Thanks to those of you who listened to our annual Bewitched Genre program on Nov.2, 2007 from Noon to 3 pm.
Thanks to our guest witches, Bill Baldwin and Madaleine Alexander from South Bay Circles.
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Here is the playlist for the 2007 Bewitched program, followed by a definition of Bewitched Music, the complete list of Bewitched Music so-far compiled, a background article on Halloween by a previous guest, and some neat web sites and phone numbers if you want further info on witches, ghosts, Halloween, and the Day of the Dead. If you have a comment, question or suggestion for the list, you can contact me by email. |
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Artist |
Title (Album and/or performer) |
|---|---|
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Donovan |
Season of the Witch (Sunshine Superman) |
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J.S.Bach |
Toccata and Fugue in d minor, S. 565 (Anton Heiller, organist) |
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Louis Vierne |
Fantomes (Pieces of Fantasie, Olivier Latry, organist) |
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Charlie Murphy |
The Burning Times (Catch the Fire) |
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Klaus Schulze |
Mindphaser (Moondawn)(portion, and in background) |
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Cream |
Strange Brew (Disreali Gears) |
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Heart |
Magic Man (Dreamboat Annie) |
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Klaus Schulze |
Totem (Picture Music)(portion, and in background) |
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Loreena McKennitt |
All Souls Night (The Visit) |
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Neil Norman and his Cosmic Orchestra |
Twilight Zone |
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Santana |
Black Magic Woman (Abraxis) |
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Eagles |
Witchy Woman |
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Osamu Kitajima |
Benzaiten, God of Music and Water, Reprise (Benzaiten) |
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Fleetwood Mac |
Rhiannon (Fleetwood Mac) |
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David Parsons |
Tantra (Dorje Ling) (portion) |
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Paul Dukas |
Night on Bald Mountain (Magic! Richard Conte, organ)(portion and in background) |
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Kay Gardner |
Cauldron of Cerridwen (Emerging) |
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Fontain's M.U.S.E. |
Ghost (Mystic Kiss) |
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Zombies |
She's Not There |
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Strawberry Alarm Clock |
Incense and Peppermints |
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Paul Dukas |
Sorceror's Apprentice (Magic! Richard Conte, organ)(background) |
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Louis Vierne |
Scherzo, Symphony #6; Olivier Latry, organist (Pieces of Fantasie) |
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Louise Hebner |
Witchcraft (interview, from LP The Occult Explosion) |
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Abandoned Toys |
The Witch's Garden, Prelude (title track)(portion and in background) |
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Gounod |
Funeral March of a Marionette (Fiedler, Boston Pops) |
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Paul Greaver |
Bhagwan (Joy) |
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David Michael/Randy Mead |
Flight of the Magicians (Petals in the Stream)(portion) |
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What is Bewitched
Music? This is a term I've coined for a style everyone recognizes. It is not just ghoulish popular Halloween tunes, but a cross-cultural style using many different instruments that evokes conditions when the veil between the worlds is the thinnest, the traditional Celtic definition of the Halloween (or Samhain) season when we are able to communicate with the dead and the ancestors. It is thus one type of Mystic Music. The Bewitched Genre of music has four traits (one for each of the four elements and four directions). It must have the MUSICAL traits as well as the more-obvious subject matter to fit the genre. 1. The subject matter (the air or intellectual aspect). The title, artist's name, lyrics or program of a Bewitched piece has to do with ghosts, witches, spirits, Halloween, the paranormal, the other side, the dark side, magic(k) and the occult, gods and (especially) goddesses, and the mysterious powers of nature. Sometimes, as in the case of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in d minor, popularly known as "The Phantom of the Opera theme," the title or program is added by later writers or commentators, because the music seemed to them so evocative of bewitched themes. 2. The minor key or mode (the water or emotional aspect). The most genuine pieces of Bewitched Music are in this key (often with lots of flats and base notes) to evoke the feeling of exploring the darkness of the unknown and the magical. But Bewitched Music is not overly ghoulish, tragic or Satanic, but is humorous, strong and positive and helps us peer beyond the veil of death with courage. Bewitched Music has a gentle, mysterious and natural quality despite its passionate power and its almost-manic weirdness. 3. The rhythm (the earth or physical aspect). All Bewitched pieces have a swaying rhythm of a moderate to moderate-fast tempo that suggests a spell, ceremony, ritual dance or drumming circle to help us tap the inward sources of power. This rhythm is strong, though sometimes a bit off-beat, and elicits clever and engaging melodies often heard in the base and played on a keyboard or guitar. Often before the rhythm sets in, an enchanting, beguiling, haunting introduction leads you into the music. 4. The haunting, eerie sounds (the fire or spiritual aspect). These ghostly, ethereal, spooky, haunting, mysterious, sometimes scary sounds could involve an organ, a harpsichord, electronic or natural special effects, eerie voices, dark and unusual chord structures or perhaps just some abrupt, dissonant or dark-sounding notes. These sounds could be bizarre or wacky sometimes, but this is not over-emphasized in genuine Bewitched Music Often Bewitched
Music is influenced by Celtic, Gothic, Northern
European, Middle Eastern, East Indian or Native American
sources. J.S. Bach and the "Fantastic School" of North
German organ music from which the Toccata in d Minor comes
were the first major examples in Western Classical
music.
The romantic classical composers, with their interest in the exotic, contributed mightily to the Bewitched Genre as it exists today, often making use of the pagan folk music traditions of their native lands. Some of the most typical examples, such as Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain, Dukas' Sorceror's Apprentice and Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, were featured (along with Bach's Toccata and Fugue in d minor) in Walt Disney's epic cartoon movie "Fantasia" (whenever you see the word "fantasy" or "fantastic," it's a clue that you are probably entering bewitched territory).
Bewitched Music entered rock'n'roll in the mid-1960s, just as the pagan and occult revival began in our culture. A SF Bay Area DJ of the time, "Morgan," noticed around Halloween 1964 that songs of a darker, ghostlier style had become popular. This was when a whole group of performers with mysterious-sounding names came on the scene simultaneously: The Zombies, The Searchers, The You Know Who Group, The Who, and The Guess Who. Then in 1965 came Them, and also the Yardbirds, the pioneering predecessor to Led Zeppelin, many of whose members were themselves occultists. The psychedelic years, 1966-67, produced many great examples of bewitched tunes, and I had already noticed the similarities among them. In 1966 I used Lee Mallory's "That's the Way it's gonna Be" as the basis for a spooky, home-made Halloween tape which I played for approaching trick-or-treaters. Since then, many other fine and rather obvious examples of Bewitched Music have appeared in rock.
It also appears from time to time in today's New Age music, perhaps because neo-paganism and magick have come to play a major role in today's "new age" culture. Contemporary meditation or "space music," though it can be very eerie and spooky, does not usually fit the style of Bewitched Music since it has no rhythm; unless it is in the more rhythmic styles, such as that influenced by the 1970s German space music. Sometimes in the works of German New Age pioneer Klaus Schulze, some of which are among the spookiest and most bewitched music ever made, the bewitching rhythm is only barely discernable in the vibrato of his electronic sounds. Another category in which Bewitched Music is sometimes found is folk music, which I have lumped together with other examples in a category of mostly acoustic and vocal music. Some of this is influenced by different world cultures, such as Celtic and the others mentioned above. Other famous examples of Bewitched Music come from the realm of TV and movies.
Here is the complete list of Bewitched Music with all the examples which I have compiled so far. |
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CLASSICAL Spooky bewitched organ music
J.S. Bach, Toccata and Fugue in d Minor (S. 565), Prelude and Fugue in c Minor (S. 549), Fantasia and Fugue in g Minor (S. 542), Passacaglia
and Fugue in c Minor (S. 583), Prelude and Fugue in e Minor
"Night Watch" or "Cathedral" (S. 533) Louis Vierne, Pieces of Fantasie: Feux Follets (Jack'o' Lanterns, or Will-o-the-Wisp/ignus fatuus) from Suite 2, Fantomes (Ghosts) from Suite 3, and Gargoyles and Chimeras from Suite 4. His Scherzos in Organ Symphonies #5 and 6 are also in a bewitched style and are referred to by commentators as "grotesque." The first Maestoso movement of his Mass Op. 16, though obviously Christian in theme, also has a strongly bewitched tone in its version for solo organ. The Intermezzo from his String Quartet is described by Jean-Pierre Mazeirat as "a fantasmagorical world where mischievous gnomes, elves, trolls, imps and sprites cavort in a fantastic jig-- one that foreshadows the principle theme of The Sorceror's Apprentice which Paul Dukas was to compose three years later." Anton Heiller, Tanze Toccata Bewitched orchestral classics, romantic and modern
Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique
ROCK
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NEW AGE/SPACE
MUSIC FOLK AND
CELTIC SHOW TUNES, MOVIE/TV THEMES |
If you would like to suggest a possible addition to our list of Bewitched Music, email me at: eameece@california.com
Halloween-- A Witch's Perspective
by Janet Christian
(past guest on our programs)
The roots of modern-day Halloween come from many different times and cultures. However, several comtemporary practices have relatively distinct historical roots. This brief paper describes some of the more interesting beliefs and where they come from.
Halloween is the midpoint between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. Halloween, also called Samhain since times gone by, is an ancient Celtic festival that celebrates the beginning of winter, marked by death, and the beginning of the Celtic new year. Samhain is related to the Gaelic verb samhaim, which means "to quiet down, become silent".
This is the time to think about our own mortality. Many believe that the veil or barrier between the world of the living and the world of the dead is at its thinnest on this night, and dead souls visit their living relatives. This is a good day to give alms to the poor. The spirits receive these gifts with favor. In Europe, food is passed out to the poor at the gates of cemeteries.
Samhain marks the third and final harvest and storage of provisions for the winter. Samhain is also a time for getting rid of weaknesses, a time when Pagans once slaughtered weak animals that were unlikely to survive the winter. This was considered kinder to the animal than allowing it to starve or freeze, and provided food for the village throughout the long winter nights.
A common ritual, in which many people still participate, calls for writing down weaknesses on a piece of paper or parchment and tossing it into the fire. Cakes are also baked as offerings for the souls of the dead.
In modern terms, Samhain is known as all-hallows eve, or Halloween, and a multitude of customs have evolved in its observance. The custom of trick-or-treating originates from two traditions: one is an old Irish peasant practice of going door to door to collect money, breadcake, cheese, eggs, butter, nuts, apples, and other food in preparation for the festival of Saint Columb Kill. The other is from a British custom of begging for the poor.
Dressing in custume and going trick-or-treating also comes from these ancient traditions. In this country, it is the children who go from door to door. But in other countries, adults also join this procession. In ancient times, the people of the villages would dress in costumes representing all of the dead spirits that had crossed back over into the land of the living. These spirits included nature spirits, plant spirits, and human spirits. They held a procession of honor from house to house, leading the dead along. The tradition of giving treats to the processioners was also to honor the dead. If a household did not honor the dead with a gift, then that household stood a good chance of being tricked in some way by the angry spirits.
Jack-o-lanterns were lit at each house, as well as carried, to mark the path of the procession. Originally, turnips were dug up, had faces carved in them, and were lit from within. These jack-o-lanterns not only lit the procession, they were also a welcome to the spirits returning from the underworld. The name jack-o-lantern comes from the Green Man, an ancient Celtic God of the Earth and life. Jack was another name for the Green Man, and you will find references to him in many other holidays as well, such as Jack Frost, Jack in the Green, Jack Fool, and even John Barleycorn.
Another tradition that still survives is called the Dumb Supper. This supper is a time to set out a feast honoring your dead ancestors. At the Dumb Supper, families set a special place at the table for the beloved dead. The rest of the family ate in silence, so that any messages from the dead ancestor might be "heard".
The true stars of Halloween are the elderly; they represent the year now worn old and grey. Remember grandmothers, grandfathers, and elderly relatives. Give them greeting cards and food, or take them out to dinner. To appease the past is also good luck for the future.
According to Celtic legend, the four great-grandmothers of Halloween hold the four great treasures. The cauldron of rebirth represents pleasure, the stone of destiny represents power, the sorceress's spear represents courage, and, finally, the invincible sword, about which one finds so many legends, stands for knowledge. The four older women are often portrayed in folk plays as holding their treasures and naming them. To see them and hear their voices means great good luck. (Eric's note: notice the correlation with the four elements: cauldron = water, stone = earth, spear = fire, sword = air)
So this Halloween, leave some milk out on your window sill or on your dining room table, with a white candle glowing to light the way for the wandering souls of those who may come by. The invisible barriers are lifted and they revel in the company of the living.
copyright 1992 by Janet Christian. All Rights Reserved.
Phone numbers and Web sites for more info on witches, ghost stories and other topics covered on the Bewitched Genre program:
Covenant of the Goddess, an important Bay Area pagan group.
The references below were suggested by our former guest witch and Halloween Partner Deborah Sanford DiSalvo
An excellent source for books on ghosts and hauntings is the catalogue "Invisible Ink." Call toll free (1-800) 31-GHOST. Also check out FATE Magazine (Llewellyn Publications, 1-800-THE MOON)
For info on present-day witches and related current events, visit the web site for "The Witches League for Public Awareness" at: http://www.celticcrow.com
For info on "The Day of the Dead" visit: http://latino.sscnet.ucla.edu/research/folklore.html
For more ghosts stories, try the usenet group: alt.folklore.ghoststories
Boo to You, and be hearing you next year!
Eric Mystic
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