Course Overview
Many may have forgotten the old ways, though gratefully there are those still keeping the skills and songs alive, and others of us who are relearning them.
Through the songs and sounds shared by our guest teachers, may the living reality of earth and ancestral belonging be rekindled within you.
Part 1
Greek Music: A Journey Beginning in Ancient Times
Assimina Kouris introduces us to a Greek epitaph including the oldest complete musical composition from anywhere in the world. Along with singing this song from he first century B.C.E., we also learn an old Greek song for calling in the rain, as well as seeing the ritual that accompanies this song.
Part 2
Songs of the Irish Otherworld
Mary McLaughlin introduces us to Irish traditional singing, focusing on songs of the spéir bhean or “sky woman” – ethereal fairy beings from Irish folklore. Along with teaching a haunting fragment about a mysterious otherworldly woman, we learn about the ancient oral tradition and modal musical language that distinguishes Irish singing from Western scales. McLaughlin guides participants through Gaelic pronunciation and breath control essential for Irish song.
Part 3
Ancient Songs of the Serbian Grandmothers
Svetlana Spajić introduces us to ancient Serbian bee songs and Eastern European vocal techniques from traditional Balkan culture. Along with teaching an antiphonal song about a bee carrying sacred objects used in blessing ceremonies, we learn about the connection between humans and bees in Serbian folklore and specialized calls used to guide queen bees to new hives. Spajić emphasizes the diaphragmatic breathing essential for this tradition.
Part 4
Old Melodies of the Portuguese Roots
Mariana Root introduces us to ancient Portuguese melodies from the Beiras region, focusing on sacred songs traditionally performed by women with the adufe, a square frame drum. Along with teaching a haunting invocation to the Lady of Remedies and a pastoral song to the olive tree, we learn about the distinctive vocal ornamentations and deep earth-based spirituality of this tradition.
Part 5
Tarantelle & Healing Chants of Southern Italy
Alessandra Belloni shares with us from her deep cultivation of Italian healing songs, Tarantelle and relationship with the Black Madonna. She teaches us two lively old songs — the first about the sun shining brightly, and the second a work song sung by women as they picked the olives.
Part 6
A Basque Love Song for Nature
Amaia Gabantxo introduces us to ancient Basque traditions, focusing on songs to the pre-Christian goddess Mari who became divine through saying “no” and journeying into mountain caves. Along with teaching a song about Mari being “born mother and daughter in one,” we learn about the Basque language – Europe’s oldest and unrelated to any other tongue – and its connection to nature through traditional melodies.
PART 7
The Power of Kulning: Ancient Nordic Herding Calls
Karin Lindström Kolterud introduces us to kulning, the ancient Nordic herding calls used on remote summer farms to communicate with livestock across vast mountain forests. Along with teaching the powerful vocal techniques and unique seven-tone scale derived from cow horns, we learn about the traditional summer farming culture where women would call cattle home each evening through these beautiful high-pitched calls.