SATOH SOMEI : Oto No Hajimari Wo Motomete 14 - Satoh Somei 羅鑾幻聲 = Rarangenjo

"Emerald Tablet" was produced at the NHK electronic music studio in 1978. It was made possible through the good offices of Mr. Wataru Uenami, who was a producer at NHK at the time. The sound material was created using only the sound of one note from each of the following instruments: a large bell (kin), tubular bells, and cymbals, which are used in Buddhist memorial services and other such occasions. The attack sound of each note was eliminated, and the notes were recorded multiple times in an infinite loop. This brought out a variety of beautiful overtones that could not be heard from the sound of a single note. The overtones interfering with each other created a roar, from which a dreamlike melody emerged in the high-pitched range. Harmonics are the most mysterious phenomenon in the world. "Emerald Tablet" was created as if guided by the wonder of harmonics. Those who gave me appropriate advice and kind guidance, as I was completely ignorant of electronic music (tape music) production, were Tsutomu Kojima, Tamio Yokoyama, Nobuji Minowa, and Mitsuru Oishi of the electronic music studio. If it were not for their involvement, this piece would never have seen the light of day. I would like to express my gratitude once again.

”Mandala”
This piece was composed in the fall of 1982 for the “Asian Views of the Universe” exhibition organized by the Japan Foundation and planned by graphic designer Kohei Sugiura. It was produced at the NHK electronic music studio. The only sound material used was my voice, which was dubbed over a hundred times. At the time, tape recorders would start to generate noise after three dubbing sessions, making the sound unlistenable. The engineers, notably Mr. Kojima, solved this problem. They created a system that allowed them to start up more than a dozen tape recorders simultaneously, and then recorded multiple tracks on a multi-channel recorder. The studio was also equipped with a high-precision frequency filter, which made it possible to instantly remove any frequency bands that were causing the sound to become muddy. This filter may have been the most important tool in the production of this piece. At the time, no one could have imagined the recording and filming capabilities of today's small devices like smartphones. However, through this primitive-seeming process, I was able to experience the mystery and wonder of sound.

”Raran Genjo”
Composed by commission from Akiko Nishigata.
In the title, “ra” means “dora” (a gong) as well as the sound of a gong. “Ran” refers to the bells attached to the horses of ancient Chinese emperors. By extension, it connotes the sound of bells.
In the middle volume of the Kojiki, the chronicle of Emperor Chuai, we see that Empress Jingu (Okinagatarashi-hime) became a priestess, and the emperor himself played the Kamu-ogigoto (invocation of the gods) on the koto, while Takenouchi-no-Sukune acted as the Sanawa (person who judges the gods). Today, this form of divine invitation is rarely seen, but in the world of folk shinto, it was once a common practice. In this work, I imagined Ms. Nishigata playing the divine koto as a priestess, and the Buddhist chanting master as a judge of the gods, and thought of the electronic sounds surrounding them as a magnificent flow of 'ki' (energy) that interacts with the infinite universe. That is because I believe that even inanimate objects such as wind, water and stones, as well as living things such as people, trees and grass, are all in resonance with the eternal resonance of 'ki' within this universe. I hoped that the soundless voice and soundless sound would resonate deeply with the soul of the priestess Nishigata.

”Mantra”
Composed in 1986 at the request of the NHK, and produced at the NHK electronic music studio. Like “Mandala”, it was produced using my own voice as the material, except that specific frequency bands and overtones were extracted and emphasized using a frequency filter. Later, I was commissioned by the University of Wellington in New Zealand to create a tape music work called “Tantra” using female vocals to complement “Mantra”. If you get the chance, please listen to this work too.



1 エメラルド・タブレット = Emerald Tablet 13:49
2 マンダラ = Mandala 10:10
3 羅鑾幻聲 = Rarangenjo 20:18
4 マントラ = Mantra 22:57

Composed By – Somei Satoh
Design – 金丸洋
Liner Notes – Somei Satoh

① Emerald Tablet, 1978
The source sounds are limited to a single strike of a gong, tubular bell, and cymbal. What initially appears to be a faint, weightless resonance gradually builds into a thick accumulation, slowly transforming into a thunderous roar reminiscent of a waterfall, despite its low volume.
　The vastness and depth of the universe of resonance hidden within a single sound. A world of sound that emerges from stretched-out time.
② 《Mandala》 1982
Each sound particle opens the ears like a gentle wave of light, gradually forming a quiet vortex of joy that shines throughout space and time, rising like an infinitely generative cosmic tree.
③《Rarangenjo》1983
I believe that even lifeless things such as wind, water, and stones, as well as living things such as humans, trees, and grass, are intertwined with the eternal resonance of “ki” in this universe. I hoped that the voiceless voice and soundless sound would enter the shaman's flesh, and that the mysterious world of the ultimate reality would be revealed there.
④《Mantra》1986
Composed by the composer himself, this piece combines the five vowels “a - e - i - o - u” in various ways and recites them in a chanting style. After hundreds of layers of recording and amplification through filters, a complex world of sound emerges that cannot be heard individually.
The quality of the sound, where the overtones within each vowel are emphasized and resonate together to form a new “melody,” evokes the profound beauty of gazing up at the sky in pitch-black darkness, facing the light of stars pouring down from afar, and the impression of one's inner self becoming empty and being drawn into the void.