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would strum his
golden harp to move seventeen boulders to the highest peaks of
Mount Killare, and placed them in a perfect circle, what we
familiarly call the "Druids Ring".The legend also says that Craiftine, the faithful musician of the
lovely princess of Ireland, Moriath, gave new speech to the young king who was to wed with
her by playing the three melodies all harpist devoted from the Celts identify with: the
wailing refrain, the smiling refrain and the sleeping refrain.
We could
go on with examples forever. But, the ones we have just talked about should be a
sufficient testimony of the highest consideration that, from Homer's Greece to the time of
Brigit's Ireland, queen and mother of all harpists, this instrument, the dearest to the
Gods and poets, was given. It is not just by chance that it’s also associated to the
White Swan, well known symbol in terms of the mystic journey toward "Higher
Worlds".
Now,
we’ll try to bridge this huge gap between time and space to arrive quickly, in our
own time dimension. We don’t really understand what role the legend played in the
Seventies, in which young Loreena McKennitt learned to play the magical harp. What we do
know, and know it very well, is that it changed her life enormously, starting from that
particular day. Daughter of a professional butcher of Morden, Manitoba young Loreena
dreamed to become a veterinary. Until one day, something very strange happened to her. It
all began in a smoky folk club in Winnipeg where she happened to listen to some Celtic
melodies, this was enough to shake her Irish roots. So a few years later she found herself
in London, and it only seemed natural to buy herself a Celtic harp in a second hand store,
which, by the way is same ones she uses today and of course the same one with which she
forgot her veterinarian dream. Therefore we can assume, without too much guessing that her
actual activity goes back to the unforgettable night in Canada.
Loreena
is far too modest, we could say "understated," in comparison with many of her
colleagues, especially those more famous and venerated than her. But those who have often
listened to her concerts, like Lynne Van Matre, critic for the Chicago Tribune, claim that
her inclination for the harp represents something absolutely innate and ancestral. "
McKennitt" she writes " possesses the ability - rare - to create a complex
sound. Which is, a great evocation of the ancient Irish music and at the same time, a
continuos appeal towards present day nobility and innovation." She continues,
"her voice summarizes in every way the stigmas of magic, capable of reducing to zero
all possible comparisons with other musicians."
Precisely,
the voice. Loreena possesses an "extra instrument," the voice, capable of
offering various colors and shades somewhat like an authentic Pandora’s Box. Her
voice is an enviable blend between Enya's rare tones, "the chanteuse" of Sligo
already active in the Clannad, and to the atmospheres evoked by Agnes Buen Garnas' voice,
the sublime Swedish vocalist who helped in make the great saxophonist Jan Garbarck’s
quartet. Her voice is undeniably "northern" even though a close listener would
probably hear the echoes of the many primary sources of sound of today's world music.
"For example, the Arab singsongs that I once heard while traveling in southern Spain
and Morocco. Or maybe the Qawaali, song of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who is one of her
favorite Artist." She stated, practically underlining the cosmopolitan character of
her personal style, and the almost infinite extent of her models of reference.
It’s
exactly at this point, this polycentrism that knows no frontiers or barriers, which gave
birth to her polite controversy in regards of the New Age music. "It occurs that in
USA many people tend to associate the terminology "New Age music" as a very
restricted and particular type of music, such as atmosphere music essentially. In first
place, having the tendency to cure the psychic- physical well being of the listener"
declares Loreena, "Let me make myself clear, I too care very much for my estimators'
good vibrations. But this objective, though noble, can’t make me forget the
conflicting versatility in my music. This means the cultural influences which converge in
an equal manner in my music, and why most of the colleagues which I work with, all come
from different territories, like jazz, rock, or Latin music or even experimental
avant-garde music."
This
specification is very important. Unlike most New Age music, which is almost always built
around trail lumps separated from history, and reiterated infinitely thanks to the use of
synthesizers, sequencers and other modern electronic devices, Loreena’s music is able
to stretch a daring bridge between "Here and Now" and those ancient echoes of
the past. This explains why her last records -"The Visit", "The Mask in the
Mirror" and her most recent "The Book of Secrets," titles of an authentic
trilogy - present an amazing resemblance in terms of background, of research, and of pure
inspiration. "These really are proper documents of my exploration in this
field", she simply says. These are admirable frescos of fresh sounds, at first put
together around a strong but rough idea, then, step by step, getting more precise like all
works in progress. These works could not exist without historic meditation, an
investigation of the human experience, and a careful attention aimed at identifying all
emotions, from the weaker ones to the most intense.
This is
the final authentic significance of "The Book of Secrets". Since the title was
taken from ancient alchemy books, it testifies the will to reflect on certain
"philosophical" tangles, today, still unsolved. The issue being, who is to have
the power to control the information necessary for the progress of humanity. But then
– as an almost necessary appendix- comes Loreena’s conviction, absolutely
personal, but completely understandable, on one side " the more you learn about the
world, the more you learn about yourself ", and on the other hand, "the most
interesting secrets are always those discovered about ourselves". Principally it
brings us to the enlightening aphorism coined by the ineffable Lao Tzu (the Old Child
Maestro) many years ago, that’s 25 centuries before Bruce Chatwin, literally stated,
" every good traveler has no fixed destination nor does he care when he’ll
arrive".
Among
these "non- fixed destinations," very evident is voyage by excellence, the Walk
of the Spirit. But in this case, as it happens, Loreena McKennitt gives proof of a kind of
humility that’s strict yet aware. Basically she states " I’m still at the
beginning stage of my own self-searching. During the registration of " The Mask and
the Mirror" I was able to comprehend Spanish history, the breaking of this country
into three religious communities, and the great ability of people to be involved
spiritually. All this touched me very deeply. During the making of "The Book of
Secrets" instead I felt extremely emotional, while traveling on the Transiberian. The
human drama which you could see being consumed outside of my window, in front of a
multitude of desperate people, resolved itself in an extraordinary spiritual experience.
From that moment I suddenly had the conviction that humanity's need of spirituality is
still becoming stronger. And, above all, always more receptive toward leaving the
restricted cages prepared by the religious institutions."
Who still
believes in the immanence of Fate, maybe might think that a thought of this kind had
entered secretly into the mind of Loreena by mere inspiration of natural probability. The
law of large numbers surely is, and always will be, an excellent life-boat, won’t it.
But who, on the contrary, begins to nurture the doubt that all things that occur in human
existence are tied to each other by a, surely invisible thread, but non the less strong
and rigid, can not, not notice the "singularity" of the circumstances.
Siberia,
is, indeed, still today one of the places assigned for planetary Shamanism. And Shamanism,
for experts like John Matthews, is the most ancient spiritual discipline known in the
world. It is not an organized religion but a complex exercise, capable of bridging all
faiths and beliefs to reach the deepest levels of ancestral memories.
There
still remains the suspicion that Loreena’s trip to Siberia was more than just a banal
accident, casually directed for the creation of a splendid song "Night Ride Across
the Caucasus". On the contrary, it’s a clear certainty that this was a
"non- destination" for antonomasia, positioned in a pretty place so someone
could draw from it the fundaments – maybe only small, but still less certain and
ephemeral – necessary for the cure of a sick world. Indeed, the authentic Shamanism
has dealt with this, since always.
One thing
is certain: the instrument that Mother Earth gave as a gift to Loreena, she now admirably
is giving us, with crystal and uncontaminated sounds. She moves seas and mountains with
her enchanted harp, and as fortune will have it, she will continue to do so in saecula
saeculorum. Amen.
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