TERRA COTTA
Track 18: Pangea (Barry Hall) 6:36
Barry: whistles, ocarinas, nose flute, xun, ehecatl, didjeridus, globular horns, ceramic rainstick, ceramic frame drums

xun, rain stick, ehecatl, nose flute

Listen to an excerpt of "Pangea"

This piece came to life in the dead of night, as ancient clay whistles and ocarinas raised their voices across eons in conversation. Pangea is the name given to the single ancient land mass on our planet which eventually separated into the seven continents we know today. Just as our lands were once one, so are we all brothers and sisters sprung from the same source.

The ehecatl is an ancient flute used by the Mexicas, or Aztecs. In Aztec mythology, Ehecatl is the god of the wind. The instrument produces an unusual raspy sound, similar to a howling wind. Historically, these instruments were often formed in the shape of a human skull, and are sometimes referred to as "the whistle of death." Rafael Delfin, a friend and colleague from Mexico who taught me to make this instrument, believes that a macabre interpretation is misleading. Instead, he says, it represents the death of the ego and the freedom of the spirit, "for the wind represents the Spirit, and this instrument creates the sound of the wind, with its softness, gentleness and strength."

Close this window

from the CD "TERRA COTTA" by The Burnt Earth Ensemble ©2005 all rights reserved