Tag Archive for: Michael Reimann

Still, still, still – for Overtone Singing and Keys

Still, still, still is an Austrian Christmas carol from the Salzburg region. It first appeared in print in 1865 in a collection of carols with the following text, which is no longer common today:

1. Sleep, sleep, sleep, my precious baby sleep!
Maria sings a lullaby sweet
And lays her true heart at your feet.
Sleep, sleep, sleep, my precious baby sleep!

2. Great, great, great, the love is more than great.
God has left his throne on high,
To walk the street, to come us nigh.
Great, great, great, the love is more than great.

3. Rise, rise, rise, all Adam’s children rise.
O, kneel at the feet of Jesus now,
Our sins to atone he did vow.
Rise, rise, rise, all Adam’s children rise.

4. We, we, we, ee all implore Thee:
Open for us heaven’s gate
Let your kingdom be our fate.
We, we, we, – we all implore Thee.

5. Rest, rest, rest, allow the Child to rest.
Saint Joseph snuffs the candle out,
Angels are guarding all about.
Rest, rest, rest, allow the Child to rest.

(Translation wikipedia)

Performers:
Michael Reimann – Keys
https://michaelreimann.de/
Wolfgang Saus – Overtone Singing
https://www.oberton.org/
Video – josephphackney pixabay
https://pixabay.com/

“Es ist ein Ros entsprungen” – for Overtone Singing and Piano

Noten aus dem Speyerer Gesangbuch 1599 - Es ist ein Ros entsprungen“Es ist ein Ros entsprungen” is a Christmas carol from the Speyerer Gesangbuch 1599. Here as a version for piano (Michael Reimann) and overtone singing (Wolfgang Saus).

The challenge for overtone singers here is especially the intonation conflict of the natural overtone thirds with the equal-tempered ones of the piano. In this version, I have partially adjusted the overtones to match the equal-tempered tuning, resulting in “out of tune” fundamental tones. The alternative of intonating the harmonics in relation “out of tune” is found by some to be cleaner overall. An interesting experiment. Piano and overtones never fit together exactly because, except for the octave, none of the piano intervals correspond to the natural harmonic order. I think it sounds delightful nonetheless.

Free sheet music here.

Performers:
Michael Reimann – keys
https://michaelreimann.de/
Wolfgang Saus – overtone singing.
https://www.oberton.org/
Video – caelan, pixabay
https://pixabay.com/

Maria Walks Amid the Thorns (Maria durch ein Dornwald ging) – Overtone Singing

“Maria durch ein Dornwald ging” is a German Advent hymn from the 19th century. The melody possibly dates from the 16th century (wikipedia). It was first printed in 1850 in “Geistliche Volkslieder mit ihren ursprünglichen Weisen – gesammelt aus mündlicher Tradition und seltenen alten Gesangbüchern”, [August Haxthausen]. Paderborn 1850. https://sammlungen.ulb.uni-muenster.de/hd/content/pageview/1931586

For overtone singing, the challenge is the minor scale melody. Because the singable harmonic series is tuned in major, you have to change the fundamental several times to be able to sing the melody. Michael Reimann improvises his piano part according to the demands of overtone singing. He can do that because he himself sings outstanding overtones. We are so well attuned to each other that we were able to improvise this version freely and record it in one take.

If you want to sing it, you can find the free sheet music in my sheet music collection.

Performers:
Michael Reimann – keys
https://michaelreimann.de/
Wolfgang Saus – overtone singing
https://www.oberton.org
The video is from jrydertr, Pixabay.

“A ship is coming laden” (“Es kommt ein Schiff, geladen”) – Overtone Singing

“A ship is coming laden” (“Es kommt ein Schiff, geladen”) is one of the oldest Advent hymns in German. It was written before 1450. The oldest record of the melody is found in the Andernacher Gesangsbuch, Cologne 1608.

A rhythmic rarity in old hymns is the change from a 6/4 to a 4/4 meter in the middle of the song. The Dorian part of the first part of the song ends on the minor third, while the second part turns to Lydian from the new root and returns to the Dorian finalis at the end.

Keys with minor thirds make fundamental changes unavoidable in overtone singing, because the natural overtone series is tuned to major.

If you would like to sing the song, you can download the free sheet music here.

The recording is a spontaneous improvisation by pianist Michael Reimann, who later orchestrated his piano part, and overtone singer Wolfgang Saus. Spontaneous improvisation with changing fundamental tones requires quite some experience.This can be acquired by re-singing the free collection of sheet music.

Performers:
Michael Reimann – keys
https://www.oberton.org
The video is from Thomas Ritter, Pixabay:
https://pixabay.com/videos/glass-sphere-spherical-moon-winter-7380/

Silent Night with Overtone Singing

“Silent Night, Holy Night”, the world’s most famous Christmas song, was sung for the first time on 24.12.1818, exactly 200 years ago. On Christmas Eve 1818 the Arnsdorf village school teacher and organist Franz Xaver Gruber (1787-1863) and the auxiliary priest Joseph Mohr (1792-1848) performed the Christmas carol for the first time in the Schifferkirche St. Nikola in Oberndorf near Salzburg, Austria. (Wikipedia)

For this version for overtone singing, the brilliant pianist Michael Reimann has improvised a piano movement on the electric piano. The notes for overtone singing are suitable for beginners. At one point, however, a small psychoacoustic trick is used, because one of the melody notes is not actually included in the overtone series. Who can find it?

Michael Reimann: https://www.michaelreimann.de/
Video: Ljubljana Christmas Market filmed from the castle.

Tag Archive for: Michael Reimann

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Tag Archive for: Michael Reimann