Notes on the Music
by Elan Sicroff

A few notes on the pieces played on this CD...
I first came across this music while attending a "Basic Course" run by J. G. Bennett at Sherborne, Gloucestershire, England in 1972. Bennett, one of the most important exponents of Gurdjieff's teaching, was directing a series of 10-month courses designed to give students an intensive training in the discipline of inner work he had studied over a period of over 50 years. While the main influence was from Gurdjieff, Bennett had delved into other paths, which he included in the training. Influences included the Shivapuri Baba in Nepal, who taught Right Life, and Hasan Shushud, a Sufi Master from Turkey, who practiced fasting, repetition and breath control. At the same time, we were taught color meditation and color healing by a visiting Cambodian Buddhist monk, the Venerable Dharmawara Mahathera (known as "Bhante").

I had arrived at Sherborne as a classically trained pianist, playing the music of Mozart and Beethoven. Bennett had a strong leaning towards Beethoven, who in his opinion, had "really seen something,"and he worked with me on several of the last piano sonatas. During this period, I heard the music composed by Thomas de Hartmann and Gurdjieff, primarily the music for the Sacred Dance, or Movements. It failed to make a big impression on me, as I was interested in the complexity of Western classical music, and this music seemed, if anything, a bit simplistic.

At some point I was introduced to the large body of music written not specifically for Movements. The Songs and Rhythms of Asia seemed to be the most accessible, but as I began to study them I noticed an interesting phenomenon - although they seemed to be very simple, they proved to be very elusive. I remember that the first piece that I felt comfortable with was The Song of the Fisherwomen, followed by The Kurdish Shepherd's Dance, but for the rest it was a slow process of assimilation. The music was literally in a foreign language, with its own phrasing and timing. The Sacred Hymns were on a different level than theSongs and Rhythms of Asia. At one point Bennett appeared while I was practicing Prayer and Despair and commented enigmatically that classical pianists have a problem playing this music!

Gradually I began to find a few touchstones in the various collections: one or two of the Hymns from a Great Temple began to make sense. I suddenly understood that the continuously repeated bass note in No.10 Sayyids has something to do with being aware of one's heartbeat, while the melody goes on in the upper register, and I later realized that this is a skill which a follower of the Fourth Way must learn to put into practice during life activity: that is, to be aware of oneself while engaged in outer activities.

From the beginning it was clear that the effect of this music depends on one's inner state. The seeming simplicity demands a high quality of attention to producing each sound, as well as an openness to receive the effect of each sound played. Of course, the same can be said about any music, and it is not my intention to belittle other musical genres, especially since I still love the classical literature myself. But in trying to put into words the particular aim of this music, it may be necessary to say something about the puzzle which Gurdjieff left us when he used the term "objective music" (discussed in the chapter of Beelzebub's Tales to his Grandson entitled "The Bokharian Dervish").

The point is, that this music often deals explicitly with certain states. Prayer of Gratitude and Prayer and Despair demand something unusual from the performer: how to get in contact with the states asked for in an essential, non-sentimental way. When playing this music therefore, a very high demand is made on the player as well as on the listener.

A special note about two pieces on this album. The Greek Letters Prayer is of unknown origin, and cannot be ascribed to de Hartmann/Gurdjieff. I have included it, however, because it has been a perennial favorite among listeners of the Gurdjieff/de Hartmann music. Whoever did write it was certainly onto something!

The Mazurka from Trois Morceaux Opus 4 was written by Thomas de Hartmann, probably when he was in his late teens or early twenties, before he met Gurdjieff in St. Petersburg. It is included to give an idea of where the composer "was coming from." Thomas de Hartmann left a large body of classical music, covering a variety of styles, from the salon to twelve tone fugues. This music is a true gold mine waiting to be discovered. Stay tuned!

A note about Mme. de Hartmann
In 1975 I met Mme. de Hartmann, widow of the composer, who had invited me to participate in a concert of her husband's music at McGill University in Montreal. She was full of life at 91, and was of the opinion that modern pianists were "too concerned with running up and down the keyboard," and had lost contact with the emotional component in the music. She took pains to impart this to me over the next four years, as we worked together on the ":Gurdjieff music" as well as on de Hartmann's classical works, until her death in 1979.

Elan Sicroff
Elan Sicroff currently lives in rural Massachusetts, where he is part of a group formed over the past 20 years to work practically with the teaching of J. G. Bennett and G. I. Gurdjieff. Basic training, seminars, and weekly group meetings provide the vehicle for deepening inner work. For information about activities, contact: info@sicroff.com

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