Message-ID: <alpine.NEB.2.20.1611280320150.22928@panix3.panix.com>
From: Alan Sondheim <sondheim@panix.com>
To: Cyb <cybermind@listserv.wvu.edu>, Wryting-L <WRYTING-L@listserv.wvu.edu>
Subject: Blaan Faglung
Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2016 03:22:46 -0500 (EST)
Blaan Faglung for Arjho Carino Turner and Hans Brandeis http://www.alansondheim.org/atl110.jpg http://www.alansondheim.org/faglung.mp4 http://www.alansondheim.org/atl090.jpg http://www.alansondheim.org/atl100.jpg Years ago, I bought a hegelung from Music Inn, in Manhattan. I didn't know much about the instrument, but learned quickly, and through a series of odd coincidences I met Grace Nono, T'boli singer, musical advocate, and hegelung player; I also met, independently, her friend Hans Brandeis, ethnomusicologist and expert on the boat lute, a general name for the class of instruments that the hegelung belonged to. I've played hegelung for quite a while ( see audio below and my recent session with the brilliant Luke Damrosch mastering and on madal at http://www.alansondheim.org/dynsession31.jpg ). We're now in Atlanta, and Hans has introduced me to Arjho Carino Turner, who is Blaan and working with Blaan musicians in the Philippines; she is also working with Blaan communities in the United States. Azure and I had an amazing talk with her and her husband Bernard, and her two children; we met at the Atlanta Zoo, and she brought a faglung with her, that she has given her husband. The faglung and hegelung are related; the T'boli and Blaan are adjacent. We discussed ethnomusicology and its politics, the position of the Blaan in the Philippines, and boat lutes and the faglung in particular. Arjho doesn't play the instrument herself, and let me play it in the parking lot. I was careful with the tuning, since it hadn't been played for at least a decade (in the Philippines; Bernard doesn't play it), and the strings were delicate. But I was able to sound it somewhat, and it was beautiful; tuned up properly it would be outstanding! All this by way of saying this has been one of the peak experiences of my life. The hegelung and faglung are, for me, uncanny instruments; they have a life and spirit of their own. I'm hoping to hear more Blaan music (some of it is on YouTube), and possibly to help find a way to have a cd issued; I have one of T'boli music done by Mickey Hart with the assistance of Fred Lieberman. These musics should be heard; for me, they're transporting, meditative, energized, and deep. We've been discussing all of this on Facebook; I wanted to put up something myself, since I can distribute this also to a few email lists and Facebook pages that might be interested. Thank you all! (Azure Carter took some of the photographs, by the way.) session with Luke Damrosch on madal, myself on hegelung - http://www.alansondheim.org/hegandmadal.mp3
