Trys Keturiose, Andrius Rugys – Bitela // Bitynėlių garsai

Bitela CD - Bičių sutartinės // Bee CD - Chants About Bees
Recorded in the Historical Beekeeping Museum in Stripeikiai, Ignalina District, Lithuania. 2015.06.28, 07.03.

Bitynėlių garsai // Sounds Of The Bees
The Special Part of Trys Keturiose album "Bitela"
Recorded in the Botanical Garden of Vilnius University in Vingis park, Musteika village, Narvaišiai village, by Birštonas town and Naujoji Gokula in Kelmė district, Lithuania.
Recorded by Andrius Rugys.

"Bitela" CD comes in 8 panel digipak, and has catalog number DNG 056
"Bitynėlių garsai" CD comes in cardboard envelope, and has catalog number DNG 057. It is sold only together with "Bitela" CD, and is limited to 200 copies.

The hive recordings' titles of CD "Sounds Of The Bees" in English:
1. ..... Vingis swarm hibernates 1 [Botanical Garden of Vilnius University in Vingis Park]
2. ..... Vingis swarm hibernates 2 [Botanical Garden of Vilnius University in Vingis Park]
3. ..... Vingis swarm on Christmas [Botanical Garden of Vilnius University in Vingis Park]
4. ..... Romas Norkūnas’ ancient stump hibernates [Musteika Village]
5. ..... The bees of Juozas Laivys at the bee watering-place [Narvaišiai Village]
6. ..... In the apiary of grandpa Juozas – harvesting honey with a smoker [near Birštonas]
7. ..... In the apiary of grandpa Juozas – work on a vicious hive with interludes of a smoker [near Birštonas]
8. ..... In the apiary of grandpa Juozas – microphone at the hive entrance; sounds of work on a hive and smoking
9. ..... Vingis swarm entering the hive with a song [Botanical Garden of Vilnius University in Vingis Park]
10. ... In the apiary of grandpa Juozas – microphone inside the hive [near Birštonas]
11. ... Vingis swarm through an accelerometer on a honey-comb [Botanical Garden of Vilnius University in Vingis Park]
12. ... In the apiary of grandpa Juozas – removing of honeycomb caps [near Birštonas]
13. ... In the apiary of grandpa Juozas – spinning of honey [near Birštonas]
14. ... Bhakti yogi repeats Maha Mantra [Naujoji Gokula, Kelmė District]

***

This release is an audio journey to an apiary. We start with the bees sleeping during Christmas and visit the primeval hive made from a hollowed stump. Then we hear the watering-place of the bees in spring and find ourselves in a flowering garden where honey is harvested with the legendary sounds of smoking the bees. We rest by the hive entrance where the bees are constantly buzzing as if in some busy spaceport. Other bees keep watch ready to fend off any intruders. Inside the hive we inspect the spatial consonance where thousands of workers flutter their wings and quiver the air. With the help of ultrasensitive microphone accelerometers (recording from 5 Hz) we are hearing the vibration of the honeycomb. Here the bees do all kinds of work – arrange the wax, pour the honey, compress the ambrosia, raise the larvae, and apply propolis to the edges. Finally we hear people managing the gathered nectar – they remove the cappings and spin the comb in an extractor to drain the honey. In the escaping track You will observe how the sound of bhakti yogi repeating Maha Mantra is close to the bees sound during Christmas.

Andrius Rugys, the ititiator of the project: "I came to know the bees while serving at my grandfather’s apiary. I got even closer to them when I encountered a swarm straight in the Old Town of Vilnius. I had a small beehive built for it in the Vilnius Botanical Garden, Vingis Park. There are lots of sounds from there in this record. I sincerely hope that this collection will – at least for a moment – reveal the dance of the bees for You."