Phursang Kelak Lama
Tibetan Buddhist Ritual Music from the Kagyu School (CD)

PAN2064

The CD starts with a Chod ritual, followed by a unique presentation of cymbal patterns and finally excerpts from a Mahakala ritual. Tibetan ritual music encompasses a wide dynamic range. Yet, the music is also finely detailed with highly structured rhythmic patterns charting the course of the ritual and, in the vocal and horn melodies, very fine gradations of timbre and pitch which shape a distinctive aesthetics of beauty.
Cymbal and drum patterns are the underlying structure of the music and yet can be hard to discern amidst the chanting and the often-loud strains of the wind instruments.
The cymbal patterns are here played in isolation and a detailed analysis is given of their structure. The cymbal and drum patterns (which coincide with each other) are counted numerically yet the way of counting ‘beats’ is quite different than is true in most western musics
The recordings were made by ethnomusicologists Michael Monhart and Bernard Kleikamp, mostly in 2012. Michael Monhart wrote the liner notes.
Digisleeve with 12-p. booklet, 77+ min., UPC 713958206423.

Published: 2018

Genre: Asia & Oceanic
Label: Pan Records