SEVEN SACRED NAMES

MICHAEL HARRISON

CANTALOUPE MUSIC IS FROM THE CREATORS OF BANG ON A CAN.℗&© 2021 Cantaloupe Music, LLC. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws.Cantaloupe Music, 80 Hanson Place, Suite 301, Brooklyn, NY 11217

KALIM: PROLOGUE (5:37)

HAYY: REVEALING THE TONES (4:35)

ALIM: POLYPHONIC RAGA MALKAUNS (12:31)

QADR: ETUDE IN RAGA BHIMPALASI (13:15)

MUREED (6:30)

SAMI: THE ACOUSTIC CONSTELLATION (2:33)

BASIR (15:16)

KALIM: EPILOGUE (5:32)

Michael Harrison, Roomful of Teeth, Tim Fain, Ashley Bathgate, Caleb Burhans, Payton MacDonald, Ina Filip, and Ritvik Yaparpalvi

All music composed by Michael Harrison | © Michael Harrison/Michael Harrison Music (BMI) except Alim: Polyphonic Raga Malkauns composed by Michael Harrison, Payton MacDonald and Ina Filip

UPC/EAN: 713746315726

Michael Harrison | Seven Sacred Names

Music corresponding to the seven stages of universal awakening outlined in the book Nature’s Hidden Dimension by W.H.S. Gebel 01 Kalim: Prologue (5:37)Composed by Michael HarrisonPerformed by Tim Fain (violin), Caleb Burhans (viola), Ashley Bathgate (cello), and Michael Harrison (just intonation piano)Produced and engineered by Ryan Streber, mixed by Adam Abeshouse 02 Hayy: Revealing the Tones (4:35)Composed by Michael HarrisonPerformed by Michael Harrison (just intonation piano)Produced and engineered by Adam AbeshouseFrom “Revelation” (Cantaloupe Music 2007)

03 Alim: Polyphonic Raga Malkauns (12:31)Composed and produced by Michael Harrison, Payton MacDonald & Ina FilipPerformed by Payton MacDonald (vocals), Ina Filip (vocals), Michael Harrison(just intonation piano), Caleb Burhans (violin drones), and electronic tanpurasPiano tracks engineered by Adam AbeshouseMixed and co-produced by Sam Torres and Adam Abeshouse

04 Qadr: Etude in Raga Bhimpalasi (13:15)Composed by Michael HarrisonPerformed by Michael Harrison (just intonation piano), Ritvik Yaparpalvi (tabla), and drone created by Payton MacDonald with Caleb Burhans (violin) and electronic tanpurasProduced and engineered by Adam Abeshouse

05 Mureed (6:30)Composed by Michael HarrisonPerformed by Tim Fain (violin) and Michael Harrison (piano, standard tuning)Produced and engineered by Ryan Streber, mixed by Adam Abeshouse 06 Sami: The Acoustic Constellation (2:33)Composed by Michael HarrisonPerformed by Roomful of TeethRecorded Live at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJRecorded by Damon Lange 07 Basir (15:16)Composed by Michael HarrisonPerformed by Michael Harrison (harmonic piano)Produced by Michael Harrison and Sam Torres

08 Kalim: Epilogue (5:32)Composed by Michael HarrisonPerformed by Ashley Bathgate (cello) and Michael Harrison (just intonation piano)Produced and engineered by Ryan Streber, mixed by Adam Abeshouse Edited by Ryan Streber and Adam AbeshouseMastered by Adam AbeshouseCustom just intonation tunings by Michael Harrison using Steinway concert grand pianos

All music composed by Michael Harrison | © Michael Harrison/Michael Harrison Music (BMI) except “Alim: Polyphonic Raga Malkauns” composed by Michael Harrison (Michael Harrison Music, BMI), Payton MacDonald (Kaida Music, ASCAP) and Ina Filip (SOCAN)

FOREWORD by W.H.S. Gebel

Seven Sacred Names, composed by Michael Harrison, is meant as a compan-ion album to my book entitled Nature’s Hidden Dimension. The book takes as its premise that the universe has an inner as well as an outer life, intelligence has always existed, and the unfolding and evolution of the universe is a sign of the universal intelligence wishing to know itself. Discoveries in the scientific fields of cosmology and biology have sparked our imagination with a fascinating story of origins and evolution. We understand through science much about the workings of nature. However, there is another dimension to our experience that science hasn’t been able to touch, our inner life. Intelligence and consciousness remain mysteries as well as some of their experiential implications such as love and a sense of right and wrong. Complementing the discipline of science is another very different discipline practiced by mystics of all cultural and religious traditions. The mystical disci-pline is well-suited to uncovering the mysteries of the inner life. As they delved deeper, mystics discovered that our identity as an individual separated from others is an illusion. Our inner life merges in its depth into the universal inner life. What story then do they have to tell about the origins and evolution of the universal inner life? The mystical story begins with vibration, a primal rhythmic motion. Music as we know it is a complex superposition of vibrations propagated through the air

in sound waves. Would it be farfetched to say that at the origin of the inner life of the universe, what first emerged was music? According to the mystical cos-mology of Sufism, out of the Absolute came perfect divine qualities. There are Arabic names for these qualities and much has been written about their mean-ing. Seven of these primal qualities have been designated as the Seven Sacred Names. To go beyond the concepts that describe these Names, I felt that a pre-verbal expression of them in the form of music would help to elucidate the story line, which says “I was a Hidden Treasure and I longed to be known, so I created the World that I might know myself.”

Fortunately, I found composer Michael Harrison a perfect partner for this ambition. Not only is he a distinguished and innovative composer, but he is also a student of Sufism, having already established a deep familiarity with the subject matter. The seven compositions in this album are reflections of the perfect qualities of the Seven Sacred Names. My wish for these compositions was that they should be somewhat ethereal and tentative as the promise of what would be revealed with the evolving elaboration of the universe. They should be reminiscent of human sentiments but removed from the human drama. Their beauty should anticipate the ups and downs of life. Their character should be enticing, kindling the desire of the primal intelligence to know more about the music of its true nature.

The Seven Sacred Names tell the story of an awakening primal Self. Al Hayy signals the realization that “I exist” when nothing else is known.Al Alim is a self-reflection with the discovery that “I know I exist.”Al Qadr is an awakening of agency, “I have the power and will to do something.”Al Mureed signifies the birth of desire, the motivation needed to direct the will,

“I desire for something.”Al Sami is an awakening to an innate capacity for self-discovery, in this case, an ability to detect vibration, “I have the capacity of hearing.”Al Basir is the second capacity of discovery to awaken, the ability to detect light,

“I have the capacity of seeing.”Al Kalim is the culminating capacity needed to fulfill the desire for self-knowl-edge. In order to know oneself, one must have the capacity to express what one contains, “I have the capacity to express all that is within me.”

For more about everything you hear on this recording, visit cantaloupemusic.com and michaelharrison.com. To get specially priced advance copies of all our new releases, as well as catalog discounts and other perks, sign up for the Cantaloupe Club or our digital subscription service at cantaloupemusic.com/fans.

Special thanks to Marina Harrison, Reiko Füting, Kala Pierson, Debra-Sue Cope, Yaddo, Ucross Foundation, Millay Colony for the Arts, and McColl Center for Art + Innovation

Executive producers: Michael Gordon, David Lang, Kenny Savelson and Julia Wolfe Label manager: Bill MurphySales and Licensing: Adam CuthbertLabel Assistant: Cassie Wieland Art direction: Noah Scalin | Another Limited Rebellion