The style of chanting heard on this recording was introduced into Tibet from India (where the art has long been lost) by Marpa in the eleventh century. In 1474, Gyuto was founded (along with Gyume) as one of the two Tibetan monasteries that were dedicated to using this mode of chanting for the ritualistic transmission of the most ancient, sacred, and esoteric teachings of the Buddha.
The extraordinary vocal abilities this chanting requires first came to the West’s attention in 1968 through Huston Smith’s
The Music of Tibet (Anthology Records), and it is from the masters for that disc that this CD was recorded.
What’s Different Here? The precise if paradoxical answer to that question is the ability of these monks to sing solo chords. Periodically their deep, guttural monotones splay out into polyphony. At first sight, or rather sound, the Western listener is likely to assume that the monks are singing in parts —basses here, baritones there, tenors in yet a third register—but this is not the case. Each lama is producing the full display of sounds one hears: a musical first, third, fifth, and for trained ears, additional overtones as well.
Video
of Huston Smith recounting the origins of Music of Tibet (Broadband
Only)
All proceeds exclusive of actual production costs
benefit Gyuto Tantric University through the Dalai Lama.
