音の始源を求めて14 佐藤聰明 『羅鑾幻聲』RARANGENJO

佐藤聰明の原点！NHK電子音楽スタジオで生まれたまぼろの電子音楽！
羅鑾幻聲(ららんげんじょう)を含むテープ音楽 全4曲　全て蔵出しNEWテイク！！　
①《エメラルド・タブレット Emerald Tablet》 1978
　素材となる音がキンやチューブラー・ベル、シンバルのそれぞれ一打の音だけに限定されている。はじめ、重みのない微かな響きとみえたものが次第に厚い堆積となり、低い音量でありながら滝壷を思わせる轟音へとゆるやかに変容を重ねていく。
　ひとつの音のなかに潜む響きの宇宙の広大さ、奥深さの実相。引き延ばされた時間のなかから湧出する音の世界。
②《マンダラ Mandala》1982
　音の粒子のひとつひとつが、ひたひたと満ちるゆるやかな光の波のように聴覚を開き、やがて静かな歓びの渦となって、時空に輝きあふれ、限りなく生成する宇宙樹のように立ち昇ることを願った。
③《羅鑾幻聲 rarangenjo》1983
風、水、石のような生命のないものも、人、木、草のような生物も、この宇宙のなかで＜気＞の永遠の響鳴を交していると考えている。その声なき声、音なき音が巫女の肉身に直入し、極微実相の玄の玄たる世界が、そこに表出されることを願った。
④《マントラ Mantra》1986
　作曲者自身の声で、「a - e - i - o - u」という５つの母音をさまざまに組み合わせ、声明の作法で朗唱したもの。何百回も重ね録りし、フィルタを通して増幅されることで、やがて単独では聞き取れなかった複雑な音の世界が現れる。
　各母音のなかに潜む倍音が強調され共振し合って新たな「旋律」となって浮かび上がる響きの質は、漆黒の闇のなかで天空を見上げたときの、遥か彼方から降り注ぐ星の光と向き合いながら感じる深淵な趣と、自分の内部が空になって無のなかへと吸い込まれていくような印象を思い起こさせる。

試聴はこちら↓↓↓
https://soundcloud.com/oto-no-hajimari/sets/14-satoh-somei-rarangenjo

＜English Commentary＞

"Emerald Tablet" was produced at the NHK electronic music studio in 1978. It was made possible through the good offices of Mr. Wataru Uenami, who was a producer at NHK at the time. The sound material was created using only the sound of one note from each of the following instruments: a large bell (kin), tubular bells, and cymbals, which are used in Buddhist memorial services and other such occasions. The attack sound of each note was eliminated, and the notes were recorded multiple times in an infinite loop. This brought out a variety of beautiful overtones that could not be heard from the sound of a single note. The overtones interfering with each other created a roar, from which a dreamlike melody emerged in the high-pitched range. Harmonics are the most mysterious phenomenon in the world. "Emerald Tablet" was created as if guided by the wonder of harmonics. Those who gave me appropriate advice and kind guidance, as I was completely ignorant of electronic music (tape music) production, were Tsutomu Kojima, Tamio Yokoyama, Nobuji Minowa, and Mitsuru Oishi of the electronic music studio. If it were not for their involvement, this piece would never have seen the light of day. I would like to express my gratitude once again.

”Mandala”
This piece was composed in the fall of 1982 for the “Asian Views of the Universe” exhibition organized by the Japan Foundation and planned by graphic designer Kohei Sugiura. It was produced at the NHK electronic music studio. The only sound material used was my voice, which was dubbed over a hundred times. At the time, tape recorders would start to generate noise after three dubbing sessions, making the sound unlistenable. The engineers, notably Mr. Kojima, solved this problem. They created a system that allowed them to start up more than a dozen tape recorders simultaneously, and then recorded multiple tracks on a multi-channel recorder. The studio was also equipped with a high-precision frequency filter, which made it possible to instantly remove any frequency bands that were causing the sound to become muddy. This filter may have been the most important tool in the production of this piece. At the time, no one could have imagined the recording and filming capabilities of today's small devices like smartphones. However, through this primitive-seeming process, I was able to experience the mystery and wonder of sound.

”Raran Genjo”
Composed by commission from Akiko Nishigata.
In the title, “ra” means “dora” (a gong) as well as the sound of a gong. “Ran” refers to the bells attached to the horses of ancient Chinese emperors. By extension, it connotes the sound of bells.
In the middle volume of the Kojiki, the chronicle of Emperor Chuai, we see that Empress Jingu (Okinagatarashi-hime) became a priestess, and the emperor himself played the Kamu-ogigoto (invocation of the gods) on the koto, while Takenouchi-no-Sukune acted as the Sanawa (person who judges the gods). Today, this form of divine invitation is rarely seen, but in the world of folk shinto, it was once a common practice. In this work, I imagined Ms. Nishigata playing the divine koto as a priestess, and the Buddhist chanting master as a judge of the gods, and thought of the electronic sounds surrounding them as a magnificent flow of 'ki' (energy) that interacts with the infinite universe. That is because I believe that even inanimate objects such as wind, water and stones, as well as living things such as people, trees and grass, are all in resonance with the eternal resonance of 'ki' within this universe. I hoped that the soundless voice and soundless sound would resonate deeply with the soul of the priestess Nishigata.　

”Mantra”
Composed in 1986 at the request of the NHK, and produced at the NHK electronic music studio. Like “Mandala”, it was produced using my own voice as the material, except that specific frequency bands and overtones were extracted and emphasized using a frequency filter. Later, I was commissioned by the University of Wellington in New Zealand to create a tape music work called “Tantra” using female vocals to complement “Mantra”. If you get the chance, please listen to this work too.