some of the effects, by Kasper Frenkel and Mark van Tongeren.

Onversneden opgenomen en gemixed in de Electric Monkey Studios, Amsterdam, met vintage studio apparatuur,

Packaged with Oorbeek’s own artwork in a limited, numbered edition of 320. Each LP sleeve in silk screen print was handmade by Oorbeek.

Kavel is ingepakt in eigen artwork – 320 unieke, genummerde exemplaren in zeefdruk.

Go to Blowpipe Records for listening and to order your own copy of the vinyl + redeem code, or ask your local record store. Official release date: October 14, 2020.

Ga naar Blowpiperecords voor beluistering en om je eigen vinyl exemplaar + download te bestellen, of vraag je platenboer ernaar (officiële releasedatum: 14 oktober).

All of the band members during the recording:

Alle leden tijdens de opnamesessies:

↑ Peter Cleutjens, drums, percussion

↑ Klaas Kuitenbrouwer, bass

↑ Maarten Hepp, voice and acoustic and electronic instruments

↑ Serge Onnen, trumpet

↑ Arie Altena, electric guitar, banjo, marimbas

↑ Mark van Tongeren, voice and acoustic and electronic instruments

and  ↑ Alice Smits, electric guitar

Check out impressions of the unique silk screen covers while listening to the Jew’s harps of Maarten Hepp and Mark van Tongeren, accompanied by the rhythm section, on this video.

Hier voorbeelden van de 320 unieke, gezeefdrukte hoezen op een rijtje, met de mondharpen van Maarten Hepp en Mark van Tongeren +  ritme sectie.

Search for Oorbeek’s deep past on Arie Altena’s Oorbeek pages, like texts and reviews about Oorbeek, or here on Fusica.

Amsterdam’s most uncompromising

7-piece weird-jazz-avant-rock outfit

OORBEEK

organically blends

atmospheric film music with hard rock,

tribal vocals with distorted New Age bells

and yodel with dub.

For experienced listeners only!

↑  Oorbeek in the Electric Monkey studios, July 2018.

From left to right: Arie Altena (gtr), Peter Cleutjens (drs), Klaas Kuitenbrouwer (bs), Mark van Tongeren (vc), Alice Smits (gtr), Serge Onnen (tpt), Maarten Hepp (vc).

Shipping and streaming  now.

Get it at / ga naar Blowpipe Records.

LINK

↓  180-grams coloured, marbled vinyl, silkscreen cover

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I just checked the videos, with great sadness as I was supposed to be in Tuva myself these few weeks. And I also really regretted that in the end I did not submit my own contribution. Nice to see that others, of all levels, sent in their own versions from around the world (but hey don’t sing kargyraa instead of sygyt, know your styles!; ‘check the rules next time’, Kaygal-ool told you when he spoke in Tuvan on behalf of the jury).

All submissions were already in by August 10. So what you can watch is all the videos that came in, in chronological order, starting, accidentally, with Dutch Mongolian khöömii virtuoso Rowan Hartsuiker, who filmed himself in his yurt at home in Holland. Not many performers had such blessed, appropriate backgrounds: some sought out nature, others were at their ‘ordinary’ homes, living rooms, etc.

The playlist is here: you probably see it starting from “72 участник” or the 72nd participant. You can scroll down to “1 участник” if you like and go all the way up. Perhaps you need to select a video on top to see the next 20 or so items. Your American-speaking host here is Sean Quirk, a long-time resident of Tuva who first went there I think about 15-20 years ago for … you guessed it!

Here is one of the participants, Andryan Öpei, whom I recorded 20 years ago as a teenager. He is the son of Andrey Öpei. He sings the same song I recorded in the year 2000 first, then goes on to add something I have not seen before by a solo throat singer, a kickdrum, in the next song.

For this he deservedly got the prize for “Unique ornamentation of sygyt.”

Towards the end of the playlist, after no.70,  you will find the award ceremony, which is bi/trilingual (Tuvan, English, mostly, some Russian).

It is rather energetic, smooth and quick: no waiting for changes and microphone adjustments between performers, no breaks, not hours of discussion for the jury. Everything was prerecorded except this ceremony. The first 25-30 minutes there is the celebration of the birthday of shaman/singer Lazo Mongush, who usually performs a ritual in open air on Khöömei Day (and probably did so Monday morning, too). Then there are speeches by prominent throat singers, the Minister of Culture Aldar Damdyn, himself a fine throat singer and instrument maker, and jury member Kaygal-ool Khovalyk, of (need I say it?) Huun Huur Tuu fame, and others.

Photos of Lazo Mongush at the early morning ceremony of Khöömei Day 2018 (by Peter Oud).

Photos of Lazo Mongush at the early morning ceremony of Khöömei Day 2018 (by Peter Oud).

From about 20-30 minutes in, you can see the countdown of prizes awarded and get an idea of what the Tuvan jury gives prizes for. (see the link above).

The highest awards are the laureates and the Grand Prix.

The first of three laureates is another great Dutch singer (sorry, can’t help it, but he is impressive). Well done Frodi Fransman and congratulations for making it among the league of Tuvan winners!

And here is Laureate Number I, from Tuva, Möngün-ool Mongush, who gives a little new twist to traditional melodies by modulating. Overall superenergetic performance with some great animal imitations.

The Grand Prix went to Lopsan Mundukai who has a more traditional approach, no surprising modulations here, but meticulous sygyt nevertheless.

Fantastic that the Tuvan Cultural Center was able to organise a throat singing festival in this way for 2020, and let us all enjoy it. Many thanks Тыва Töп! Hopefully next time we can travel to Tuva again!

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C-Lab, Taipei, september 2019

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