"The HUM is a process composition that I composed back in 1981, and it has a verbal score - that is, words describe the process that all participants agree to follow.

"The HUM is a participatory vocal event for everyone's participation. It is in a single, major key, Eb major, with a flat 7th. Major third, perfect fourth, perfect 5th, major 6th, flat 7th. That is the raga, if you will, for the entire HUM.

"The instrumentalists that I have assembled at the Santa Monica site are there to aid the singers to keep in tune together. They are entirely subservient to the vocal sound, and in fact, are cued out by me in the middle of the HUM so that the vocal sound is allowed to have a perfectly natural decrescendo into silence (if the instrumentalists kept playing forever, the singers would undoubtedly feel obligated to keep singing forever).

"I choose the instruments with the idea that they are good for keeping a major chord happening. Definite, consistent pitch is a requirement. On Sunday, I will have a trumpet, a trombone, a bass clarinet and an electric guitar.

"At Noon, Sherrie will introduce me. I will welcome everyone and introduce the instrumentalists and Rik Henderson, the visual artist whose computer- generated mandala art will be seen during the HUM. I will explain what we are going to do, and take everyone through a short vocal warm-up and breathing meditation, asking people to listen for the instruments, which will begin to play the chord. After inviting everyone to begin singing, I will become one of the singers, and no longer a conductor.


"Here is the verbal score for the HUM. It would be good for you to make this score available to the participants at your site:"

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MILLENNIUM HUM I by Bonnie Barnett c

PERFORMANCE INSTRUCTIONS FOR VOCAL PARTICIPANTS:

Come to the performance area prepared to generate energy for positive change. Acting as an individual and taking personal responsibility for your sound and movement, occupy the space, make yourself at home, gather your energy, build your energy with the goal of pooling your individual energy with the others also working.

Listen for the tonality in which the entire group is singing. Tune to that tonality. Stay on the vowel (oo) for a long time.

Eventually begin changing vowels, very slowly, spending more time between vowels than holding any one particular vowel (ee-oo, and o-ae, for example). Overtones may emerge.

Feel free at any point to listen rather than vocalize. Either listening or sounding, blend your raised energy with the group's energy.

Eventually feel free to sing very short melodic fragments within the chosen tonality, always returning to a consonant frequency or to silence and breath.

Listen for the group decision to end.


c Bonnie Barnett 1999 All rights reserved. ***********************
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