The Mother of The Sea

Item details

• Description +

  • Hendrik’s ability to paint pictures with harmonies accompanies the wonders of nature itself. Greenland has many adventures and stories. Many of the tales come from the idea of nature having balance. You must respect nature, otherwise an imbalance will arise which will mean bad times for humanity.
    
    In stories there is often a Greenlandic shaman, an Anagoq, that has personal abilities and with the help of drumming and rituals can enter a trance and access the invisible spirit world. With him on the spirit journey, the Anagoq had his helper spirits who helped him if he encountered challenges. When there was sickness or hunger, the Anagoq went on a journey to the spirits of nature - the Moon Man or the The Mother of The Sea. These spirits rule over nature and if they become dissatisfied with human's behavior - they turn against humans. The task of the Anagoq is to satisfy the spirits so that the balance of life can be maintained.
    
    A myth about The Mother of The Sea tells of a family that had a long period of poor fishing. There they sought out the settlement's Anagoq to ask for help. Anagoq accepts the task and dances in a trance to the spirit world, in communion with his helper spirits. They traveled to the bottom of the sea where The Mother of The Sea lives in a house. Upon arrival, a large wolf suddenly appeared on the roof and guarded the house. Anagoq was quick and quickly rolled into the house without being spotted by the wolf. The Mother of The Sea was a giant and looked angry at the Anagoq. One of the helping spirits whispers into his ear that he should comb her hair to make her more happy. The Mother of The Sea fought back but the Anagoq was strong and held onto her hair. She got tired and Anagoq combed her hair. That made The Mother of The Sea very happy. The Mother of The Sea tells that human greed towards nature - filters and makes her hair messy and dirty. That was why there was no catch when The Mother of The Sea kept her animals back from the humans. She let go of all the animals again so that nature was again rich in animals - but she told Anagoq that the humans must not catch more than what they needed. Cooperation made Nature in balance again.
    
    Note:
    The pala shaker is a percussion instrument consisting of a hollow gourd filled with seeds or small pebbles. When shaken, the pala shaker creates a gentle, rustling sound that resembles the sound of water flowing or leaves rustling in the wind.
    
    Waterfall percussion, on the other hand, is a percussion technique that involves striking a series of drums or other percussion instruments in rapid succession, creating a rolling sound that imitates the sound of a waterfall. This technique is often used in tribal music and other forms of world music.
    
    When used together, the pala shaker and waterfall percussion can create a complex and layered sound that evokes the feeling of being near a rushing river or waterfall. Hang them both closely together and use your hands to roll them together to create a sound effect that emulates the sound of water.
    DriX

• Instrumentation +

  • Marimba
    Pala shaker
    Rainstick

• Watch+

  • Add ‘The Mother of The Sea’ to your personal playlist on Spotify

• About the composer +

  • Hendrik was born on 30th of march 1992 in Illorsuit - Greenland. Came to Denmark in 2001 and has since played the drums. Since the first time he observed music at age 3, he was hooked on the first note. Not only is he captured by music itself, but also fascinated by what it can describe, without words. Hendrik graduated at Holstebro MGK and has a Bachelor degree in Classical Percussion. Studied at Det Jyske Musikkonservatorium and SDMK - Danish National Academy of Music, Odense. He had the pleasure of being mentored by Søren Monrad, Johan Bridger, Anders Lynghøj and many great teachers and from fellow students to guide and inspire him. Hendrik has worked as a freelancer in symphony orchestras in Denmark, namely Aarhus - Aalborg - Sønderjylland and Det Kgl. Kapel. Hendrik has a natural talent for playing percussion and was raised in a tuneful family. Beside composing original percussion pieces, Hendrik plays in 3 bands  and works as a social pedagogue assistant.

• Credits +

  • Painting: Hendrik Holm
    Front Cover Graphics: Nicola Lee 
    Photo: Kim Frost
    Printed in Copenhagen, Denmark
    Copyright © Edition SVITZER
    www.editionsvitzer.com

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