''Hosianna Mantra'' is the third album by German band

Popol Vuh ''Popol Vuh'' (also ''Popol Wuj'' or ''Popul Vuh'' or ''Pop Vuj'') is a text recounting the mythology and history of the Kʼicheʼ people, one of the Maya peoples, who inhabit Guatemala and the Mexican states of Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and ...

. It was originally released in 1972 on the German record label Pilz. The album saw the band blend elements of

Western classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

Asian music Asian music encompasses numerous musical styles originating in many Asian countries. Musical traditions in Asia * Music of Central Asia ** Music of Afghanistan (when included in the definition of Central Asia) ** Music of Kazakhstan ** Music ...

, and

space rock Space rock is a music genre characterized by loose and lengthy song structures centered on instrumental textures that typically produce a hypnotic, otherworldly sound. It may feature distorted and reverberation-laden guitars, minimal drummin ...

. For the release, bandleader

Florian Fricke Florian Fricke (23 February 1944 – 29 December 2001) was a German musician who started his professional career with electronic music using the Moog synthesizer within the krautrock group Popol Vuh. His music and that of the band however soon e ...

abandoned electronic synthesizers and instead employed acoustic instruments such as piano,

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

, and tambura. Prominently featured are Korean vocalist Djong Yun and electric guitarist

Conny Veit Wolf Conrad "Conny" Veit (born 5 June 1949) was a German musician, singer, composer and painter, best known for his appearances in Gila and Popol Vuh. His main instrument was the guitar. His name was misspelled "Conny Veidt" in Gila's first album ...

Release

In 2004 SPV re-released the album with one bonus track, "Maria (Ave Maria)", originally released on a 1972 solo single by Korean vocalist Djong Yun.

Critical reception

''Hosianna Mantra'' has garnered acclaim from English-language publications in recent years. Writing for ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'', Chris Johnston praised it as "bold, beautiful, and lying at the outer reaches even of krautrock, the German indie music of the 1970s." Wilson Neate of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

remarked that the album has a "timeless, healing quality" that is "far removed from the everyday world and yet at one with it." Raul Stanciu of

Sputnikmusic Sputnikmusic is an American music community website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites. The format of the website is unusual in that it includes both professional and amateur c ...

called the work "an overlooked masterpiece", and Gary Bearman of '' Perfect Sound Forever'' likewise described it as "majestic – a revelation, an epiphany, a high point in the history of music."

Track listing

All tracks composed by Florian Fricke. Lyrics based on original texts by

Martin Buber Martin Buber ( he, מרטין בובר; german: Martin Buber; yi, מארטין בובער; February 8, 1878 – June 13, 1965) was an Austrian Jewish and Israeli philosopher best known for his philosophy of dialogue, a form of existentialism ...

. # "Ah!" – 4:40 # "Kyrie" – 5:23 # "Hosianna Mantra" – 10:09 # "Abschied" – 3:14 # "Segnung" – 6:07 # "Andacht" – 0:47 # "Nicht hoch im Himmel" – 6:18 # "Andacht" – 0:46 ;2004 bonus track

"Maria (Ave Maria)" – 4:30

Personnel

–

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

, cembalo,

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

–

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

12-string guitar A twelve-string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is a steel-string guitar with 12 strings in six courses, which produces a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. Typically, the strings of the lower four courses are tuned in o ...

, production *Robert Eliscu –

, production *Djong Yun –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

, production *

Klaus Wiese Klaus Wiese (January 18, 1942 – January 27, 2009 in Ulm) was a veteran e-musician, minimalist, and multi-instrumentalist. A master of the Tibetan singing bowl, he created an extensive series of album releases using them. Wiese also used the huma ...

– tamboura, production ; Additional personnel *Fritz Sonnleitner –

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

; Technical personnel * Peter Kramper – mixing * Wolfgang Loeper –

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

* Hans Endrulat – engineering * Toni Heudorf – engineering assistance * Ingo Trauer – album cover design * Richard J. Rudow – album cover design * Bettina Fricke – sleeve photography

References

External links

*
Popol Vuh discography

{{Authority control Popol Vuh (band) albums 1972 albums Pilz (record label) albums