David Lewiston facts for kids
David Sidney George Lewiston (born May 11, 1929 – died May 29, 2017) was a special kind of music collector from London, England. He traveled all over the world to record traditional music. He is most famous for his recordings that first came out on the Explorer Series of Nonesuch Records, starting in 1967.
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About David Lewiston
David Lewiston studied music at Trinity College of Music in London, graduating in 1953. He learned to play the piano, conduct music, and compose. Later, he studied composition in New York City. For over ten years, he worked as a journalist. But he really wanted to focus on music. So, he decided to travel widely and record traditional music from different cultures.
His first recordings were made in Bali in 1966. The very first album from these trips, Music from the Morning of the World, was released in 1967. David Lewiston made many recordings of Tibetan Buddhist rituals. This included the unique chanting of the Gyuto Tantric University. He also recorded music from many other countries. These places included Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Guatemala, and Mexico. He also visited India, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Sikkim. Other places he recorded were the Republic of Georgia and Morocco.
David Lewiston's recordings from the 1960s and 1970s were very important. This was a time when small, portable recording equipment became good enough to capture excellent sound. He recorded traditional music just before it started to change a lot because of globalization. This means he captured many unique sounds before they were influenced by music from around the world.
He lived in Maui, Hawaii, for many years. There, he worked on organizing all the recordings and materials he collected during his life. David Lewiston passed away on May 29, 2017, at the age of 88, in Wailuku, Hawaii.
His Music Collection
David Lewiston recorded and helped produce many albums of traditional music from around the world. Here are some examples of the amazing music he shared:
Albums He Released
- Ladakh – Songs & Dances From The Highlands of Western Tibet (LP) Nonesuch, 1977.
- Tibetan Buddhism – Shartse College of Ganden Monastery (CD) Bridge, 1989.
- Kecak: A Balinese Music Drama – Kecak Ganda Sari (CD) Bridge, 1990.
Albums He Produced
- Japan: Traditional Vocal & Instrumental Music – Shakuhachi, Biwa, Koto, Shamisen (LP) Nonesuch, 1976.
- Japan: Kabuki & Other Traditional Music (LP) Nonesuch, 1980.
- Trance 1: Sufi Dervish Rite / Tibetan Overtone Chant / Indian Dhrupad (CD, Har) Ellipsis Arts, 1995.
Albums Featuring His Recordings
- Music From The Morning Of The World: The Balinese Gamelan (LP) Nonesuch, 1967.
- Golden Rain – Balinese Gamelan Music And Ketjak: The Ramayana Monkey Dance (LP) Nonesuch, 1969.
- Tibetan Buddhism – Tantras Of Gyütö: Mahakala (LP) Nonesuch, 1973.
- Ram Narayan, Master of the Sarangi – Classical Music of India (LP) Nonesuch, 1975.
- Bali – Music From The Morning Of The World (CD, Album, RE) Nonesuch, 2003.
- South America – Black Music In Praise Of Oxalá And Other Gods (CD, Comp) Nonesuch, 2003.
