Voice of the Esraj (2006) Liner Notes Shantala Music www.shantalamusic.com

This project came into being when I accompanied yoga workshops taught by John Friend. I was greatly inspired by his masterful weaving of spiritual themes into the flow of the teachings. For the deep relaxations at the end of his classes, I composed pieces for Savasana combining ragas with sacred texts that mirrored these themes.

In that spirit, the selections on this CD are intended to unite the central themes of ancient sacred texts with Indian ragas that support their essential nature. Raga is a tremendously sophisticated musical framework which defies simple definition. Broadly, ragas are the traditional classical melodic form of Indian music, which express specific moods and reflect different seasons, times of day, and manifestations of the Divine.

I have been blessed to have the opportunity to study with some of the greatest exponents of the North Indian (Hindustani) classical tradition, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Ustad Zakir Hussain. They have given me gifts beyond measure, and it is my hope and prayer that this musical offering can reflect some small part of the tremendous gifts they have given their students and audiences around the world.

In what would have been his 125th year, I also wish to acknowledge the brilliance of my grandfather, the great psychologist Max Wertheimer. His study of music (particularly of the Veddas of Sri Lanka) was pivotal in his development of Gestalt theory in the early twentieth century.

Tracks

1. Om Namah Shivaya 2. Devotion 3. Remembrance 4. Faith 5. Balance 6. Ahimsa

Track 1 “Om Namah Shivaya” (Raga: Bageshri) Source: Ancient Mantra

ॐ नमः शवाय गुरवे om namaḥ śivāya gurave

The heart of this mantra, “Om Namah Shivaya” is often literally translated as “Om, salutations to Shiva” … although it often interpreted as “Om, I bow to the Inner Self.” It is widely considered to be a great redeeming mantra (mahamantra) because of its power to grant both worldly fulfillment and spiritual realization. Om is the primordial sound; Namah is to honor or bow to; Shivaya denotes divine Consciousness and Auspiciousness, the Lord who dwells in every heart. With the reference to the guru in the word “gurave,” this line could be translated as “I bow to the goodness within myself, known as Lord Shiva, who is the true teacher.” The melody for this invocation comes from the raga known as Bageshri, an evening raga that emphasizes the moods of yearning, peace and devotion.

Track 2 “Devotion” (Raga: Desh)

समाध सधर ् ईवर णधानात ् samādhi siddhir īśvara praṇidhānāt

“Through devotion to the Lord comes the attainment of oneness with the universe.”

Source: Yoga Sutra Chapter 2 Verse 45

The music in this piece is based on an evening raga known as Desh, which is also well-known as a rainy season raga. Some say that this raga has its roots in the rich folk music traditions of northern India, and the name “Desh” translates as “country”. The primary moods expressed are devotion, romance and longing.

Track 3 “Remembrance” (Raga: Bhimpalasri)

यो मां पयत सव सव च मय पयत

तयाहं न णयाम स च मे न णयत yo māṁ paśyati sarvatra sarvaṁ ca mayi paśyati tasyāhaṁ na praṇaśyāmi sa ca me na praṇaśyati

“He who sees Me everywhere and sees all things in Me I am not lost to him, and he is not lost to Me.”

Source: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 Verse 30 I chose to put this text to music using Bhimpalasri, a late afternoon raga that has a sweet balance of poignancy and steadfastness. It is sometimes said that the feel of Bhimpalasri is best understood as the mood of that time when the color red starts to blossom in the sky before sunset.

Track 4 “Faith” (Raga: Jog)

धामयो ऽयं पु षो यो यधः स एव सः

śraddhāmayo 'yaṁ puruṣo yo yacchraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ

“Man is made of faith. Whatever faith he has, thus he is.”

Source: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17 Verse 3

For this verse, the evening raga known as Jog spoke to me because of the wonderful way it alternates between the sorrow of a minor mode and the hopeful and uplifting qualities of a major mode. Our own shifts between these moods and expectations in our own lives are perhaps the greatest test of faith, and help us to appreciate the gifts of both answered and unanswered prayers.

Track 5 “Balance” (Ragas: Megh and Durga)

आमौपयेन सव समं पयत यो ऽजनु

सखंु वा यद वा दःु खं स योगी परमो मतः

ātmaupamyena sarvatra samaṁ paśyati yo 'rjuna sukhaṁ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṁ sa yogī paramo mataḥ

“He who sees balance in everything in the image of his own Self, Arjuna, Whether in pleasure or pain, is thought to be a supreme Yogi.”

Source: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 Verse 32

In the richness of the Indian classical music tradition, we find both “ragas” and “raginis,” the latter being the female form of a raga in the same way a female deity is known as a goddess. This selection uses a combination of the raga known as Megh (a rainy season raga that is also one of the original ancient six “male ragas”) and the ragini Durga, named for the warrior goddess of the same name. The scales of these ragas are actually quite similar to each other, being differentiated by only one note. The principle of balance is evoked in this piece in several ways: the raga/ragini balance of the male Megh/female Durga, the melodic balance of sadness and hopefulness, the balance of my voice and Heather’s, the balance of the esraj with Jami Sieber’s exquisite cello, and the balance of free-form and rhythmic development of the melodies.

Track 6 “Non-violence/Gentleness” (Ahimsa) (Raga: Charukeshi)

अहसा तठायाम ्तत ्संनधौ वैर यागः ahimsā pratiṣṭhāyām tat saṁnidhau vaira tyāgaḥ

“All hatred is abandoned in the presence of one grounded in the virtue of non- harming.”

Source: Yoga Sutras Chapter 2 Verse 35

The theme of non-violence (ahimsa) feels more important to me now than at any time in my life. One of the keys to ahimsa in the human realm is finding both areas of commonality that bond and areas of difference that can be appreciated. This is why I chose to base this selection on the raga Charukeshi. Many musicologists believe that this raga was adopted into North Indian music during the last century from the South Indian Karnatic music system. By and large, Charukeshi is treated similarly in two otherwise quite different musical systems. Charukeshi beautifully melds a major scale in the lower four notes with a minor scale in the upper four notes and creates a mood that is peaceful and serene yet pensive and sorrowful.

The Musicians

Benjy Wertheimer - vocals, esraj, tabla tarang, keyboards, sound design Steve Gorn - bansuri bamboo flute Jami Sieber – cello, electric cello Heather Wertheimer – vocals, guitar David Michael – zither, harp Jeff Leonard - bass Michael Stirling – tamboura Abby Lyons - tamboura