#5137, Prayer, Part 1
Hear musical prayers, some that are purely instrumental, and some that are not even religious: a prayer for kindness, a prayer for peace, a hymn to the water, a hymn to the sun. There's a prayer for peace from Pakistani surti master Ustad Saami; Brooklyn-based experimental vocalist GABI; Philadelphia-based choir The Crossing singing music by David Lang riffing on kindness and what makes a community; music from traditional Tuvan group Huun Huur Tu; and more.
There’s vocal music from master Pakistani singer Ustad Saami, who is the only vocal practitioner left in the world of surti, a centuries-old tradition. His unique style consists of a system which “divides each octave into forty-nine surti (microtones). [For comparison, European music theory divides the octave into twelve, and Hindustani theory has mostly agreed on twenty-two,” (The Quietus, 2021.)] Listen to his “Prayer for Peace”.
Then, hear some of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and Bang on a Can Co-Founder David Lang’s Poor Hymnal, a choral work that reflects centuries-old hymnody and popular song. Hear his “Prayer for Kindness”, riffing on what makes a community - and how we take care of each other, as sung by The Philadelphia-based choir, The Crossing, led by Donald Nally
There's music by rapper, musician, and fancy dancer Supaman, who combines the sounds of loops and samples with traditional prayers and chants in his “Prayer Loop Song”. Also, listen to the late composer and ethnomusicologist David Fanshawe’s representation of a trip down the Nile, where the Islamic call to prayer meets part of the Latin mass sung in Greek. That, and more. - Caryn Havlik
Program #5137, Prayer, Part 1 (First aired 5/7/26)
ARTIST: David Fanshawe
WORK: Kyrie / Call To Prayer [1:28]
RECORDING: African Sanctus
SOURCE: Phillips #6558-001 / Reissued on Silva Classics #6003
INFO: Try Discogs.com | https://fanshawemusic.com/african-sanctus
ARTIST: The Crossing, Donald Nally
WORK: David Lang: prayer for kindness [3:19]
RECORDING: David Lang: poor hymnal
SOURCE: Cantaloupe Music
INFO: https://davidlangmusic.bandcamp.com/album/poor-hymnal
ARTIST: David Fanshawe
WORK: Kyrie / Call To Prayer [2:44]
RECORDING: African Sanctus
SOURCE: Phillips #6558-001 / Reissued on Silva Classics #6003
INFO: Try Discogs.com | https://fanshawemusic.com/african-sanctus
ARTIST: Huun-Huur-Tu, Rizzo & Dhani Harrison
WORK: Kaigal-ool prayer [4:30]
RECORDING: Dreamers in the Field
SOURCE: Dark Horse Records
INFO: https://dhaniharrison.lnk.to/DreamersInTheField
ARTIST: Ustad Saami
WORK: Prayer for Peace [6:24]
RECORDING: East Pakistan Sky
SOURCE: Glitterbeat Records
INFO: https://glitterbeat.com
ARTIST: ÌFÉ
WORK: Prayer to Shango [5:42]
RECORDING: 0000 + 0000
SOURCE: Mais Um Discos
INFO: grupoife.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Supaman
WORK: Prayer Loop Song [4:01]
RECORDING: Illuminatives
SOURCE: Illuminative Music
INFO: Available on Spotify, Applemusic, YouTube
ARTIST: GABI
WORK: Hymn [9:16]
RECORDING: Sympathy
SOURCE/INFO: gabi-ny.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Laurence Rosenthal
WORK: Thomas de Hartmann: The Great Prayer [3:57]
RECORDING: Meetings With Remarkable Men Soundtrack
SOURCE: Citadel Records, try auction sites
INFO: tcm.com/tcmdb
