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INNER SONG

© Roslind M. Sherman

You may at once become enlightened into the magnificent energy and vibrations of nature,if you have ever read " BARTOK IN VERMONT " from the " Naked Face of Genius ", by Agatha Fassett. How GREATLY, environmental life forces affect the very BEING of a singer or musician.

Composer Bela Bartok is remembered in Vermont, as the strange wondering man, who's odd presence throughout the woods, harken legend type folklore. People recall that, " He would stare at an ordinary leaf from an ordinary tree as if he had never seen it before". " He would stand listening for the longest time to the call of some bird or the sound of a woodpecker hammering away at a dead tree". Others say, " He would hold a pine cone to his ear as if it were some fancy shell ". They pondered, " What on earth could he hear from it ". THE ANSWER IS MUSIC

This famous composer is only one of many musicians who literally drank in the essence of their environment, which resulted in the excellent contributions of their creative composing. What I am expressing here is the vital connection between man, nature and music.

We are extensions of our natural surroundings. Singers, infact all people are manifestations of the life force animating all creations. Our whole vital energy is taken from the elements known as PRANA. Breath is our main medium of intake.

When you hear, that someone has used up their reserve,it unconsciously means that the prana or vital energy form is gone or has weakened. Much of this knowledge is contained in a small book by Yogi Ramacharaka, called the , " Science of Breath".

So what is Breath or PRANA? It cannot be seen, YET it is visible and tangible in the mind's eye. No one has been able to duplicated it or re-produced it in a laboratory. In otherwords there is no substitute. In yoga, PRANA is compared to," Vitamin D in the sunlight ". IT IS SIMPLY THERE.....A LIFE FORCE.

Prana is food for the nerves and, goodness knows, Singers need help in this area. Controlling nervousness before a performance is imperative. Correct breathing soothes and restores the body. By slowing down the breath, we relax the nervous tension that destroys the beauty within.

Nervous tension seems to brings on chronic digestive and glandular disturbances, improper posture language, stilted movements and harassed facial expressions. As performers, we need to be aware, that during performance the INNER SONG must be as serene as possible. So how do we calm and relax ourselves?