News from Brazil!

Note: At the International Lyre Conference in Belfast in 2006, we welcomed the Brazilian lyrists as honorary members of LANA, with the hope that there could be more exchange between our continents. For those of you who haven't met or experienced performances by the leading Brazilian lyrists, they are remarkable for their technical and musical excellence, their delightful interpretations of Brazilian music on the lyre, their dedication to many aspects of anthroposophical music, and the extent to which they put their music at the service of others. The following is a report sent from our Brazilian friends. After the reports are some more photos of their activities.

In October 2011, Cantaro, Musical Development Centre, a music school directed by Flávia Betti and Karla Polanczyk, performed a beautiful concert with lyre, kantele, and choir for an audience of over 600 people. The day before the concert, the cultural section of the main newspaper in the city of Belo Horizonte made the following report:

Music that touches the heart. That's what the Fadua de Liras e Canto group promises for tomorrow night’s concert at Teatro SESI Minas.

Formed by artists of the Cantaro Musical Development Center, the musicians will present the program “Around the World.” The repertoire promises a journey through places such as Ireland, United States, Germany and South Korea, ending in Brazil.

“The highlights are Irish music accompanied by a Celtic drum and a South Korean song, accompanied by a big stream instrument, the Kutchan,” says Flávia Betti, musician and one of the founders of the center.

The public is invited to travel to various countries through the sounds;

And the journey will end in Brazil with the classical Brazilian songs“Arrastá o” and “Trenzinho Caipira.”

The most interesting part of the concert is that it is all presented with the lyre, a stringed instrument similar to harp, but smaller and quieter.

There are 30 lyrists and according to Flávia, the goal is to show various ways to use the lyre and prove to everyone how the lyre is capable of being played for any kind of song. "We are the only group in Latin America consisting of lyrists. There will be 45 musicians, of which 15 are in the choir and all others playing instruments.ť

The lyre, throughout history has lost ground for being very soft. . . . Mankind has usually preferred louder sounds, so the harp, the “daughter” of lyre, stood out. . . .

Slowly, the lyre has been coming back. . . .

. . . . “It touches the soul, people get involved and it is widely used in music therapy. It is an instrument so soft and so smooth that it can take the listener into a state of deep calm and comfort,” Flavia asserts.

Other instruments on the program include kanteles (string instruments from Finland) and Tibetan singing bowls, which are often used in Buddhist rituals and also provide a state of calm and relaxation.

—Flávia Betti and Karla Polanczyk, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

A Little about the Lyre in Brazil

In Brazil, the lyre has been enchanting those who have the opportunity to hear it for a number of years. We have been extending the presence of the lyre through small concerts in various places, such as small theaters, hospitals, therapeutic centers, and schools.
The softness and subtleness of the sound of the lyre cause a definite inner impression in each person who hears it for the first time, opening the heart, the soul and the listening.

The number of lyre students increases little by little. We are 30, perhaps 40, lyrists in Brazil, at different levels of practice and knowledge. In Belo Horizonte, a city located in the southeast area, we are 12 active lyrists, and we have accomplished small concerts and presentations in schools and hospitals. Our group becomes larger and our work is enriched when we include kanteles, singers and even a harpist in the presentations.

Here in Brazil we have difficulty acquiring lyres because our government imposes an import tax of approximately 60% on instruments. Many times, we have people who want to learn how to play the lyre, but they don't have an instrument. Thus, we must seek other options. Sometimes we find used lyres to buy. In general, however, people don't like to sell their instruments even though they do not use them anymore. It is also possible to acquire a Brazilian lyre. We have two manufacturers that make lyres in the country, but we don't have the tradition in construction of these instruments. The behavior of the Brazilian wood for the construction of lyres is still a concern, and we know of cases where lyres have bent or even split. Another option is to travel to Europe or elsewhere to buy a lyre of good quality, but often this option is impractical due to the high cost of the instrument.

In spite of this difficulty, both the quality and number of performances is growing here. We go on working, certain that, at all levels, each lyre that sounds in the world has an important place. Each lyrist who participates has a place in a movement that is taking place all over the world in musical and anthroposophical communities.

We are sending photos of our work in the hospitals and in a theater in Belo Horizonte, with the choral and kantele group.

We have received the LANA publications with much gratitude and we would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

—Flávia Betti & Karla Polanczyk