"Hymn To Tara"
Ancient Tibetan
Music by: Beth Nielsen Chapman/Kirby Shelstad
©2007 Prismlight Music (SESAC – USA and Canada)/PRS – Worldwide ex. USA and Canada)/Love Circle Music (BMI)
Produced by BNC and Kirby Shelstad
Recorded at Love Circle Studio, Nashville, Tn.
Mixed by David Leonard at East Iris Studio, Nashville, Tn.
BNC: vocals, keyboards
Kirby Shelstad: zither harp, drums, percussion, and finger cymbals
Om Ta re Tutta re Tu re Sva Ha (The Mantra of Tara)
This is the first recording I made with Kirby Shelstad.
Kirby and I met through Gary Nicholson some years ago. In fact, when Gary and I wrote "Beyond the Blue" we did the initial recording at Kirby's studio. Kirby had lost his wife June to cancer a few years before and I immediately felt a kinship with him. We've been great friends ever since. He's now married to a fine artist and talented healer named Sandy Mueller, who was my designer for the artwork on Hymns and also worked with me on some of the artwork for Prism.
"Hymn to Tara" was just a labor of love and in writing it and recording it with Kirby I became clear on the idea of expanding my horizons vocally to see how it would feel to sing in all different languages.
A friend of mine named Maryalice Kirchdoffer introduced me to a wonderful person who also lives in Nashville but has a very stunning collection of Tibetian bowls. Kent Cathcart allowed me to take some of his bowls into the studio, which are featured on the introduction and throughout the piece. These ancient bowls were truly magic and playing them in a room can make your head spin! Thank you Kent!
According to Tibetan oral tradition, the existence of singing bowls dates back to the time of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni (560 - 480 B.C.). The tradition was brought from India to Tibet, along with the teachings of the Buddha, by the great tantric master Padmasambhava in the 8th century A.D.
Singing bowls produce sounds which invoke a deep state of relaxation which naturally assists one in entering into meditation, the ultimate goal being enlightenment. They are a quintessential aid to meditation, and can be found on private Buddhist altars, and in temples, monasteries and meditation halls throughout the world.
A metallurgical analysis, done by the British Museum in London, reveals that the instruments are made of a 12-metal alloy consisting of silver, nickel, copper, zinc, antimony, tin, lead, cobalt, bismuth, arsenic, cadmium and iron. Now a lost art, it appears that this quality of bell bowl cannot be reproduced today.
In addition to their traditional usage for meditation, Tibetan singing bowls are used for deep relaxation, stress reduction, holistic healing, Reiki, chakra balancing, and World music.
"Hymn to Tara" is a song to the mother, much in the way Mary is called upon in the Catholic faith, Tara, is called upon for protection and guidance.
Mother hear us call you, Mother hear us call...
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