Finding music within the sound of silence


In his French-language memoir Devenir Invincible Michel Guay writes of India that "In this confluence of cultures and history, I finally found my own narrative". Born in Halifax, Canada in 1961, Michel Guay left home at sixteen to travel the world. His travels took him to India, where he studied sitar and voice with distinguished teachers in Varanasi for ten years. He is now based in Paris where he teaches, and his album Song of Benares, recorded with tabla master and Jordi Savall sideman Prabhu Edouard, featured here in 2013. In his memoir Michel Guay lists Paul Horn Oregon, and Jean-Luc Ponty among his early musical influences; which makes it my kind of book. But Devenir Invincible is far more than a rites of passage chronicle. It is the priceless story of an artist's exploration of the path leading from Āhat Nāda - audible sound - to Anāhat Nāda - transcendental music; a path also travelled by, inter alia, the rishis of the Rig Veda, and by John Cage. As such Devenir Invincible demands publication in an English edition.

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Comments

Pliable said…
Michel Guay writes:

Dear Bob,

I am very moved by your article, an echo from the anglo-saxon world before it's even translated, which is something I've been dreaming of for a while. I hope someone gets the bright idea soon.

I am presently working on another one, concentrating on the learning period in Benares, the music, it's esthetics, and the oral tradition.

Keep it coming!

Jaï Hind!

Amicalement,

Michel
1:46 pm
Lyle Sanford, RMT said…
Didn't realize it wasn't available in English until the end of the post - very much hope the translation happens, as it sounds like a great read.
6:22 pm
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