Composer: Ingrid StölzelDetailsFormat: Mixed Choir - 4 voicesVoicing: SATBAccompaniment: unaccompaniedNotation: standardPerformance Length: 4:00 Study Scores & Audio FilesStudy Score & Audio Order Printed ScoresOrder site / Alternate source of score: www.ingridstolzel.com Texts & TranslationsLanguage(s): SanskritText Source: Sanskrit MantraText: So Ham, Ham Sa.Translation: Who am I? I am that. Programming AidsPerformance Difficulty: difficultDescriptive Terms: awarenessbreathmantrameditationuniversalAllow Excerpts: Composition is a single movementComposer’s Notes: The Sanskrit Mantra So ham ham sa has been called the universal breath mantra. Its vibration resembles the sound of the breath during inhalation (so ham) and exhalation (ham sa). I was drawn to this mantra because it is the breath that connects us all and brings everything into being. Breath is our first act of life as we enter this world, and our last as we depart it. In between, we take on average a staggering 17,000 breaths a day, mostly unaware of our breathing, while a barely audible mantra continuously flows through our bodies as we inhale and exhale. It is the awareness of our breath that lies at the heart of Into Being. Additional InformationDate of Completion: December, 2011Date of First Performance: Saturday, March 3, 2012Premier Performance Data: Octarium, Community Christian Church, Kansas CityAdditional Performances: 3/11/2013: Khorikos (Jesse Peckham, cond), Kaufman Music Center, Merkin Concert Hall, New York, NY.
