Tag Archive for: sheet music

Foto des Sammelbandes Weichnachtslieder von Jan Heinke

In memoriam Jan Heinke 2 – Christmas Song Collection

Dear fellow aficionados of Jan Heinke’s overtone music,

I would like to tell you again today about this moving story that touched me deeply. In April 2022, my friend and musician Jan Heinke passed away. But just a few hours before his death, he wrote me an email with a special attachment.

In this email, Jan told me that he felt he would no longer be able to complete his work and asked me to take care of it. I knew what to do. Attached was a huge collection of folk songs from all over the world that Jan had set for overtone singing – several hundred songs! Jan had already started working on this in 2013 and had received a work grant from the Kulturstiftung Sachsen.

Together with Jan’s partner Claudia, we have now completed the second volume of the series with 35 Christmas carol movements for polyphonic overtone singing. On the occasion of the 3rd Advent 2023, this volume will be published here and on Jan’s website as a free e-book with a free Creative Commons license.

Jan’s nine years of dedicated work on these arrangements will now be posthumously shared with the public, fulfilling his cherished desire. According to a report on the project, the initial objective was to explore the potential of overtone singing as a vocal technique for both performers and composers in Western culture, an area that had not yet been extensively investigated. These song arrangements were intended to encourage the practical application of overtone singing in music.

I am both grateful and honored to continue Jan’s legacy and share his remarkable work with the world. His music will live on and inspire others – exactly as he wished.

Warm regards, Wolfgang

Jan Heinke – Memories of Jan

Download: Christmas Songs set for Overtone Singing by Jan Heinke – ebook

Photo of the anthology Christmas Songs by Jan Heinke

Foto des Notenbandes Deutsche Volkslieder im Satz für Obertongesang von Jan Heinke

In memoriam Jan Heinke – German Folk Song Collection

Hello fellow aficionados of Jan Heinke’s overtone music,

I am eager to share with you an emotionally charged story that has profoundly touched me. In April of last year, my dear friend and talented musician, Jan Heinke, sadly passed away. However, just hours before his untimely departure, he sent me an email containing a very special attachment.

In the email, Jan confided that he felt he wouldn’t be able to complete his work and requested that I see it through. I instantly knew what I had to do. Attached was a vast compilation of folk songs from around the globe, meticulously arranged for overtone singing by Jan – several hundred songs in total! He had initially begun working on this project in 2013 and had received a grant from the Kulturstiftung Sachsen to support his efforts.

In collaboration with Jan’s life partner, Claudia, we managed to finalize the first volume of the series, featuring 126 German folk songs adapted for polyphonic overtone singing. To commemorate the anniversary of his passing on April 20th, 2023, this volume will be made available on Jan’s website as a free e-book, complete with a complimentary Creative Commons license.

Jan’s nine years of dedicated work on these arrangements will now be posthumously shared with the public, fulfilling his cherished desire. According to a report on the project, the initial objective was to explore the potential of overtone singing as a vocal technique for both performers and composers in Western culture, an area that had not yet been extensively investigated. These song arrangements were intended to encourage the practical application of overtone singing in music.

I am both grateful and honored to continue Jan’s legacy and share his remarkable work with the world. His music will live on and inspire others – exactly as he wished.

Warm regards, Wolfgang

Jan Heinke – Memories of Jan
Download: Deutsche Volkslieder arranged for Overtone Singing PDF

Foto des Notenbandes Deutsche Volkslieder im Satz für Obertongesang von Jan Heinke

Free: sing2 – A Practice Book for Polyphonic Overtone Singing for Female Voice, English Version

 

It gives me great pleasure to present a book by two of my students and graduates of my overtone singing master class:
“sing2 – Overtone Melodies for Women”, by Beate Eckert and Barbara Lübben.

As the pitch increases, the number of singable overtones decreases. Polyphonic overtone singing therefore places high demands on women’s voices, as high voices have to change the fundamental tone more frequently than low voices in order to achieve certain melodic tones with overtones (→ Composing with overtone singing).

Barbara Lübben and Beate Eckert have published this booklet with polyphonic overtone singing exercises that specifically addresses the requirements of high voices and makes it easier for women to get started with polyphonic overtone singing. However, male voices can also transpose the melodies into their own register.

One of the challenges in learning overtone singing is the coordination of resonance and singing tone. The multitasking involved in concentrating on two melodies often initially leads to confusion between the two melody-generating principles in overtone singing. While the fundamental voice is produced by the vocal cords as usual, the overtone melody is created by changing the shape of the mouth and the pharynx.

Sing2 uses familiar melodies for the overtone part, which makes it easier to concentrate on two melodies sung at the same time. Even if you lose your bearings, which will definitely happen at the beginning, you will find your way back into a familiar melody more quickly.

I really enjoy the exercises myself and like to use them in my advanced courses.

The free English edition of sing2 was published in November of the coronavirus year 2020. The two authors have decided not only to make this edition available free of charge, but also to provide a download with sound files in which all the pieces are sung by the authors themselves.

If you like (and you definitely will), you can find a link on their homepage for a donation, which I of course encourage everyone who enjoys or benefits from the booklet to do. You can also buy the German edition in printed form together with a CD on the website.

 

https://www.polyphona.de/sing2-en.html

Free Download: Beginner’s Textbook for Polyphonic Overtone Singing by Stuart Hinds

Stuart Hinds - Making Music with Overtone Singing - Buch FotoStuart Hinds from the USA is undisputedly the star of polyphonic Western overtone singing. No one else handles two melodies in basic and overtone with such virtuosity. He is also one of the most productive composers for overtone singing and has written several pieces for solo and choral singing.

Now he has written a new book “Making Music with Overtone Singing” in 2017. It is a systematic learning aid that allows every slightly advanced overtone singer to get into the art of polyphonic overtone singing.The new book starts where overtone beginners begin to control their tones and leads from there into the complex polyphony. The book thus forms the bridge to his more demanding 15 songs.

His sheet music book “An Overtone Expirience – 15 polyphonic overtone songs you´ll love to sing”, published by Traumzeit-Verlag in 2012 and translated by me, required advanced overtone singing experience.

Stuart Hinds generously makes his book available as a free PDF download. In addition to the book, the download also contains sound samples sung by the author.

To the download page

Ack, Värmeland, du sköna

Herausforderung für gute Obertonsänger

Wie immer könnt Ihr die Noten als Print- und editierbare MuseScore-Version kostenlos herunterladen:

Zurzeit (März 2014) unterrichte ich in Schweden und genieße den nordischen Frühling. Zum Anlass zweier Konzerte am kommenden Wochenende in Lund und in Kopenhagen habe ich einen Satz des schönen schwedischen Volksliedes “Ack, Värmeland, du sköna” für Obertongesang geschrieben, der dort zur Uraufführung kommt. Zusammen mit Anna-Maria Hefele singen wir eine Version für zwei Stimmen und Nyckelharpa.

Tag Archive for: sheet music