quotations for Ives

(​working title​)

While working on the assignment of a mini essay based on Charles Ives’ quotation work, I
contacted a friend whose name is Cornelia Zambila, a Romania musician, singer, theater maker
and mother of Emil. On Saturday 21st of November 2020 she helped me to convert (I don’t
know if it is the right word) the rhythms of the Kasnazan’s Dhikr (ritual) to piano notes. I must
also mention Cornelia’s partner Juan, an Argentinian composer who helped us by keeping Emil
playing in the next room. We spent 3 hours working; It felt like a team.
On Sunday 22nd of November, Cornelia was about to send me the notes that were made on a
computer program and the samples of the recordings but her computer suddenly froze and kept
only peeping. As the presentation of the essay would happen the next day I asked her if she
could send me her handwritten notes? Cornelia did so, but also mentioned that she is the only
one who could read them and to make them clear and readable she has to spend more time
working on it and that would depend on Emil, the boy of two years old.
Panic was growing inside Cornelia and she was “trembling”, she is a perfectionist and she
wants to help by all means, add to it another thought which is the fact that we are in a lockdown
period in Belgium: how to work with no computer? No budget to buy a new one! I told her to not
worry about my assignment and I will help her to fix the computer “It will probably work again” “I
hope so”.

What is Kasnazan
Kasnazan is the name of one of the most famous Tariqas in Iraq. Tariqa (method/path) is the
term for a school or order of Sufism (Islamic mysticism) or especially for the mystical teaching
and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking Haqiqah (ultimate truth). They
use the Quran and the Sunnah (the teachings and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad)
although some see them insane because they dance and sing and philosophize there are in
Iraq and the middle east and the world thousends of different schools and practices.
In every Tariqa there is a Sheikh (guardian/guide) who plays the role of a spiritual leader. A
member or a follower of Sufism is known as Darwish (disciple) it also means: ​a poor being​. The
Darwish desires the knowledge of knowing self, the surroundings, god, loving and unite in
everything.
Kasnazan in Kurdish means: “No one knows”.

The vision
Sheikh Abdul Karim Shah Kasnazan 1819 - 1900 the former of the school and ritual showed,
since his youth a unique behavior and discipline, he held a solitude in seclusion on the mountain
(Seh Rakrama, north of Iraq now). He disappeared from the sight of people and nobody saw
him for 4 years. People thought that he died but his brother had a vision of him in his dream and
went on searching for his brother and eventually found him. The brother wondered about his
condition and asked about his food throughout this period, Shah Kasnazan showed his brother
a piece of red clay mixed with pieces of tree leaves, and he indicated to his brother to eat it.
Stephen Hemsley Longrigg 1893 – 1979 in his book: Four Centuries of Modern Iraq, he tells
that in 1830 people were trembling from the news of the marching plague towards Baghdad
after it destroyed Tabriz (north of Iran now), Sulaymaniyah and Kirkuk (both in the north of Iraq
now) The doctor of the English Residency in Baghdad ordered the implementation of quarantine
instructions.
One year later in Berlin 1831 Friedrich Hegel died of cholera. The plague probably was
everywhere. When science is not formed yet to explain something rituals get constructed and I
am here referring to Black Elk. When the colonists didn’t fulfill the promises to the Lakota, Black
Elk revealed his vision to a trusted friend, a vision that he kept inside since he was young. Black
Elk with the help of the friend revealed the vision to the nation that was kept in camps and
miseries and the nation started to perform it until it reached all the Indian tribes and was
performed by all which scared the colonists.

Salat (pray) in Islam

The prayer consists of two, three or four rak'ahs (kneeling, which is one of the movements of the
prayer) depending on the type of prayer. The basic is to pray 5 times during a day.

1- sunrise consists 2 rak'ahs

2- noon consists 4 rak'ahs
3- Afternoon consists 4 rak'ahs
4- sunset consists 3 rak'ahs
5- evening consists 4 rak'ahs

The movements of one single rak'ah look more or less (​see photo below​) in a basic rhythm each
rak'ah takes about 01:00 to 01:30 minutes. That is about 20 to 25 minutes of movements and
concentration divided by the day. Before every prayer: mouth, nose, face, hands, neck and feet
must be washed. That is 5 times a day guaranteed cleaning.
Tekije (temple)
Darwish (Sufism disciples) inside the Tekije follow the basic prayer, moreover, praying with
beads constantly (this practice grants concentration and it has an effect of meditation, in fact, it
is meditation. So far, I found out that this practice can be found in Jew, Christianity and
Buddhism, but this mini essay is not going to be about similarities and proximities, not yet, and
will not go into details of the practices because to offer a sufficient text about the subject I will
need years to research) or sitting in silence or becoming silent, play music, sing, spiritual sport
(becoming vegetarian, or practice to become vegetarian couple of weeks during the year) work
on oneself to reach self-awareness and philosophize: how to see, think, speak, work, live,
potentiality, mind and meditate all in justice and fairness. Learning to be modest and ask
questions: What is repentance, trusting, fear, imploring, honesty, devotion, patience, piousness,
asceticism, satisfaction and thankfulness, truth and existence.

Twice a week (on mondays and Thursdays) Darwish collectively form the Dhikr (the ritual that
was performed by all followers and disciples all around the world) where they stand in two
imperfect circles, chant, move, transform, transfigure and cure.

The ritual of Kasnazan consists of two instruments Daf & Tabla. (The ritual is transforming as
well and right now they added another instrument: Sitar) these instruments perform 6 rhythms.

First rhythm​: Hayala, Hayala (God lives).

(hymning from the throat) Hands covering the navel and the head goes to right with the first
Hayala and then with the second Hayala the head goes to the left.

When all Darwish gather in the circles the ritual moves to the next rhythm.

Second rhythm​: Hay alla (God lives).

(This hymn comes out from the belly, and it is called: the hidden). Head and torso go down and
up to the right, and then down up to the left.

Third rhythm​: Hay hay hay-Allah (lives lives god-lives)

Head and torso go to the right, then left and then to the right and with the word of Allah eyes
look up and then to your own heart
Repeat with the left.

Fourth rhythm​: Daym Allah-Dayem (forever God-is-forever)

Head and torso go right and left, or left and right and there is also bouncing in the knees

Fifth rhythm​: (Hay hay hay-Allah) lives lives god-lives

Head and torso go down and up to the right, and then go down up to the left.

Sixth rhythm​: Daym (forever)

Head and torso go right and left, or left and right, also fast bouncing in the knees.
“… everything we come to as we travel can give us help…”*
After all the computer of Cornelia recovered and the notes and the recording were saved.

First they looked like this

Later they became this

References
1- The book of Kaznazan
2- Black Elk speaks
3- Charles Ives and the meaning of quotation in music
4- Four Centuries of Modern Iraq: Stephen Hemsley Longrigg
5- The teaching of Buddha
6- The savage mind: Levi Strauss*

Do not hesitate to contribute, if you found yourself in the mood “of love” of playing these
notes, on any instrument, please share