Tibetan Bells

Henry Wolff and Nancy Hennings - Tibetan Bells

* originally posted on February 21, 2007

From the back cover:

Bells have been made throughout Asia for centuries. In the Himalayas, where the finest bells are traditionally found, the bells of Tibet have long been prized for their marvellous purity and duration of tone. Composed of subtle alloys of the finest Himalayan metals, the accomplished instruments of an ancient and distinct tradition, the bells of Tibet are supreme. Yet until recently Tibetan bells have rarely if at all been heard beyond the Himalayas. Tibet has been a closed country. Only as a result of the turmoil of the 1950's when thousands of Tibetans, carrying what they could, fled to bordering states, have Tibetan bells begun to be known to the outside world.

For many Tibetans brought with them their bells, and with the bells was revealed a new dimension of sound hitherto scarcely suspected outside Tibet.

The timbre of a Tibetan bell is unique. It can not be confused with the tone of a bell of Indian or Chinese manufacture. Tibetan bells are of the utmost purity, their tones often reminiscent of impulses of electronic origin, yet too rich harmonically to have been produced by any synthetic process. Often riding a haunting echo of unrivalled duration, the bells of Tibet are an "audible smoky-mirror image" of a perceived domain beyond common hearing and beyond common sight.

The bells used in the presnt album were collected and assembled in the East by the musicians who play them on the album. They have not hesitated to exploit the characteristic Tibetan sound in a way which, though not current amongst Tibetans, is yet thourougly implicit in their instruments and music. There is no sound on the record (with the exception of some whistles) which is not originated by a Tibetan bell.

This album represents several firsts. It is very likely the first time Tibetan bells have been recorded. It is surely the premier album devoted exclusively to the bells of Tibet. It is also the first time Tibetan bells have been recorded as played by Western musicians in a sound entirely of their own devising and invention. In this respect the music is an authentic meeting of East and West.

Note that this is the LP version.

Tracklisting:

Side One

1. Khumbu Ice-Fall {2:16}

2. Rainbow Light {3:23}

3. White Light {1:06}

4. From the Roof of the World You Can See Forever {3:11}

5. Wrathful Deity {4:29}

6. Clear Light {3:56}

Side Two

1. A Choir of Bells {14:30}

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