The Workshop

Musical instruments,

developed out of inwards living Sound

The physically manifested world, as well as man, can be experienced as sound that has been coagulated in form, and which has filled up itself with substances. One can form a picture of this when fine-grained litter is being spread on a flat surface and in the space above it there is sound or music. The fine particles will tend to order themselves after the vibrating air, and pile up at places where the air moves least. Here condense recognizable shapes, often with a geometric ground muster. One can recognize the order in it, as well as possibly the sense in the ordered shapes. Not however the how and the why; to this aim one needs to bring finer soul senses to development within oneself, which still slumber with most people.
The development of these soul sense organs can be accelerated through inverting this process. One then tries to imagine inwardly which form brings forth a specifically wished for sound. Next with the inwardly imagined shape as a question one tries to direct to a material in which this can be made at best; that would want to carry this form. Experience has learned that especially wood owns these qualities, because it also carries coagulated formative force out of sound in it. Besides this because of its relative softness it has little sound of its own, in comparison to ceramics, stone or metal for instance.
Specific types of wood are being searched in which the sound shape can be made. This can become a sound sculpture or a string instrument (or the both in one). Ultimately one can test whether through the shape the imagined sound is rightly produced, or whether one needs to alter the instrument. Therewith one tests the experience to the inwardly experienced form language, and has possibilities to become conscious of the own formative forces, clear before the consciousness and therewith to directed more refined soul qualities; one developes the slumbering soul sense organs mentioned.
As well one can contribute to the development and realisation of musical instruments that remake the connection of the earthly audible tot music that is grafted upon the spirit, out of what lives in sound and formative force in the own being.
This work is being conducted by Nicolaas de Jong, plastic-musical; artist, composer, writer and astrosopher. He constructs lyres, guitars. violins and violoncello's and makes sound sculptures out of the described principles:

Brought to the outside under the name of :

Musical Instruments

iin Search of the Forces of the Cosmic Word

-a sonic phenomenological approach

Lyres in the Form Gestures

of the Twelve Zodiacal Signs

The signs of the stars in the zodiac form a silent language of the archetype of man as once created by the thoughts of the gods. The Rune lyres try to render this star script audible by approaching the form gestures of the star images as sonic formative principles.
The planets dance in a harmonious way around the earth and evoke in us certain experiences, felt as soul-moods. Their vowel-like inner gestures are transformed in the Rune sonic sculptures into inner spaces, so that upon beating them, they start to make these vowel-sounds.
The in the lyres and sound sculptures researched forms and sound-principles are being applied in personally built instruments, like a chromatic lyre, violin, cello, guitar. Aimed is at the one hand a therapeutic help in music, because the instruments call up inner qualities in the soul that may have been dimmed during developement. On the other enlarging the possibilities of inner scholing by finding the way back to the own carmic outsounding forces in the will, and finally to the sphere-harmonies through inner training. Besides therapeutical and educational appliance are possible, to help opening up new possibilities within the soul and refresh cosmical intercourse.

The zodiacal star-images are to be read as the archetypical forms of the human limbs; they give hints of how man originally is being concepted. Out of these archetypical thoughts are people being 'sung together' and condensed step by step to the forms of our present physical bodies. This has been a process of dimming sound, coming from the original cosmic Word.
The Rune lyres all have one of the form-gestures of the zodiacal images built in, by which is tried to approach the original formative consonant-sound of the cosmic Word as audible sound-working. Helpfull to these were the indications of Rudolf Steiner that by going with the consciousness through the heart, the consonants in which we speak, get more vowel-character; the vowels become more consonant-like.

The outworkings of the planets cause moods in the soul, that find their base in the inner organs which they provoke. In the types of trees of beech, ahorn, oak, ash, birch, elm and cherry their forces express themselves most distinctive; each of these trees and species of wood are connected with the outworkings of a specific planet. The soul-moods they provoke are to be experienced in the vowel-sounds of our speech, as being colours in the cosmic language that have formed us.
In the Rune sonic sculptures is being tried to approach the vowel-sounds as a specific sound-space; the used type of wood has been helping to determine the final form. The form-gesture of the inner space has been tried to approach by inner experience of its working (in life forces). This work, which is subjective in itself, because coloured by the soul of the maker, aims to make the workings of the sounds (vowels in this case) out of forefelt and -thought forms appliable in a conscious way, by using specific materials. By this is aimed to strive for soul-filled objectivation, so that the cosmic soundworkings can be applied directed, and the connection with spiritual realities may be restored. Out of this form- and sound research through the sonic sculptures these forms have been applied in different instruments with changeable back blades, in order to be able to approach the vowel sounds through these inner sonic forms of the instruments. These are still in development.

STAR and SOUND

Everyone is built up of the sounds that work out of the spheres of stars and planets. These sounds are sung to us during pregnancy, and out of them we form our being. The sounds fade down in us and become finally recognizable in the features of our posture. They are imprinted in our bodies as the letters of the cosmic Word, that are to be found everywhere in nature in crystals, plants and animals, but that come into a grand composition within the human posture.
Every human has one or more of these letters, expressed in the form of its gestures, which he represents in particular. These are his, inherent to his own being, and are bound up closely with the personal fate he has to undergo on earth. These form-gestures, impelling the sounds of the letters, we find back in an objective way in the movements of the planets towards each other and in the forms and positions of the zodiacal star images at the time of birth.
The sounds that emanate from the spheres of planets and stars, called the harmonies of the spheres, are deaf and dumb for the present consciousness of man. To make them sound again, string instruments have been developed that posses the inner construction taken from the form-gestures of the star images; sonic sculptures have been developed that attempt to approach the vowel-like sounds, impelled by the planets. By means of the inner sound spaces of these instruments the attempt is made to render the cosmic Word audible again.
In order to again experience in music the specific harmonies of the spheres for a person, a form of astrosophy has been developed, with the aid of the tools of anthroposophy (the fourfold human body), by which the individual fate of a man can become visible, and the ramifications of this in his temperament, constitution, specific soul-configuration and individual world vision, as well as his possibilities to develop in soul and spirit. Out of this a method has been developed to bring the specific sounds of the cosmic harmony at the moment of birth to sound in music and rhythm (years of spiritual research have been spent to come to these conclusions, which have been written down in a series of theoretical books and musical theatre plays, as well as a number of compositions on this basis). Both vowels and consonants as sonic spaces and principles are presently applied in lyres and violins that are constructed on personal requests based on personal prevalence and mostly read from the horoscope. These are made out of one or more of the seven types of wood from trees that each represent a particular planetary effect through its inner qualities; these are: cherry-tree, elm, birch, ash, oak, maple and beech.

When one makes tones and intervals sound in a space with loose small particles, these will move into places where there is the least movement of air. Thus geometrical figures arise, forming a negative print of the sounds that brought the space into vibration (so-called Chladni figures). Every sound, tone, interval creates a specific form in matter. Thus one can imagine how by organizing sounds all earthly forms are created (note: the forms appear at places where there is the least sound).
For the construction of the Rune instruments and sonic sculptures it worked the other way around. It was tried to imagine which form as a space or working principle creates an intended sound. Thus imagination becomes servant to the ability of sensing the forces that produce certain sounds, and experience them afterwards. This especially, while the sounds of the words, the letters, do not work geometrically in forms, but rather in chaos i.e. dynamic, working out of sense rather than mere effect. This is a difference between soul- and spiritual level. Thus one has to become active in soul and spirit to condense the sense-filled sonic forces into form-principles. Going this direction it becomes possible to find the way back to cosmic forces through experience, because one is enabled to open up new inner organs.

For the sound sculptures see Sculptures

Underneath you will see the archetypal modells of lyres that have been build after the form gestures of the zodiacal star images

Twelve archetypal lyres
after the form gestures of the zodiacal star images

Aries – lyre

diatonic, 15 steel strings
Oak wood

44 x 22 cm

Sound princlipe: streaming out from a point straight into space. Causing clear interweaving of tones in the distace; Stimulates the thinking processes.

Word sound: ‘W’

Aries deals with the creation of ideas, coming from a point of arising, that appear, spreading their appearance in earthly space like the two-sided star image expands from one point. This comes back in us as the spinal fluid column that ends up two-pointed in the ventricle spaces in the brain, like the horns of a ram. The creating out of a point into space, forming rough outlines of thoughts, is the Aries-gesture; like weaving clouds in spring, or plant offshoots from the soil. This brings forth the consonant sound ‘W’.
Oak is an objective outworking of Mars, that in us brings forth the gall bladder process, giving rise to the propelling force of our blood. Hence its wood has been used for the construction.

Taurus – lyre

diatonic, 15 bronze strings.
Birch wood

29 x 23 cm

Sound principle: The vibrating upper blade hands down the sound to the back blade in a delayed way, so that this back blade vibrates after the tone, causing a stirring up effect by trembling at the down edge.

Word sound: ‘R’

Taurus brings forth condensening of life forces into shapes and forms, as is expressed in the centrating and condensening gestures of its star image. This gives rise to a ripening out, like the flowers in spring, appealing to the soul. This force which brings the soul into motion, is the working of the consonant ‘R’. In the throat we condense air of breath into sensefull sounds by speech.
Venus brings down these forces through our soul and kidney process (including the glandular system with proteins as condensened gestures behind our life processes). Likewise for the construction is being used its wood, which is birch.

Gemini – lyre

diatonic, 15 steel strings.
Elm wood

45 x 24 cm

Sound principle: The symmetrical sound blades are not connected, and the sound box is open at the edges, causing the sounds having no sturdy body, being airy and stream out freely.

Word sound: ‘H’

Gemini deals with the lateral symmetry within our body, and the reflection of the outer worls within, this giving rise to the in-breathing of spirit through our senses and being. Nature expresses its spiritual background in the flowers, which are all expressions of back-laying ideas. This is what works through the in- and expiring consonant ‘H’. We have the symmetrical tendency and possibility to express soul and spiritual faculties through our arms and hands at best. The symmetrical reflection is to be found back in the gestures within the star image.
As Mercury brings down the forces of Gemini via the lung process it provokes, the elm wood, which is his tree, is being used for the construction.

Cancer – lyre

Diatonic, 15 bronze strings.
Cherry wood

43 x 25 cm

Sound principle: Two boxes in each other put the sounding air in it under pressure, causing a densened sound that brings about chaos, and thus renews.

Word sound: ‘F’

Cancer deals with closing in and condensening after which may follow a transformation towards the light. If not, the pressure through enclosure augments like in a vessel, freeing itself like in the consonant ‘F’. This as is expressed by the gestures within the star image; a spiralling up towards the centre, where is no strong star, but a feeble star heap, followed by a slanted line of stars up. In us this gives rise to the enclosing chest in which willing gestures quell forth to the heart, and may give rise to feelings (arising between the breath and heart beat) that may enter the light and lead to transformation of themselves and of feelings. In nature it brings forth enclosing of the seed kernel by the pistil and seed covers.
The moon, bringing down the forces of Cancer, deals with our enveloping life forces that can come to consciousness in the thoughts in the brains. Its wood, cherry, has been choosen for the construction of the lyre.

Leo – lyre

Diatonic, 15 steel strings.
Ash wood

44 x 28 cm

Sound principle: The lemniscate shape in the sound sculpture while it is only pressed in the ring just behind the string bridge at the back side, causes that the sound vibrations are being transmitted via the lower point and transformed to the back blade, opening up the sound. This causes a central sound and meanwhile warmly filling the whole space.

Word sound: ’T

Leo causes the movements of contraction and expansion in a rhythmical sequence, like the movement of blood all through our body, centered through the heart. In nature in August the warmth gives rise to contraction of the plant germs in the seeds, and expansion and spreading of the seeds afterwards in the surroundings; both being warmth processes. The gesture of the Leo star image shows this enveloping and expanding tendency. This is the gesture of the consonant ‘T’. Likewise the heart in the human embryonal development grows out of the dottersack into the chest. Hence the sun tree, ash, has been used for construction.

Virgo lyre

Diatonic, 15 bronze strings
Elm wood

35 x 24 cm

Sound principle: The sound space is bended like the intest channel and open at the ends, causing a clear and enveloping sound which depth is hard to grasp.

Word sound: ‘B’

Virgo deals with processes of life and the ripening of harvest in nature. Like the star image, looking like an archetypal bended intest, it embeds and directs processes. In us guiding the digestion, which in the consciousness brings forth insight in metamorphosis and distinguishing capacities, as objectivations of the transformative digestive processes which bring about analysis and synthesis. The consonant ‘B’, working like an envelopinbg cloak, envisions this working.
Mercury works here ordering the life forces from the navel lotus flower. Hence the use of the elm wood for construction.

Libra – lyre

Diatonic, 15 steel strings.
Birch wood

35 x 27 cm

Sound principle: The string bridge is connected with three bows to the front and the back blade, making these vibrating in an opposed way, causing condensening sound substance in the air.

Word sound: ‘Z’

Libra deals with the equilibrance between light and darkness, like in autumn when the darkness augments in the longer nights and day and night are at eve. In us the kidneys that at the one side loosen astrality from substance and thus create possibilities to clear consciousness (the kidney radiation out of the eyes), at the other side have connection to the dark sexual forces in our genitals (meant is dark to our consciousness); and both forces have to be held in an equilibrance. The star image shows a triangle standing up to the light and a laying one down below, both standing quadrangular upon each other, maintaining a feeble balance.
It is Venus creating the kidneys, and hence the use of birch wood.

Scorpio – lyre

Diatonic, 15 steel strings.
Oak wood

40 x 26 cm

Sound principle: The strings are touched at 1/3 of their length, causing the fifth overtones to resound, while the original sounds fade in the upper sound box. This causes transformation into another reality.

Word sound: ‘S’

From its gesture the star image of Scorpio works out spiralling in and moving underneath, disappearing from the light. In nature it works out as death forces (in autumn). In us Scorpio brings forth the genitals, which help us reproducing. These are derivatives of the life forces, coming from underneath, being transformed through sexuality into libido. Hence the creation of life and death are very close in this region. Looking behind these libido-forces hide the Life Tree forces that maintain all life on earth, and that give sense to all beings. So looking behind lifts the veil of the physical to the life worlds. The consonant ‘S’ expresses this rather magical transformative working (to be experienced when hushing a group of people with this sound).
It is one side of Mars’ working, bringing forth libido and incarnation forces. Behind it hides Pluto. Hence the use of oak tree wood for the construction.

Sagittarian – lyre

Diatonic, 15 steel strings.
Maple wood

33 x 28 cm

Sound principle: Front and back blade are glued together at The bottom, the upper blade is only attached at the top. The square inner form at the place of the bridge gives sharp tones that find their way out at the top. This gives rise to sharp tones that tend to appear suddenly and carry little warmth, but that have a penetrating willing gesture.

Word sound: ‘G’

Sagittary deals with the appearance of spiritual light points in the darkness and the expanding of these in space. In us the ideas or willing impules hide within the proteins in the muscles and when we move, they come up to the light within the consciousness. It gives us a striving force for the light, mostly connected to our thighs. The gestures of the star image are likewise; a little square of stars in the centre makes expanding gestures in all directions. Like the working of the ‘K’ consonant.
While Jupiter mediates these lightstriving forces of Sagittary via the liver process, the wood of ahorn, which at best represents his forces upon the earth, is being used for the construction.

Capricorn – lyre

Diatonic, 15 bronze strings.
Beech wood

51 x 29 cm

Sound principle: Front and back blades are attached in the centre, whereas only the top and bottom of the front blade are attached to the ring. This causes the final edges of the back blade to vibrate, the rest of the instrument less. It causes a thin but flowing sound that seems to come from the periphery.

Word sound: ‘L’

Capricorn deals with the densening to solid forms out of the liquid life flows, and next the division into jointed parts, like the joints between our bones that enable us to move and walk down our fate upon the earth. Especially the knees as centres of force: a bended knee kas the shape of the star image of Capricorn. A densened centre of force which enables the bended edges to move. Likewise Capricorn makes the spirit work upon the earth, as in our biography.
Saturn brings down the forces of Capricorn all through the spleen process, which hides our willing impulses as well as our memory of acts. The tree which at best represents its workings, is beech (actually stone beech). Hence this wood is used for the construction.

Aquarius – lyre

Diatonic, 15 steel strings.
Beech wood

42 x 24 cm

Sound principle: The lemniscate shape of the inner sound space gives a fluently interweaving warm sound that yet awakens the mind. The only sound hole at the top where the lemniscate opens, gives this a sharp alertness.

Word sound: ‘M’

Aquarius deals with the connection of the inner with the outer world, going through the heart and thus filled up with warmth (as the ego dwells in the warmth in the heart). This is a movement like a lemniscate (8-shape), as has the star image of Aquarius, while this shape opens up above and below. Within the muscles of our calves and underarms lay the willing impulses for social acts in the surroundings, thus connecting us with warmth to the outer world. This breathing in and out from the soul and spirit in the surroundings, bringing forth our ideals in acts, being filled with warmth, is the outworking of Aquarius; like the seeds in midwinter that wait full of hope for the return of the sun and thus of warmth, by which they start to open and grow.
While Saturn is co-ruling Aquarius, its wood, beech, has been used for the construction.

Pisces – lyre

Diatonic, 15 bronze strings.
maple wood

40 x 26 cm

Sound principle: The sound in the sound box is spiralled out through a spiralling and widening channel towards the front horn outside. This gives rise to a watery and fading sound.

Word sound: ‘N’

Fishes deals with the streaming out of forces from our extremities to connect with the world (through our feet and hands) and thus run down and transform our karma. The star image has as a gesture the tendency to spiral in underneath and dissolve in one point, to open up again in a new but invisible world. This as a possible transformation and dissolving of karma through the force of love. Then our liver process changes proteins of the body and clears up our life body.
Because of this transformative liver function that brings down the forces of the Fishes, ahorn has been used for the construction.

A LYRE, VIOLIN, VIOLONCELLO or GUITAR
to a PERSONAL CUT

Every human has specific qualities of the cosmic script represented in his bodily configuration that suits him. These are to be found back on the firmament in the positions of the stars and planets at birth. These positions indicate the way the cosmic harmonies are able to create the inner organs and human bodies; they indicate furthermore inner resistances, talents and possibilities to develop or cure oneself.
With these positions as a point of departure, a musical instrument after personal choice can be built. Such an instrument can thus be either a memory of the inner being and life-tasks, which may help one to incarnate better, or a certain tool for the research of inner hidden sources for transformation and soul and spiritual development. By emphasizing constitutional characteristic weaknesses as form-gestures, approached in sonic spaces by means of such an instrument, or to reinforce organ processes and functions in this way (which may be gleaned from the horoscope, among others), this may support a therapeutic process as well as a process of inner development.
Besides these, such specifically formed instruments may help to develop new inner organs of sense in learning to listen more consciously, and these may build doorways to the worlds of life, of soul and of spirit.

On the following pages you will see different types of lyres, violins and a guitar that have been built after the form gestures of the zodiacal star images; some after the personal horoscope.

Aries – lyre
with Leo as Ascendant

Chromatic, 32 steel strings, 2½ octaves
ring, string bridges: oak wood
inner construction: ash wood

64 x 45 x 9 cm

The bending of the straight out-streaming of tones softens the tones and makes them warmer, thus specifying them
(Leo).

Cancer – lyre
with condensening shape

Cherry wood

57 x 43 cm

The hollow shape at the end, attached to the back blade, brings over the sound and condenses it extra in the air.

Leo – lyre

Chromatic, 32 steel strings, 2½ octaves.
ash wood

64 x 47 cm

Aquarius – lyre

Chromatic, 34 steel strings, 2½ octaves.
Beech wooden blades,
horn-beam wooden ring

67 x 59 cm

Pisces – lyre

Chromatic, 32 bronze strings.
Maple wood

69 x 43 cm

Violins

Leo alto violin
with Scorpio as cover

Body: ash wood
Ring: oak wood
Neck: maple
Touch, string tender, bridges,
Buds: cherry wood

Capricorn violin
with Libra as Ascendant

Body: beech wood
Chin holder, buds: elm wood
Neck: oak wood
Blades, touch, string tender: birch wood
Back blade: maple wood

60 x 18 cm

The balancing triangular shapes of the blades
are an expression of Libra.

Aquarius guitar
with Sagittary as Ascendant

Front blade: maple wood
Back and sides: beech wood
Neck, string bridge, strips: oak wood
Touch: birch wood

85 x 27, 5 cm

Sound priciple: The lemniscate shape of the body gives rise to a warm, interweaving sound (Aquarius), whereas the sharp edges sharpen this sound (Sagittary).

Word sounds ‘M’ and ‘K’.

Violoncello for vowel sounds

Front blade: ash wood
Back blades (3) : beech wood
Sides, back support and neck: oak wood
Touch: birch wood
Bridge, string tender: maple wood
Tuning buds: cherry wood

124 x 48 cm

Sound principle: Inside the sound box the vibrations of the strings are brought down and amplified acoustically. The back blade consists of three parts that can be altered, forming different sound spaces inside. These may form the vowel sounds.

Word sounds: ‘Ah – A – Ie – O – U’

Lyre for vowel sounds

Chromatic, 32 bronze strings.
Front blade: maple wood
Backblades (2) : beech wood
Ring: ash wood
Bridge: oak wood

65 x 45 cm

Sound principle: Inside the sound box that can open upwards, the underpart of the front blade can vibrate freely,
bringing the sound down in it. By moving the back blade with the angle that can be attached to a band around the underarm, the back blade can alter the inner sound space, forming the different vowels as basic sounds.

Word sounds: ‘Ah – A – Ie – O – U’

Violoncello and lyre are made after the sound sculptures of the planet spheres.

ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTOR

Nicolaas Marius de Jong, a Dutch writer, composer, sculptor and astrosopher, has come to the construction of musical instruments after a search for the sense within and behind the living; at first via the scientifical way of approaching in the common biology, where however he saw life being killed and cut up in small pieces. Later on, being guided by his own inner experiences within nature, within himself and in human interactions, he has applied himself to the observation of life processes within nature and within himself, out of which he developed an objective method of observation that starts with the singing together of the life processes. This in accordance with the third step of Goethian phenomenology; there where can be experienced the inner guidance in the creational process that forms the base for the phenomena. In astrology he found back in static images the big cosmical forces and workings behind life. With the help of Anthroposophy he has made these cosmical tools appliable step by step along imaginary language, musical workings (within the four human bodies) and plastic formative forces. To this he has made astrology in an anthroposophical way accessible for the modern consciousness; he calls this astrosophy. These outworkings, experiences and schooling ways to experience he has at the one side put down into more theoretical books, at the other hand he works these out in music theatre plays, in which players and spectators can move and do along innerly with the cosmical forces that lay behind. In that way they can use them as self research as well as into the natural realms. He gives courses and workshops to get in contact with the natural beings behind the phenomena, and help to cure them within etherical landscapes, if requested.
The developed scholing methods into the life world include as well the fourth step of Goethian science, in which the sense as a willing gesture within oneself, within other beings and behind phenomena can be observed. He works this out in clay modelling as well as in sculpture.
For his compositional work, as well by questions from the surroundings, he has applied himself to the construction of instruments that have as a starting principle the cosmical sounds that have sung man together from out of the starry worlds, and that now have become silence for our ears that have been directed towards the physical world. He tries to make them resound again through using the gestures of the Zodiacal star images as base for the construction of the instruments. He uses his instruments in his own astrosophical research as well as in therapy and in scholing. Many steps of development have been accompanied by a question of someone and the following interaction.

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