Harpist Christina Tourin Reflects the Colors of the Earth and Sky, article by Robin James

As a Therapeutic Musician and Music Therapist, one of the main focuses of Christina Tourin is Convergence — finding facets of interest in spiritual enlightenment and in pursuit of mending body and spirit. Trained in performance both at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria and at McGill University in Montreal, Christina’s fascinating musical life has taken her around the world from Japan to Ireland, where she’s brought the National Instrument of the harp to blind children; she also served as a trained music therapist at the Blind Institute of San Diego. In addition, she performed for 17 years for the Von Trapp Family at their Austrian Chalet Lodge in Vermont, and has accompanied chorales, performed with symphonies and been part of ensembles in off Broadway theaters.

The opening notes establish a warm sense of joy for life. The music of her new album Geodepédie — Hidden Light is based on the distinct sounds of the harp, sometimes accompanied by vocals, sometimes with minimal percussion, and sometimes with just a hint of synthesizers. Each track has a sound that can transform lives, emotionally and spiritually. The title derives from an inventive blending of the word “geode” with the suffix from Erik Satie’s Gymnopedie, thus, some gentle and dreamy neoclassical New Age compositions which evoke the magical sparkles from rare stones that contain hollow cavities lined with crystals. The feeling is positive and uplifting, crafted with traditional forms and contemporary cosmic seasonings, sometimes blending the classical masterpieces, Celtic traditionals, and sonic innovations from other cultures with improvisational jazz, upbeat bluegrass and pop. There also is a bit of space music on one of the last tracks.

Heaven is sometimes symbolically depicted as populated by angels playing harps, giving the instrument associations of the sacred and heavenly. The way we understand ourselves and our world is always evolving, harps have been known since antiquity in Mesopotamia, Persia, and Egypt, later in India and China. Distinct designs also emerged from the African continent, some resembling the form of harps in ancient Egypt with a hollow or vaulted body of wood, with a parchment face, and a neck, upon which the strings are wound. The strings are normally plucked with the fingers, and can be played standing or sitting, sometimes alone, sometimes accompanied by a friend or three, and sometimes harps are played with huge full orchestras. The classical harp’s most common form is triangular in shape and made of wood. The oldest depictions of harps in Africa date back to the 4th Dynasty of Egypt. By medieval times harps had become familiar all across Europe.

The feeling of the new album Geodepédie — Hidden Light is based on the distinct sounds of the harp, as played by Christina Tourin, sometimes accompanied by vocals, sometimes with minimal percussion and synthesizers, and always celebrating harps, solo or in layers, powerful, soothing, sparkling, magically lyrical, eloquent, multi-faceted expressions, infused with the wisdom that comes from personal inquiry and a deep understanding of the universe. The feeling is very calming and relaxing, I would say positive and uplifting, sometimes crafted with traditional Gaelic styles, and sometimes blended with Cosmic seasonings, a comforting soundtrack to life’s ups and downs, illuminations, lamentations, revelations, always full of significance and importance. Good for any and all forms of relaxation for most any occasion, for a wee listen.

Here you can hear music of the harp, with some hidden magical sparkles from rocks that contain hollow cavities lined with crystals. Imagine the sound of a crystalline night sky filled with glittering stars, planets and galaxies. This is music that creates a place to find the center of your being, allowing each listener to let the tension go and rise into the cumulus of the imagination.

The word “Geodepédie” is an inventive melding of the word “Geode” with the suffix from Erik Satie’s Gymnopédie. “May we open ourselves to let light shine forth as the beautiful geode!” Spreading the universal language that Music IS Love, Christina proclaims, “Music is not what I do, it’s who I am.” Her lifetime of dedication to healing and educating people on the harp has always been her favorite way of making a difference in the world. This music can transform lives, emotionally and spiritually.

Geodes are always hollow, it’s their defining feature. Imagine the crystalline beauty that can be seen only when you open the outer layer and let the light shine into the center of the stone, as in the opening track, which is the title track too, “Geodepédie — Hidden Light” (4:50). This reminds us that when we share ourselves with others and spread our inner light, everything is brighter, opening a deeper understanding of the interconnected nature of reality, “little sparkles that illumine my whole being through the generosity of the Creator,” reflects Christina.

Perhaps music is pure Love, an eloquent, multi-faceted expression of each soul’s purpose, making good lives better, bringing a powerful symbolic feeling, reflecting a deep understanding of each personal place and role in the universe, “with each song, feel my hands literally being taken over to create the album with mostly first takes,” said Christina, talking of her general experience with the recording process. “For the first time, I had gained the art of letting go! At times, I was not certain how and why some of the pieces transpired!” She is sometimes blending the classical masterpieces, traditional Celtic melodies, and sonic innovations from other cultures, ranging into improvisational jazz, upbeat bluegrass, and pop. “Music Is Love” (2:11).

If instrumentalist, orchestral writer, and melodist George F. Handel were living today, his music would be as healing now as it has been through the ages, as evidenced within the third track, “Passacaglia — Handel’s Healing Harp” (5:00), whirling, swirling, and flowing, a solo instrumental with layers. The passacaglia is a musical form that derives from the Spanish pasar, (to walk) and calle (street), and originated as a strummed interlude between instrumentally accompanied dances or songs.

Christina composed “Brigid’s Green Mantle” (3:02) based on an Ancient Celtic poem retold by Ella Young and is about Brigid being allowed to build her humanitarian ideals through the land of Ireland. The King granted her space to build her monastery for as much land as her Mantle would spread. A mantle is a loose sleeveless cloak or shawl, worn especially by women (in geology a mantle is a layer inside a planetary body bounded below by a core and above by a crust). Bridig’s mantle spread and rolled out in velvety green moss to the very edges of what is now known as Ireland. Over the centuries, Brigid (Bridhe) continues to spread her Uaine — green mantle around the Earth. Here are the words for a story which has been set to Christina’s music:

Now comes the hour foretold, a god-gift bringing, A wonder-sight.
Is it a star new-born and splendid up springing, Out of the night?
Is it a wave from the Fountain of Beauty up flinging, Foam of delight?
Is it a glorious immortal bird that is Winging, Hither its flight?
It is a wave, high-crested, melodious, triumphant, Breaking in light.
It is a star, rose-hearted and joyous, a splendor Risen from night.
It is flame from the world of the gods, and love runs before it,
A quenchless delight.
Let the wave break, let the star rise, let the flame leap.
Ours, if our hearts are wise, to take and keep.

In some Irish mythological circles, Brighid (or Brighit), whose name is derived from the Celtic brig or “exalted one,” is the daughter of the Dagda, and therefore one of the Tuatha de Dannan. Her two sisters were also called Brighid, and were associated with healing and crafts. The three Brigids were typically treated as three aspects of a single deity, making her a classic Celtic triple goddess, associated with wisdom, poetry, healing, protection, blacksmithing, domesticated animals, serpents (in Scotland) and the arrival of early spring. Imagine Brigid’s Green Mantle, spreading beauty upon the land, light within the stones of our mountains, geodes looking like mini galaxies in the sky. We see the wonders of what our evolutionary brains have created. It is all perfect, if only we can respect and care for what it all is. Now imagine the highland castle of your dreams, your visions of Gaelic paradise! This beautiful Scottish traditional tune is one that musical healers often peacefully carry “within our collective hearts” when playing harp in hospice settings, “Land O’ The Leal” (3:20). A version of this old song may have given Lady Nairne the inspiration to write her verses The Land o the Leal in 1798. In some of these old songs, the man sings to his wife who is in the process of leaving this earth experience and he is saying to her, “It won’t be long before I see you again. You will be going to see our wee bairn who left us too early. Go, be with her and we will meet up soon.” This tune is a favorite that is sometimes heard while attending to those at the end of life and in palliative care. “Early One Morning” (2:01) is a Finnish Folk song. Imagine being left alone as many have been. This traditional song is about a woman who wakes and finds her love is no longer with her. May we comfort those who yearn for connection, a smile, a gentle hand. What a difference that can be! Bright yellow flowers reach upwards to bring their divinely given faces, scents and colors to give happiness, to send music and prayers to those in need around the world needing hope, love and peace, “Walk Through The Sunflowers” (2:54). The sunflower certainly shines hope upon us, enjoy this instrumental with a precious hint of bird songs. Think of all those memories we tuck away, only to have them surface when we least expect them. This is a heartfelt and reflective tune for how life used to be and how we are always faced with change. But the sweet memories still remain with us, “Reminisce” (3:57). According to the traditional telling, Brian Boru, High King of Ireland (who died at the Battle of Clontarf, 1014) played the harp, as did many of the gentry in the country during the period of the Gaelic Lordship of Ireland, which ended circa 1607 with the Flight of the Earls following the Elizabethan Wars. The next track, “Sommarpsalm” (1:37) is a Swedish hymn for summer. Christina said that she first heard this song while driving through the mist in Ireland and she immediately fell in love with this tune.

One day, when that little Birdsong of Hope enters into our being, as John Whyte writes in his book “Consolations,” life blooms. With this music our hearts open to let in the natural beauty of the world that has been waiting for our welcome. Now picture the wee child tucked in for a good night’s sleep after mother and father have sung a beautiful Icelandic Lullaby:

Sleep my darling sleep, rain is gently falling,
Mother will thy treasure keep,
Hidden where the shadows creep,
Hush thee my Baby, night for rest is calling.

However, this restless child awakes and sees beautiful color ribbons dancing in the sky, swelling and painting unforgettable images on the biggest piece of canvas anyone has ever seen. “Icelandic Northern Lights” (6:57), brings twinkling lights that come peaking through the greens, yellows, reds and blues…

Midoriko Kawamura, a student of Christina’s, has written this beautiful song for the Voluntary Humanity program in Japan. It is a beautiful way of extending gratitude for all we are connected to. Christina loves touring and performing in Japan where she sees that time and focus is on creating beauty. “Arigatou, I For You” (3:23), for this musical inspiration, we say, Thank You, Midoriko!

Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz, and is the traditional birthstone for February. Gems from within the Earth shine their light in their hues of violet, emerald green, sapphire blue, golden citrine, and ruby red. The natural colors from within the Earth tantalized Christina while growing up. She lived in a house built by a mineralogist who traveled to Africa and brought back every amazing cluster one could imagine. By the age of eight, she had a most amazing collection that kept her busy cataloging and researching stones and gems, when not playing the harp. “Amethyst Of Avalon” (3:28), this sparkling song is dedicated to her granddaughter, Avalon Nalu Tourin.

When one stands out on a warm summer night staring at the dark sky, one cannot help realize the complete mystery that surrounds us. When we look at images from powerful telescopes, the colorful galaxies spiraling billions of miles and light years away look so much like the formations of geodes. That which is above is like to that which is below, and that which is below is like to that which is above. “As Above So Below” (8:39), humans are placed into an existence that serves as a microcosm of the universe or the entire cosmic existence, and who, in order to achieve higher states of existence or liberation into the macrocosm, must gain necessary insights into universal principles that can be represented by this life or environment in the microcosm. Perhaps this really shows us how everything is connected under the same principles, whether macro or micro. In this composition, we experience the vastness of the Universe and find ourselves being drawn to this tiny blue green ball. We hear the calling of the dolphins as we hover over the blue ocean. The concept As Above, So Below embodies the truth that there is always a Correspondence between the laws and phenomena of the various planes of Being and Life.

To close this journey of peace and wonder, an instrumental with layers of ethereal vocals, “Colors Of The Season” (2:56), in the boundless immensity of the sky, the sun reflects itself in the smooth waters of a lake, blending the colors of the galaxies, the colors of the crystals and gems; the colors of the seasons — winter, spring, summer and fall. We are provided with sparkles of snow crystals; budding blossoms opening their beauty; variegated green leaves on bright summer days and then the crunchy, spicy flavor of the days we have enjoyed. What a smorgasbord of senses we live in! May all the people of the world honor the colors of our peoples and all living things, the flowers, the birds, our furry friends. We are all a part of this planet and paint the most beautiful kaleidoscope of mandalas to focus on our unity. A World of Peace, Hope, Light, Life and Love!

Christina’s childhood home was built by a famous mineralogist. When her family acquired it, the place was filled with rocks and gems, which she spent some of her time cataloging, when not playing music or visiting with friends. Her mother, Ruth Hersey Cooper, studied music with Marcel Grandjany, the grand master of the harp at the Juilliard School of Music in New York before settling in Maine. Christina began playing harp at the age of four. She eventually received music and education degrees from the University of Vermont and also studied harp at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, and at McGill University in Montreal, as well as medical training in Resonant Kinesiology.

As an international recording and touring artist, she has concertized extensively. She is an active workshop organizer and has been instrumental in the revival of the folk harp since the early 1970s. In 1982, she founded the Scottish Harp Society of America and is the founder and director of the International Harp Therapy Program established in 1995. She combines harp history, culture, science and spirituality in her teaching. She taught public school music for 20 years, and after training at the Steiner Institute, taught in Waldorf schools in both Vermont and England. Christina is a Therapeutic Musician (TMus) and Music Therapist (MT) having studied under the tutelage of Barbara Crowe at Arizona State University. Healing with sound, working in hospitals and hospices, composing, teaching, and writing books round out her full life.

Christina’s tutorials will help you explore countless ways to enjoy the harp and harp playing.

On the playharp.com website, Christina has a very accessible curriculum for almost every situation, welcoming every and all aspiring harpists, offering learning about the harp for beginners of all ages, also programs for advanced learners, and there are basic skill development activities for special needs players. There are also music CDs and some DVD based activities, also personal tutorial lessons online. These are all very colorful presentations, for hands-on learning about the harp. Some of the programs offered include Creative Harping, the Join In Series, Color My World (pink: love and beauty; peach: strength and courage; yellow: hope and inspiration; green: nature and healing: blue: tranquility and stillness; and violet: faith and gratitude), the Rainbow of Sound Series of Books and DVDs, Healing Music (a book series of illuminations and inspirations offers songs that are used throughout hospitals and hospices), Cradle of Sound (a Harp Therapy Manual widely regarded as the most complete and comprehensive book ever offered in the ever-expanding field of harp therapy), as well as Sheet Music and a friendly smile.

Whether you are a beginner looking to learn the harp or an advanced player yearning to develop interesting new improvisations and compositions, she will have the right group for you. All lessons can lead to a career in therapeutic harp playing if you are interested.

“Our world of senses is the world of effects, “ said Robert Hamerling, an Austrian poet, (1830–1889). “What works in each being produces an image in others just as plucking a string produces sound. Each being is a harpist on someone else’s strings and at the same time a harp for someone else’s fingers.”

With each track, Tourin strives for a sound that can transform lives, emotionally and spiritually. Listeners may imagine the shining inside of a newly-opened geode, while also picturing a crystalline night sky filled with glittering stars, planets and galaxies. The music, she says, creates a place to find the center of one’s being, allowing each listener to let go of tension and rise into the cumulus of their own imagination.

Healing with sound, performing, composing, teaching, and writing books round out Tourin’s full life. She is a Therapeutic Musician (TMus) and Music Therapist (MT), and one of the foremost leading educators of the harp, whose International Harp Therapy Program currently has training centers and Therapeutic Harp Practitioners from 32 countries serving on five continents.

Tourin’s mission is bringing together all those who use music, sound and the arts for healing, enrichment and well-being. Living a life “as above so below,” she experiences the magnificent and transcendent in small but significant ways. As she says, “Expressing through music is not what I do, it’s who I am.”

The album was produced by Christina Tourin for her own Emerald Harp Productions, LLC, and recorded at SpragueLand Studios, Encinitas, CA; sound engineer was Peter Sprague. Cover design by Jaime Tourin, with liner notes by Jonathan Widran. Suzanne Doucet served as Creative Consultant. Physical CD distribution is being handled by CPI Distribution, and by New Leaf Distributing for specialty and gift stores.

See Christina perform live at a new album release concert in Phoenix, AZ. This will be a special duo performance with Ludwig Conistabile, a musician and Harp Therapist from Italy. Event details are as follows:

What: A Journey Into The Starry Skies — As Above So Below: World Renowned Harpist Christina Tourin debuts her new album “Geodepedie-Hidden Light”

When: Saturday, March 4, 7:30pm

Where: Phoenix Harp Center, 2700 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, Arizona 85004 (https://phoenixharpcenter.com/)

How: For details about joining online or in person, contact Jocelyn Obermeyer at 602.565.0522 or on Facebook messenger for more information.

TRACKS
01 Geodepédie Hidden Light (4:50)
02 Music Is Love (2:10)
03 Passacaglia — Handel’s Healing Harp (5:00)
04 Brigid’s Green Mantle (3:02)
05 Land O’ The Leal (3:20)
06 Early One Morning (2:01)
07 Walk Through The Sunflowers (2:54)
08 Reminisce (3:57)
09 Sommarpsalm (1:37)
10 Icelandic Northern Lights (6:57)
11 Grieg’s Morning Mood (1:46)
12 Largo — Vivaldi’s Vision (3:38)
13 Arigatou, I For You (3:23)
14 Amethyst Of Avalon (3:28)
15 As Above So Below (8:39)
16 Colors Of The Season (2:56)

Buy/Stream Christina Tourin
GEODEPEDIE — HIDDEN LIGHT: https://christinatourin.hearnow.com/
Spotify: https://www.youtube.com/user/CTourin
Amazon CD Link: https://a.co/d/7SJmYRr

WEBSITE https://www.playharp.com/christinatourin/
INSTAGRAM http://instagram.com/christinatourin
YOUTUBE https://youtube.com/@ctourin
FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/ctourin

Submitted: February 17, 2023

© Copyright 2023 Robin James. All rights reserved.

Originally published at https://www.booksie.com.