The Eternal and the Ephemeral

The Eternal and the Ephemeral

7 Tracks45 MIN2022

℗ Le Chant du Monde — Harmonia Mundi

The 15th recording in the Le Chant du Monde collection evokes a central theme in the soul’s spiritual journey—the precariousness of this world and the perenniality of the next. From one musical piece to the next, Ostad Elahi reminds us that everything in this world is perishable and that eternal bliss is found only in proximity to the Creator.

“What Ostad Elahi’s life shows us is that when we look back at the historical accounts, or the mythical accounts, of the great sages of the past and sometimes wonder to ourselves, ‘Could such an extraordinary person have really lived and walked this earth?’ the answer has to be yes, because here is one of them who was recently among us.”
—Theodore Levin, PhD
Arthur R. Virgin Professor of Music
Dartmouth College

For more on the art and philosophy of Ostad Elahi’s music, see Jean During, The Spirit of Sounds: The Unique Art of Ostad Elahi (Cranbury, NJ: Cornwall Books, 2003).

Suite of Zekrs

The three zekrs¹ in this suite are addressed to Soltān;² the first and third were composed by Ostad, while the second was composed by his father Hādj Nemat.³

The first zekr is characterized by a recurring chord that concludes each phrase of the chant. An astute listener will hear a number of improvised movements of rhythm, creating the impression of multiple instruments being played at the same time.

Soltān Sahākī Ali gīān
Shāy tanīā tākī Ali gīān
O Ali, my Beloved, you are Soltān Sahāk, the Lord
O Ali, my Beloved, you are the unique and peerless King

The second and third zekrs are quite close from a melodic standpoint and are especially rhythmic. Behind the simple chant lies a highly dense melody with a multitude of subtle variations and ornaments.

Soltān-e mardān yā Ali
Shafāy kol dardān yā Ali
You are the Sovereign of all beings, O Ali
You are the remedy for all ills, O Ali
Soltān sar jam Hū Hū
Zāt-esh va jam Hū Hū
Soltān, He presides over the gathering, Hū Hū
His essence is present in this gathering, Hū Hū

As is often the case, this series of zekrs ends with “Hū avval-o ākherem Yār” (He! [You] are my beginning and my end).

¹ A zekr is a sacred hymn in which participants repeat the refrains in chorus.² Soltān Sahāk (or Eshāq) was a great theophany of the fourteenth centuries and is considered the founder of the Ahl-e Haqq order, the mystical tradition in which Ostad Elahi was raised. Addressing Soltān is also a way of invoking the Divinity, as is invoking Hū, which refers to both the personal pronoun "He" and the "Breath."³ A writer and mystical poet in the Kurdish and Persian languages, Hādj Nemat is regarded as a great saint of the Ahl-e Haqq tradition.

Tracklist

Suite of Zekrs

The Eternal and the Ephemeral

Suite of Zekrs

The Eternal and the Ephemeral

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