This recording -- Tibetan Bells II by Henry Wolff and Nancy Hennings -- is a classic in its genre.

The only instruments played are Tibetan bells. For the most part, these are the types of bells used for rituals and ceremonies: Tingsha bells, brass meditation singing bowls, gongs, etc.

The first time I heard this album, I thought that the sounds produced were some kind of synthesized, electronic music. Especially the harmonic, high frequency portions. However, only metal bells are used, and they are played in such a way and in such a number that there is virtually no space between sounds. These are not the kind of bells that are designed with clappers. Rather, they are struck upon, usually with a kind of stick or mallet, and fingers can be used as well.

There are eleven separate compositions on this CD, and all of them are components of a space-poem devised by Henry Wolff. This space poem is divided into two parts: "Journey to the End" and "The Endless Journey."

Before I get involved in trying to discuss some pretty deep, metaphysical, mind-blowing concepts, allow me to simply say that this CD was recorded in San Francisco in the summer of 1978. Henry Wolff and Nancy Hennings were students of Tibetan Buddhism, having visited Nepal and India in the late 1960's. So if you are old enough to remember the times (i.e., late 60's, 70's), you'll pretty much have an understanding of the kind of "Age of Aquarius" enlightenment-seeking spiritualism that some people were involved in.

To quote Henry Wolff's explanation of this work: "The music charts the progress of an individual 'soul' or 'spirit' as it proceeds through the last recognizable phases of existence. The record opens at the precise instant that severance of Spirit from body becomes certain.... Continuing, the music depicts the psychic events just before and immediately after corporeal death. The record closes as Spirit, distancing, is absorbed into the abstract energies of a limitless universe." Enough said.


My Experience
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This is the kind of music that you don't just listen to... you feel it. Your other senses respond to it. The word that best describes this music is Tintinnabulation.

Permit me to define this term in a way that makes sense to me: these tinkling and singing bell sounds harmonize and develop into a kind of aural onslaught that will trigger other kinds of sensory responses. You will experience early echo response and reverberation -- where the sound that your ear processes is not necessarily coming from the object source. As the sound waves travel from your stereo speakers, echoes will develop in other areas of your room and propagate, reverberate and add a dimension to the original sound. You will experience masking. Masking, according to the American Standards Association (A.S.A.), is "the amount (or the process) by which the threshold of audibility for one sound is raised by the presence of another (masking) sound."

All kinds of sound wave interactions will affect your neural impulses. These effects are very subtle and may not be readily discerned, but if you listen to this music attentively and with an open mind, you may experience certain sensations. For example: you might "see" colors (even with your eyes closed), you might "feel" things (electrical energy flowing through your body may trigger sensations of touch), you might recall any number of sensations or memories that are brought forth as the synapses in your brain are firing off in response to the frequencies being filtered by your cochlea and inner ear.

Think: auditory hallucinations.

This album is a freakin' trip.


The Tracks:

Continuum/Warp - Journey to the End - 2:13
The Illusory Body - 4:15
Skybells I - 2:41
Shadow and Distances - 3:15
Skybells II - 2:50
The Silver Eye - 4:31
The Sword Behind the Buddha-Smile - 2:10
The Seven Sounds of Dissolution - 3:43
Leaving the Body - The Endless Journey - 7:33
Astral Plane - 5:31
Through the Void - 12:03



Price and Availability
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Hard to find, but worth the effort. I bought this CD in a metaphysical book shop some 15 years ago. It is an "essential recording" in my CD collection and, without it, my music library is incomplete.

Further details concerning this album are available here:
http://www.blacksun.com/releases/13005.htm

Available at Amazon.com for about $16. Some audio samples are available as well.


Recommendations
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If you are really into experiencing sound, harmonics, tonal ranges, intricately weaved frequency patterns... then this CD is for you. If you want something to listen to while meditating, relaxing, etc., then this album is a solid choice.

NOT FOR EVERYBDY, but in my opinion, a 5-star selection.


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Reading or Studying