Ranarop

This post is mostly to preserve links to two articles that I think speak to what I would like to do with my music better, at this point, than I can.

From Zeek, 2006

From The Times Online, January 2009

I particularly like the reference in the Zeek article.to the use of drones in spiritual music, and I believe that is what ultimately led me to the mountain dulcimer as a primary instrument for this project.

I haven't had (or taken) the opportunity to play the new dulcimer.  I see my last post was 5 weeks ago, an that makes me sad.  I did mess around with it last evening after work, and discovered some interesting chordal fingering and progressions to suit them.  Happy to have done that, but a bit frustrated by the fact that they reside very much in the "pop" mode.  I do NOT want to write pop music on this instrument--this project is meant for sacred music.  I notated what I came up with (I'm not a fool), and set it aside.  More listening to traditional tunes in an attempt to better hear the mode I desire to work in, and I will try again.

How timely was it to find an e-mail from Vidholf  this morning directing me to a thesis written on past and present performance of the Elder Edda?  I haven't read it yet, but I am looking forward to delving into it after work.  Along these lines, I have had some ideas for working with texts, mainly  the rune spells from the Havamal and, as mentioned in an earlier post, a version of the Voluspa.  Translation and additional writing along these lines are projects to start in the very near future.  There is rich material to source from, either directly or through interpretation.  If I write anything new I want it to sound as though I could have been written in the Middle Ages.  It's a high standard, a sturdy goal.  I want the challenge.

And I'm fine with taking my time and getting it right.  I am not pressuring myself with deadlines, or performance even.  I want to write the best arrangements I can and share them with some of my more critical friends (either sticklers for the lore and historical accuracy, and those musically inclined), but I am always my harshest critic.  I'm still excited about the project coming to fruition, and for the challenging work ahead.  These are very good things.

Kari Tauring has a new EP, Volva Songs, featuring Huldre Project contributions.  I heard a snippet and it sounds great!  Purchase planning in effect!

The Acoustic Corner is a great shop just off corner of State and Church St. in Black Mountain, NC.  They carry a wide selection of handmade stringed instruments, and the co-owner of the store, Tom Fellenbaum, makes all of their mountain dulcimers.  I was in the market for one, and wanted to audition what was in stock, as well as get a feel for what having a custom build might cost.  Luckily, there were three mountain dulcimers in stock, all in the traditional hourglass body type, tuned DAD. 

The first instrument I played had a black walnut body and a cherry top, and these seem like common, if not traditional, building materials for the instrument.  It felt nice to play again, and the instrument had excellent action and nice new strings.  She was quiet, sort of lazy sounding, and I compared her in the end to a bassett hound, which tickled the store's attendant, John.  She sounded good, but simply didn't have the tone I was looking for, nor the projection I need for performance. 

The second was a redwood body, spruce top.  This weighed slightly more than the first, the spruce adding a few ounces more to the overall weight (not that they are at all heavy).  The difference in tone could be heard immediately--brighter, more projection, each strum singing "look at me!"  While this would be great for performance, I found the tone too bright and almost tinny.  Good for bluegrass, bad for my designs. 

The third, and most recent addition, had a redwood body, red cedar top.  Built with an ebony fretboard with a thin sliver of maple underneath, this made for a dynamic visual contrast but seemed not to affect the sound.  This instrument had more the sound qualities I was thinking of as well--rich low end, and mellow treble tones, just the right voice to compliment my own, I think.  I played him for a long time, getting to know him better, really feel how he voiced each strum, using my fingers to sense vibratory resonance along the whole instrument.  If I'd had to chose one of the three, the cedar would have been it.

But there was another store in town that I'd been in contact with during the previous week.  Song of the Wood carries McSpadden dulcimers, whose manufacture takes place in Arkansas.  The McSpadden website is extensive, and in my preliminary shopping process, I'd seriously considered ordering one of the baritone models sight unseen. 

Lucky for me, Doug at Song of the Wood said they had a cherry body, redwood top baritone hourglass in stock.  I really wanted to see her, feel her out, before deciding on anything.  I played him for a while, that first open strum penetrating to my very marrow.  I must have played every mountain dulcimer in the place, other McSpadden's as well as locally crafted instruments, and still the baritone was my favorite.  So I committed and snagged him up.  I added a chord/tuning book and a capo, but a nicely padded gig bag came with the dulcimer purchase.  After a brief set up and tuning, Doug sent me on my way. 

Over the course of the next few weeks, he will be getting a workout, and I will be learning his name.  One already comes to mind, but I will toy around with others before being sure.  All my instruments are named, and they choose their own names as I listen.  Instruments for this solo project don't yet have names.  The bodrhan cheevyjames got me for Yule two years ago is awaiting a name and some decoration where the skin is attached to the frame--likely the Elder Futhark.   

My next purchase, perhaps early next year, will be a custom Fellenbaum, similar to the one I played at The Acoustic Corner.  With the baritone, and a traditional DAD dulcimer that suedetjazz graciously offered to let me borrow, I should be able to work up a fine repetoir of songs for the solo project in my head.

The Runes:  A Human Journey  by Kari C. Tauring

I've read many books on the runes, from magical treatises to those more historical and academic.  But Kari Tauring's book, The Runes: A Human Journey, is different, basing her interpretation of each rune on personal experience with a pan-spiritual approach.  At first, and probably because of the previous books, I found it a bit simplistic.  Then I realized that was exactly the point--a book that makes the runes accessible to everyone, via the common ground of the human experience and with just enough lore that they retain their mystery. 

Focusing on the Elder Futhark runes, Tauring deals with each Aett in turn, each rune an individual chapter.  The rune stave itself is typically dissected first in order to illuminate other runes incorporated in its making.  Typically these are Isa and Kenaz, but the interpretation of these individual runes only hint at coloring the overall meaning of the rune in question.  For example, the first rune of the futhark, Fehu, "begins with Isa, the straight line, Ice (the rune of slow growth and contemplation).  Then come two lines looking up to the right, like the modern day F with the lines raised upwards instead of extending perpendicularly.  It reminds me of cow horns looking up to the sky."  This allows the reader to connect to each rune visually, as well as providing a mnemonic device that aids in memorization of the rune and its meaning together.  Chapters continue with relevant lore, the author's personal experience and relationships are often related, as well as use of the stave in practical magic.

There is a refreshing combination of history, lore, and modern perspectives.  As a modern practitioner of heathenry, or any rec-onstructionist spirituality, the blurring of the line between modern life and ancient belief is something that is confronted every day.  Our jobs, our transportation, our means of communication are all touched by technology, and not always in a bad way.  This realistic perspective on rune lore, as well as the incorporation of other animist and agricultural spiritualities such as American Indian and Celtic belief, and holistic ideas from Eastern cultures like Feng Shui, I Ching, and the chakras, makes for a comprehensive interpretation of the runes for modern times.  It's like looking at the whole horizon from a center point, turning in place in order to see the staves from all angles.
 
Each section of Aett is a journey, both spiritual and personal.  They call the reader to reflect on their life journey, or to begin one.  The book could very easily be used like the tarot Journey of the Fool, or Fool's Journey, for personal spiritual development.  Read linearly, there are relationships between the runes in succession that are clearly visible.  Tauring's book remains versatile in that it can also be used for divination, either in conjunction with casting runes, or drawing a single stave for guidance.  There is a section at the end of the book, before the comprehensive glossary, that explains using the runes for divination that is a basic and good for beginners.

Kari Tauring's The Runes: A Human Journey serves as not only a practical guide to the runes for modern times, but also as an example of how one can have an ongoing and personal relationship with the runes every day.  By adding a pan-spiritual perspective, conversational descriptions complete with humor (unheard of in most rune books!), and suggestions for practical applications of the staves for focusing on the spiritual in the everyday, the runes become accessible to all who wish, allowing readers to easily memorize and internalize all aspects of the runes.        


I am going to recommend this to my rune study group for another, more practical perspective on the runes.  I wish Kari the best of luck with all of her creative endeavors.  She has inspired me spiritually and creatively, as well as personally.  I look forward to more opportunities to share in her work.

If you haven't already watched this, and if you have 90+ minutes, take a look at the film Heima by Sigur Ros. It contains precisely every reason why I love them as a band and also includes plenty of Icelandic culture. In fact, one of the scenes of what can only be called a smorgasbord reminds me very much of my childhood and what it meant to be Scandinavian with regards to social etiquette at the dinner table.

Heima means "at home" or "homeland," and the film is about the band's homecomming tour of Iceland. There are truly beautiful sequences of cinematography, and with Sigur Ros' ethereal soundtrack this makes for a great video for the national board of tourism. Also, around the 34 minute mark, you can catch a glimpse of one of the band members having a rune reading performed by a spakona.

Last night, Vidholf, Moonfire and I worked on crafting an ascending song to aid a seer/ess into the High Seat for our seidr practice.  Ideas had been undulating in my head since I was asked to help create this piece of music some time ago.  I'd toyed seriously with the idea of playing the tune of "Dew Falls" (formerly "Dew Drips") in reverse in an attempt to capture a new melody that contained the same tonal values as its inspiration.  Moonfire was happy to oblige Vidholf and myself in this on a portable electric keyboard with my painstakingly created notation of the music.  After a few changes in where we should begin, graciously Moonfire played the snippet in repetition while Vidholf attempted to fit words to the music.  I had input on a few things, but for the most part, this was Vidholf and Moonfire's brainchild.  There was a moment when Moonfire made just the slightest changes in the melody, and the minor diminished melodic was born.  It was perfect!  Vidholf and I worked the words over until we found a combination we all agreed upon.  I sang it a few times through to set what is a slightly tricky rhythm in the last line in my head, and then, in an hilarious moment of anachronism, Vidholf and I recorded the creation on our cellphones.  After testing the ascendant song alongside "Dew Falls,"  we were satisfied.

The second endeavor of the evening was to create a piece of either music/spoken word poetry that would slowly unwind the trance state achieved by "Dew Falls."  Vidholf  re-worked some words he'd fashioned and used at our last seidr session and we set the first part of the piece to the melody of "Dew Drips."  The rest of the piece will be spoken by the Guide, hopefully with emphasis on the cadence inherent in the lines themselves, and the effect should accomplish the expected sensation of finality of the trance state. 

I'm excited to attempt both of these creations in the near future.  I feel satisfied with my work on this project and look forward to my next collaboration with folks from the seidr group

 I have been reading the Voluspa lately and have been considering an attempt to memorize it, yes, all of it, with the eventual intent of putting it to light chording on the mountain dulcimer.  This would be in keeping with the oral traditions of the Norse tribes, and, in all actuality, would be considered a shorter task of memorization for the skald than, say, Beowulf.  (Yes, that is Old English, and I can read it.  Perhaps some later day will see me able to read the Old Icelandic of the Eddas and Sagas, but this is not that day.)

Now, the problem arises in which translation to attempt (of the Voluspa).  As has recently been pointed out to me by a peer who IS able to translate the Old Icelandic, problems with English word choice occur as early as the second stanza: 
 

2.
Ek man jötna ár um borna,
þá er forðum mik fædda höfðu.
Níu man ek heima, níu íviðjur,
mjötvið mæran fyr mold neðan.


...which literally translated, word for word - with English phrases
corresponding to single ON (Old Norse) words shown in curly brackets:


I remember the ettins {long ago} {about/around/over} children,
them who once me nurtured had.
Nine remember I worlds, nine {witches, giantesses / 'she who dwells in
the wood'},
{measure-tree} famous before ground underneath.
                                             (trans. Vidholf)

Or, more simply:


I remember the ettins, children of long ago,
those who had once nurtured me.
Nine worlds I remember, nine witches-in-the-wood,
the famous Measure-Tree underneath the ground.
                                             (also Vidholf)


This translation is more direct, using the Germanic declentions and gendered endings as a further guide to aid word choice.  I can see this is the case with even my most rudimentary knowledge of Old English.  Reading Vidholf's translated passage before the 1936 translation by Henry Adams Bellows (a sort of "gold standard" in the academic world, now in the common domain) makes the following seem a bit generic: 


2. 
I remember yet | the giants of yore,
Who gave me bread | in the days gone by;
Nine worlds I knew, | the nine in the tree
With mighty roots | beneath the mold.
                                            (trans. Bellows)

Sure, the meaning is essentially the same, but the nuances are just different enough to make the reader stop and consider what has really been interpreted from each passage.  I suppose I could contract my friend to translate the entire text to what I feel is more accurate, emotional connotations and word choice, but he is a busy man.  I could attempt the translation myself, using glossaries and dictionaries to assist me, or I could do what Seamus Heaney did with his recent translation of Beowulf.  Heaney did not attempt to directly translate the text, rather he performed an emotional translation of the text.

"When I was an undergraduate at Queen’s University, Belfast, I studied Beowulf and other Anglo-Saxon poems and developed not only a feel for the language, but a fondness for the melancholy and fortitude that characterized the poetry. Consequently, when an invitation to translate the poem arrived from the editors of The Norton Anthology of English Literature, I was tempted to try my hand. While I had no great expertise in Old English, I had a strong desire to get back to the first stratum of the language and to ‘assay the hoard’(line 2509). This was during the middle years of the 1980s, when I had begun a regular teaching job in Harvard and was opening my ear to the unmoored speech of some contemporary American poetry. Saying yes to the Beowulf commission would be (I argued with myself) a kind of aural antidote, a way of ensuring that my linguistic anchor would stay lodged on the Anglo-Saxon sea-floor. So I undertook to do it."
                                                                                --Seamus Heaney, on Beowulf and his verse translation

This is, arguably, a risky business.  Those who are purists of Old English have critized Heaney's freedoms oin the translation, while the larger academic world (W.W. Norton & Company, who have included this translation in their English Literature survey tomes since 2000) seems to have made this piece of "poetic license" the standard Beowulf text in its pre-1500 C.E. cannon.

Part one of my dilemma: I have a notriously difficult time memorizing text.  Every professor who ever required memorization of verse or opening stanzas was most disappointed when my turn to recite came round.  I've butchered verse from Pound, Elliot, Chaucer, the Beowulf poet, the Wanderer poet, Boetheius, Dante, Denise Levertov, Shakespeare, and Donne.   The only reason I'm considering attempting the Voluspa is because I would be putting it to music (loosly termed) and this would help cement the verse in my aural memory.  Plus, the idea of singing the verses creates an additional layer of pattern recognition for my aural memory.  The other portion of the dilemma stems from the desire to recite verse I am emotionally connected with.  But if the translation is an emotional one, not an accepted translation such as Bellows', would it be easier for me to tell the story?

I'm interested in your thoughts.  Comment as you see fit, or leave suggestions or tried and true memorization techniques that have worked for you.  I am not dissuaded by my dilemma, simply challenged.  And challenges are meant to be surmounted.

*EDIT*  Sorry for formatting error--nothing I've tried has changed the unprofessional look of this post :(

A few months ago, cor_cordivm sent me a link to an intriguing artist based out of Minnesota, Kari Tauring.  While it may come as no surprise that the Upper-Midwest is full of artists feeling called to their Nordic Roots, Kari Tauring is one of the few who is keeping her vision focused on bridging the gap in traditions from Scandinavia to America.  She's written a "mission statement," for all intents and purposes, where she introduces her Huldre Project.
The website on the whole is very interesting.  Tauring mentions seidr and staving and other "women's" traditions she and her companions are attempting to reclaim.  There are mp3's of her performance of galder, rune chants, and huldre, as well as descriptions of Scandinavian folk traditions centered on Trondheim and its surrounding area (I also have ancestral roots in this region).  


Staving is of particular interest to me, as it requires little to no access to instruments and can therefore be done spontaneously.  I also appreciate the idea of ritual as a part of seasonal transition cycles using music, rhythm, and ancestral stories to facilitate that process.  Working with others in the community and spiritual group during these times is also one of my goals as both an artist and a spirit worker.

Kari Taruing is one of my prime inspirations for a solo music project.  She is using the information she's collected over years of researching feminine folk tradition and turning it into cathartic performance art.  I doubt I'll do much with the theatrical side of storytelling, but knowing the stories to put to music is a key element I feel Tauring has gotten right.  Another idea spurred by hearing some of her rune chants and the rune chants of Freya Aswynn, as well as a suggestion from cor_cordivm after a Beginner Runes meeting, I am going to attempt putting tonal values to each of the twenty-four runes of the Elder Futhark.  Then, creating galder and chants with preassigned tones will make for more interesting chanting.  It might only work for me, but I think it is worth the experiment.

I believe in creative liberty.  I  believe that everyone is in control of their creative destiny,  however inspired by outside or omnipotent energies.  I believe that  knowledge and talent in music is meant to be given as a gift to  others.  Just as there are no restrictions on generosity, nor should  there be on music.  Music should be made for all ears, all ages, all  walks of life.  And ears of all ages, all walks of life, should be  able to participate in the creation of music equally.  Each person  is responsible for their creative Self.  It is the responsibility of  each creative individual to determine when they are, for example,  over-extended, or not giving as much as they would like to creation.   Just as when one is ill, one should consider taking time to rest in  the creative process as one rests to recover from sickness of the  body.  Sickness of the mind can damage creation, but again, this can  only be decided by the individual.  I believe that all creative  energy is to be respected, from an outpouring to a trickle.  I  believe everyone in the creative culture should feel nurtured and  encouraged and that constructive criticism should not be taboo.   Just as a parent shares their knowledge of lessons learned, so  should creative artists with each other, without anyone feeling  better or belittled.  This is my belief.  I mean to put it into  action starting now.

Who's with me?