HARC: Blessed by Light is the second collaboration of Ana Hernandez and Ruth Cunningham (HARC). It contains beauty and fun, is great for tooling down the highway, for yoga, or for meditation. There are chants, tunes, rounds, and mantras for your heart, for group singing, to usher you into heaven and enjoy the party upon your arrival; to help you be your best self in the holiday traffic or right before you sleep. There are tunes that used to sound different somehow, tunes with other tunes buried inside them, and a bit of folk music thrown in for good measure. There are a few tunes from a new hymnal, Music by Heart. We hope you like the variety, close harmonies, and instrumentation. Thanks for dropping by.
Musicians:
Ruth Cunningham - Vocals, flute, harp
Ana Hernandez - vocals, guitar, percussion, shruti box
Eugene Friesen - Cello
Sr. Helena Marie - flute on Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha
Mark Dann - electric guitar, bass
Ruth is a founding member of the acclaimed women's vocal quartet Anonymous 4, with whom she's made ten recordings, while Ana, formerly of the vocal duo The Miserable Offenders, is author of the The Sacred Art of Chant: Preparing to Practice, from Skylight Paths Publishing (read all about it at www.anahermusic.com).
Ana and Ruth have been collaborating performers and sound healers since 2001. In addition to newly composed and traditional tunes, they enjoy creating improvised counterpoint. They have facilitated experiences of healing sound and chant at conferences, workshops, and concerts, and are often called upon to create innovative liturgies. The work of HARC comes out of their individual practice and experience with chanting and sacred sound, and their desire to share with others the potential of sound and music to transform lives.
Notes:
Arise, Shine – Tune by Ruth Cunningham, text Isaiah 60:1, arr. Ana Hernández
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.
Om Tare Tuttare Ture Swaha - by Ana Hernández
The mantra of Green Tara. Tara is the energy that unites wisdom and compassion and protects us from the eight great fears: fire (anger), drowning (attachment), lions (pride), elephants (ignorance) imprisonment (greed), snakes (jealousy) demons (doubt) and thieves (false views). Tar in Sanskrit means to cross over, as in using a bridge.
In Paradisum – Traditional Gregorian Chant:
In paradisum deducant te angeli,
in tuo adventu
suscipiant te martyres,
et perducant te
in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem.
Chorus angelorum te suscipiat,
et cum Lazaro quondam paupere
aeternam habeas requiem.
May the angels lead you into paradise,
may the martyrs receive you
at your coming,
and may they guide you
into the holy city, Jerusalem.
May the chorus of angels receive you
and with Lazarus, once poor,
may you have eternal rest.
Sri Krishna Saranam Ma Ma - Traditional, arr. Ana Hernández
A liberation mantra to take you across the ocean of samsara (the phenomenal world); it frees us from the cycle of rebirth. Rough translation: Krishna is my shelter.
This Little Light - Traditional, arr. Ana Hernández
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. 3x
Let it shine. 3x
All around the world, I'm gonna let it shine. 3x
Let it shine. 3x
Everywhere I go, I'm gonna let it shine. 3x
Let it shine. 3x
All through the night, I'm gonna let it shine. 3x
Let it shine. 3x
Lying in your arms, I'm gonna let it shine. 3x
Let it shine. 3x
Tar A Thighearna - by Ruth Cunningham, arr. Cunningham, Hernández
Tar a thighearna, tar a hee. Translation: Come, Oh thou Lord. Come, Oh thou being.
Om Namah Shivaya - by Ana Hernández
Rough translation: I honor the Divine within. This mantra leads to spiritual maturity.
Come Light of Lights - by Ruth Cunningham, arr. Hernández
Come light of lights into my heart. Come wisdom of spirit into my heart.
Christ Be with Me - Ruth Cunningham
Christ be with me, Christ before me,
Christ to the right of me, Christ behind me,
Christ to the left of me, Christ above me,
Christ below me, Christ within me.
Brother James’ Air – Traditional, adapted and arr. Ana Hernández. Psalm 84 paraphrased by Carl P. Daw, Jr. Used by permission.
How lovely is thy dwelling place, O Lord of hosts, to me!
My thirsty soul desires and longs within thy courts to be;
my very heart and flesh cry out, O living God, for thee.
Beside thine altars, gracious Lord, the swallows find a nest; how happy they who dwell with thee and praise thee without rest, and happy they whose hearts are set upon the pilgrim's quest.
They who go through the desert vale will find it filled with springs, and they shall climb from height to height till Zion's temple rings in praise to thee...
One day within thy courts excels a thousand spent away;
how happy they who keep thy laws nor from thy precepts stray, for thou shalt surely bless all those who live the words they pray.
Be The Peace - Tune by Ana Hernández, text by M. K. Gandhi:
Be the peace you wish to see in the world.
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