Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. Victorian refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era , during which period the styles known as Victorian were used in construction. However, many elements of what is typically termed "Victorian" architecture did not become popular until later in Victoria's reign, roughly from 1850 and later. The styles often included interpretations and eclectic revivals of historic styles (see Historicism ) . The name represents the British and French custom of naming architectural styles for a reigning monarch. Within this naming and classification scheme, it followed Georgian architecture and later Regency architecture and was succeeded by Edwardian architecture .
69-538: Friar Park is a Victorian neo-Gothic mansion in Henley-on-Thames , England, construction began in 1889 and was completed in 1895. It was built for lawyer Sir Frank Crisp , and purchased in January 1970 by English rock musician and former Beatle George Harrison . The site covers about 30 acres, and features caves, grottoes, underground passages, a multitude of garden gnomes, and an Alpine rock garden with
138-534: A Pueblo (village) into a Victorian Downtown – now almost entirely demolished but with residential remnants in its Angelino Heights and Westlake neighborhoods. San Francisco is particularly well known for its extensive Victorian architecture, especially in the Haight-Ashbury , Lower Haight , Alamo Square , Western Addition , Mission , Duboce Triangle , Noe Valley , Castro , Nob Hill , and Pacific Heights neighborhoods. The extent to which any one
207-558: A gold rush and population boom during the 1880s in the states of New South Wales and Victoria . There were fifteen styles that predominated: The Arts and Crafts style and Queen Anne style are considered to be part of the Federation Period, from 1890 to 1915. Western influence in architecture was strong when Hong Kong was a British colony . Victorian architecture in Hong Kong: Georgian architecture
276-666: A Dr Nandakumara of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in London, regarding the interpretation of the Sanskrit texts. Aside from adapting these ancient texts, Shankar composed new selections for the album – "Prabhujee", "Mangalam", "Svara Mantra" and "Hari Om" – and, as he put it, "tuned them in the same spirit". Peter Lavezzoli, author of The Dawn of Indian Music in the West , writes of the album's themes: "The record begins with
345-561: A TV show, he and Shankar discussed the album and their shared experiences, such as the Concert for Bangladesh (1971). Harrison then accepted an acoustic guitar from host John Fugelsang and performed songs including the just-released "Prabhujee", sung with Ravi and Sukanya Shankar. Chants of India was critically well-received, while commercially it peaked at number 3 on Billboard magazine's Top World Music Albums chart. On release, Josef Woodard of Entertainment Weekly labelled
414-558: A close friendship in the decades since their last official collaboration in 1974, Ravi Shankar and George Harrison began working together in 1995 on projects to celebrate Shankar's 75th birthday. Harrison first produced a four-disc career retrospective issued on EMI 's Angel Records , Ravi Shankar: In Celebration (1996), which also included unreleased recordings made by the pair, before serving as editor on Shankar's second autobiography, Raga Mala . When compiling In Celebration , Shankar and Harrison discussed with Angel Records
483-769: A contribution for Carl Perkins ' Go Cat Go! album. The Friar Park sessions for Chants of India took place in the house's drawing room, with cables fed through from the studio area above – the same arrangement under which Harrison had produced the Music Festival from India studio album, in summer 1974. I like producing Ravi's music, because for me it's educational as well as a joy to work with. It's actually soothing to your soul, and it helps you to focus or transcend. – George Harrison, 1997 From 7 July, sessions ran intermittently through to late August. Shankar later told Rolling Stone magazine that he wrote "Mangalam" at this time: "'Mangalam' came to me while I
552-517: A grotto, and stones just underneath the surface of the pond (providing a walking-on-water illusion). The majority of the gardens that once existed at Friar Park are long gone, having been on land that is no longer part of the estate, or on land that was overgrown with mature trees, or was repurposed. The Rockery to the northwest of the mansion includes a sandstone replica of the Matterhorn Reflecting Crisp's sense of humour; among
621-462: A hypnotic quality reminiscent of the label's enormously popular Gregorian chant recordings" and concluded: "'Chants of India' represents a creative milestone in the life of a veteran artist whose contributions to traditional Indian music cannot be overestimated." Peter Lavezzoli writes of the album: " Chants of India is a quiet masterpiece, one of the most uplifting and musically engaging recordings of sacred music ... Harrison's production created
690-473: A meaningful way. Some styles, while not uniquely Victorian, are strongly associated with the 19th century owing to the large number of examples that were erected during that period: During the 18th century, a few English architects emigrated to the colonies, but as the British Empire became firmly established during the 19th century, many architects emigrated at the start of their careers. Some chose
759-817: A quirky complexity vaguely reminiscent of Frank Zappa ". Writing in Goldmine magazine in 2010, Gillian Gaar described the album as "a sound that's akin to ' Within You, Without You '", and "especially soothing and relaxing" due to the devotional nature of the words. Anastasia Tsioulcas of NPR Music includes Chants of India in her list of Shankar's five "essential" works, and writes: "Shankar took Hindu prayers, mantras and scriptural texts and framed them within larger musical settings, incorporating both Indian and European instruments along with voices. The results are transporting – and very beautiful." The personal and musical friendship between Ravi Shankar and George Harrison ...
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#1732780525241828-642: A role he had first supplied for Shankar at the Bath Music Festival in 1966, when the Indian sitar virtuoso had duetted with Yehudi Menuhin . Anoushka Shankar conducted the musicians at the sessions, having made her European performance debut in July 1995 at an official concert to celebrate her father's 75th birthday, held at the Barbican Centre in London. The Chants of India recording
897-665: A scale model of the Matterhorn . The main house is listed Grade II on the National Heritage List , and the gardens of Friar Park are also listed Grade II on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens . In addition to the main house, the Lower Lodge, Middle Lodge, and Upper Lodge are all also individually listed Grade II. The entrance walls and piers of the Lower Lodge, and the railed wall piers and gates of
966-422: A visiting Rolling Stone journalist in 1987 deemed a "decidedly un-rock-star-ish pastime" − and among the groundskeepers were his older brothers Peter and Harry. Harrison's son Dhani remembered: "He'd garden at night-time until midnight. He'd be out there squinting because he could see, at midnight, the moonlight and shadows, and that was his way of not seeing the weeds or imperfections that would plague him during
1035-597: Is God"), under the strict tutelage of music guru Allauddin Khan . In his liner notes to Chants of India , Shankar nevertheless describes the undertaking as "one of the most difficult challenges in my life, as a composer and arranger". Shankar noted the precedents for such a venture: " Sanskrit chants from the Vedas, Upanishads and other scriptures have been recorded by many in India and elsewhere, either in its original form by
1104-536: Is more prominent in Ireland than Victorian architecture. The cities of Dublin, Limerick, and Cork are famously dominated by Georgian squares and terraces . Though Victorian architecture flourished in certain quarters. Particularly around Dublin's Wicklow Street and Upper Baggot Street and in the suburbs of Phibsboro , Glasnevin , Rathmines , Ranelagh , Rathgar , Rathfarnham , and Terenure . The colourful Italianate buildings of Cobh are excellent examples of
1173-537: Is the "largest surviving example" is debated, with numerous qualifications. The Distillery District in Toronto, Ontario contains the largest and best-preserved collection of Victorian-era industrial architecture in North America. Cabbagetown is the largest and most continuous Victorian residential area in North America. Other Toronto Victorian neighbourhoods include The Annex , Parkdale , and Rosedale . In
1242-534: The Chants of India project as a "back to the roots" exercise for Harrison, after his production of Radha Krishna Temple and his own releases such as " My Sweet Lord " and " It Is 'He' (Jai Sri Krishna) " in the 1970s. As far as the words are concerned, they are open now [after 40 years], but the tune I had to give, or add a slight orchestration in the background, was with this very thought that it should match this old sentimental, old spiritual context that it has. At
1311-1176: The David Sasoon Library are some examples of Victorian Architecture in Mumbai. In Kolkata (Formerly called Calcutta) buildings like the Victoria Memorial , Calcutta High Court , St Paul's Cathedral , The Asiatic Society of Bengal are some examples of Victorian Architecture in Kolkata. In Chennai (Formerly called Madras) some examples include Madras High court , State Bank of Madras and St. Mary's Church . Many churches and colleges such as Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica Kochi , University College Trivandrum , Government College of Fine Arts Trivandrum , Napier Museum , State Central Library of Kerala , Government Victoria College Palakkad , CMS College Kottayam and SB College Changanasserry are some of finest examples of Victorian architecture in Kerala. Efforts to preserve landmarks of Victorian architecture are ongoing and are often led by
1380-475: The Victorian Society . A recent campaign the group has taken on is the preservation of Victorian gasometers after utility companies announced plans to demolish nearly 200 of the now-outdated structures. Chants of India Chants of India is an album by Indian musician Ravi Shankar released in 1997 on Angel Records . Produced by his friend and sometime collaborator George Harrison ,
1449-542: The album Chants of India for Ravi Shankar at FPSHOT. Interviews with family and friends for posthumous documentaries such as 2003's Concert for George , the 2005 Concert for Bangladesh DVD release, and Martin Scorsese 's George Harrison: Living in the Material World in 2011 were all conducted at FPSHOT or in the residential part of the house. Besides the records by Harrison or artists he produced,
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#17327805252411518-527: The architecture of Aberdeen . While Scottish architects pioneered this style it soon spread right across the United Kingdom and remained popular for another forty years. Its architectural value in preserving and reinventing the past is significant. Its influences were diverse but the Scottish architects who practiced it were inspired by unique ways to blend architecture, purpose, and everyday life in
1587-579: The Friar Park estate as being "as synonymous with his name as the Queen's with Windsor Castle ". The rumours and tabloid press reports claiming Harrison put the property up as collateral in order to fund the Monty Python comedy team's movie Life of Brian , after their original backers, EMI , pulled out at the last minute, is unfounded. The budget for the feature film in 1979 was $ 4 million. At
1656-622: The Middle Lodge are also listed Grade II. Reports claiming that the building has 120 rooms were denied by current owner Olivia Harrison , while speaking to NPR Fresh Air in March 2004, at which time she said that, while she didn't know how many rooms there are, 120 is an over-statement. Since the early 1970s, the property has become synonymous with the former Beatle 's home studio, known as FPSHOT (i.e., "Friar Park Studio, Henley-On-Thames"). Harrison biographer Alan Clayson has described
1725-577: The Traditional Scholars ;... or sung within raga forms by eminent musicians with accompanying instruments. Some have even attempted to make them more popular by using a semi-classical and commercial approach. I wanted to make a version different from all these, but still maintain the tremendous spiritual force, and purity of the Suktas , Shlokas and Mantras , and at the same time make it universally appealing." Shankar consulted
1794-732: The US, the South End of Boston is recognized by the National Register of Historic Places as the oldest and largest Victorian neighborhood in the country. Old Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky , also claims to be the nation's largest Victorian neighborhood. Richmond, Virginia is home to several large Victorian neighborhoods, the most prominent being The Fan . The Fan district is best known locally as Richmond's largest and most 'European' of Richmond's neighborhoods and nationally as
1863-710: The United States, and is an example of an intact 19th-century urban neighborhood. According to National Register of Historic Places, Cape May Historic District has one of the largest collections of late 19th century frame buildings left in the United States. The photo album L'Architecture Americaine by Albert Levy published in 1886 is perhaps the first recognition in Europe of the new forces emerging in North American architecture. Canada's chief dominion architects designed numerous federal buildings over
1932-543: The United States, 'Victorian' architecture generally describes styles that were most popular between 1860 and 1900. A list of these styles most commonly includes Second Empire (1855–85), Stick-Eastlake (1860– c. 1890 ), Folk Victorian (1870–1910), Queen Anne (1880–1910), Richardsonian Romanesque (1880–1900), and Shingle (1880–1900). As in the United Kingdom, examples of Gothic Revival and Italianate continued to be constructed during this period and are therefore sometimes called Victorian. Some historians classify
2001-498: The United States, and others went to Canada, Australia , New Zealand, and South Africa. Normally, they applied architectural styles that were fashionable when they left England. By the latter half of the century, however, improving transport and communications meant that even remote parts of the Empire had access to publications such as the magazine The Builder , which helped colonial architects keep informed about current fashion. Thus,
2070-421: The United States, the term is often used for American styles and buildings from the same period, as well as those from the British Empire . During the early 19th century, the romantic medieval Gothic Revival style was developed as a reaction to the symmetry of Palladianism , and such buildings as Fonthill Abbey were built. By the middle of the 19th century, as a result of new technology , construction
2139-408: The album "enchanting" and added: "Unlike Shankar's classical raga recordings, Chants of India is a set of short, colorfully arranged pieces, enjoyable for neophytes and devotees alike. Another jewel from a humble world-music superstar." JazzTimes described it as "a surprisingly colorful and accessible set of 16 pieces". In his review for Billboard , Paul Verna commented that "the project possesses
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2208-555: The album consists of Vedic and other Hindu sacred prayers set to music, marking a departure from Shankar's more familiar work in the field of Hindustani classical music . The lyrical themes of the recorded chants are peace and harmony among nature and all creatures. Sessions for the album took place in the Indian city of Madras and at Harrison's home in Henley-on-Thames , Oxfordshire, following his work on The Beatles' Anthology (1995). Anoushka Shankar , John Barham , Bikram Ghosh , Tarun Bhatacharaya and Ronu Majumdar are among
2277-624: The album was one of Shankar's "personal favorite works". Angel Records issued Chants of India on 6 May 1997 in America, with a UK release following on 1 September. The album was marketed as a collaborative work, and Harrison joined Shankar in promoting the release. These activities included television appearances in New York and Paris, one of which, for America's VH1 network, aired on 24 July as George & Ravi – Yin & Yang . In what would turn out to be Harrison's final performance on
2346-511: The atmosphere at Sruthilaya "seemed too secular for the aura of spirituality they wanted to create". A large cast of local musicians contributed to the recording in Madras, on instruments such as veena , violin, flute, cello, tanpura and mridangam , while the chorus singers (divided into "Indian" and "Western" groups on the sleeve credits) numbered 21. While in India in April, Harrison visited
2415-460: The bulk of his own albums, from 1973's Living in the Material World onwards; among them, Dark Horse , Thirty Three & 1/3 , George Harrison , Cloud Nine and Brainwashed . In addition to Harrison's solo albums, overdubs for the two Traveling Wilburys releases and the recording and filming of The Beatles' 1995 Anthology project were also recorded at Friar Park Studio Henley-on-Thames. In 1996, Harrison recorded and produced
2484-806: The course of the Victorian era. Thomas Fuller's completion of the Canadian Parliament Buildings in 1866, in particular, established a High Victorian Gothic influence over Canadian architectural design for several consecutive decades, producing many public buildings, churches, residences, industrial buildings, and hotels. Because India was a colony of Britain, Victorian Architecture is prevalent in India, especially in cities like Mumbai , Kolkata, Kerala and Chennai. In Mumbai (Formerly called Bombay) buildings like Municipal Corporation Building , Bombay University , Bombay High Court , Asiatic Society of Mumbai Building (Former Town Hall) and
2553-507: The day." Talking of the tranquility he felt at Friar Park, Harrison once said: "Sometimes I feel like I'm actually on the wrong planet, and it's great when I'm in my garden. But the minute I go out the gate I think: 'What the hell am I doing here?'" During Crisp's time at Friar Park, the grounds were open to the public once a week during the spring and summer. Following the murder of John Lennon , Harrison's Beatles bandmate, in December 1980,
2622-2190: The elements of several different styles and are not easily distinguishable as one particular style or another. Notable Victorian-inspired cities during this era include, Astoria in Oregon ; Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania ; Washington, D.C. ; Boston in Massachusetts ; Alameda , Eureka , San Francisco , and Midtown Sacramento in California ; The Brooklyn Heights and Victorian Flatbush sections of New York City , Garden City on Long Island , and Albany , Troy , Buffalo , and Rochester in Upstate New York ; Asbury Park / Ocean Grove , Cape May , Deal , Flemington , Freehold , Hackettstown , Jersey City / Hoboken , Metuchen , Montclair , Ridgewood , Plainfield , Summit , and Westfield in New Jersey ; Chicago , Galena , and Winnetka in Illinois ; Detroit and Grand Rapids in Michigan ; Cincinnati and Columbus in Ohio ; Galveston in Texas ; Baltimore in Maryland ; Louisville in Kentucky ; Atlanta in Georgia ; Milwaukee in Wisconsin ; New Orleans in Louisiana ; Richmond in Virginia ; St. Louis in Missouri ; and Saint Paul in Minnesota . Los Angeles grew from
2691-485: The estate for the sake of convenience. The All Things Must Pass track " Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll) " was inspired by Friar Park's history, and the lyrics of later songs such as " Ding Dong, Ding Dong " and " The Answer's at the End " directly quote from the many carvings around the property. His humorous video clips for the likes of "Ding Dong, Ding Dong", "True Love", and "Crackerbox Palace" were all shot within
2760-679: The gardens and grounds of Friar Park, as were the album covers for some of his FPSHOT-recorded Dark Horse acts − Splinter 's The Place I Love and the album Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India being the most obvious. Harrison restored very few (not all, as is often incorrectly reported) of the remaining gardens, essentially limited mostly to the Alpine Garden, Topiary Garden, Dutch Knot Garden, Japanese Garden, as well as glass houses and lake system. Until his death in November 2001, he loved tending to them personally − an activity that
2829-496: The gates were locked and security features such as fences and video cameras installed. Despite these measures, an intruder, Michael Abram, broke into the residence in the early hours of 30 December 1999, attacking Harrison and his wife Olivia, and leaving Harrison with five stab wounds and a punctured lung. 51°32′25″N 0°54′54″W / 51.540149°N 0.914885°W / 51.540149; -0.914885 Victorian architecture Although Victoria did not reign over
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2898-490: The grand building and its surrounds in his 1976 song " Crackerbox Palace ". Contrary to popular belief, George Harrison never referred to his estate as "Crackerbox Palace." Instead, Crackerbox Palace was the nickname for the California home of comedian Lord Buckley which was the actual inspiration for the song and its title. This rumour began as a consequence of George Harrison filming a promotional film (Crackerbox Palace) at
2967-450: The holy city of Vrindavan with his Radha Krishna Temple friends Mukunda Goswami and Shyamasundar Das. The pilgrimage inspired him in his current work with Shankar, author Joshua Greene writes, just as a 1974 visit to Vrindavan had been the catalyst for staging Shankar's Music Festival from India revue and their joint North American tour that year. In July 1996, Shankar and Harrison reconvened at Friar Park, after Harrison had recorded
3036-409: The ideal setting for each chant, all of which are exquisitely sung, and the album remains the most fully realized collaboration between both artists." Jim Brenholts of AllMusic similarly praises the work, writing: "Shankar's style and diversity allow him to open doors that are closed to other musicians ... Shankar's compositional and sound-design styles add atmosphere. Harrison's deft touch allows
3105-518: The influence of English architecture spread across the world. Several prominent architects produced English-derived designs around the world, including William Butterfield ( St Peter's Cathedral, Adelaide ) and Jacob Wrey Mould (Chief Architect of Public Works in New York City ). The Victorian period flourished in Australia and is generally recognised as being from 1840 to 1890, which saw
3174-638: The largest contiguous Victorian neighborhood in the United States. The Old West End neighborhood of Toledo, Ohio is recognized as the largest collection of late Victorian and Edwardian homes in the United States, east of the Mississippi . Summit Avenue in Saint Paul, Minnesota , has the longest line of Victorian homes in the country. Over-The-Rhine in Cincinnati, Ohio , has the largest collection of early Victorian Italianate architecture in
3243-511: The later years of Gothic Revival as a distinctive Victorian style named High Victorian Gothic. Stick-Eastlake , a manner of geometric, machine-cut decorating derived from Stick and Queen Anne, is sometimes considered a distinct style. On the other hand, terms such as " Painted Ladies " or " gingerbread " may be used to describe certain Victorian buildings, but do not constitute a specific style. The names of architectural styles (as well as their adaptations) varied between countries. Many homes combined
3312-519: The many musicians who contributed to the recording. Chants of India was well received by reviewers; author Peter Lavezzoli describes it as "a quiet masterpiece" and "the most fully realized collaboration" by Shankar and Harrison. Shankar considered it to be among the best works of his 60-year career. In 2010, the album was reissued as part of the Dark Horse Records box set Collaborations , which combined various projects undertaken by
3381-568: The music to develop and maintain its own integrity. Among records of this nature, this one is special." Author and former Mojo editor Mat Snow considers it to be "perhaps the very best introduction to the enduring creative friendship between the Bengali classical master and the scruff from Liverpool's back streets". Harrison biographer Alan Clayson describes Chants of India as a "thoroughly diverting production" that "[balances] sung lyrics as succinct as haiku and instrumental passages of
3450-779: The opening, Indian music portion of the Concert for George , held at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Anoushka Shankar performed the set, as sitarist and conductor, backed by some of the musicians and singers who had contributed to the Friar Park sessions in 1996, including Sukanya Shankar, Chandrashekhar, M. Balachandar and Lister. The album-closing "Sarve Shaam" appears at the start of David Leland 's Concert for George documentary film (2003), played as Harrison's widow Olivia lights commemorative candles on stage. As part of Ravi Shankar's 90th birthday celebrations in 2010, Dark Horse Records reissued Chants of India in
3519-520: The possibility of making an album of Vedic chants and other Hindu sacred texts set to music. According to Shankar, the record company were hoping to repeat the commercial success of a recording by "those Spanish monks" – Chant , an album of Gregorian chants by the Benodictine monks of the Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos , featuring a contemporary rhythm section . Author Simon Leng describes
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#17327805252413588-755: The regional Victorian style in Ireland. Further examples of Victorian architecture in the country include Dublin's George's Street Arcade , the Royal City of Dublin Hospital on Baggot Street and the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital on Adelaide Road. During the British colonial period of British Ceylon: Sri Lanka Law College , Sri Lanka College of Technology , Galle Face Hotel and the Royal College Main Building. In
3657-414: The role of producer, Harrison responded to Shankar's requests to perform on the recordings; Harrison contributed on acoustic guitar, bass, autoharp , vibraphone and percussion, as well as supplying backing vocals. Shankar's wife Sukanya, a trained singer in the Karnatak tradition, was also among the vocalists during what the album sleeve lists as the "London sessions". The recording and remix engineer
3726-420: The same time, Friar Park was worth less than £200,000. The rumour was an "inside joke" that was turned into a marketing scheme stating that Harrison simply wanted to get to see the film, something that his friend Eric Idle described for promotional purposes as "the most expensive cinema ticket in movie history". The Friar Park estate was owned by Sir Frank Crisp from 1889 until his death in 1919. The property
3795-403: The same time, not be too much, you know? Or sound very ritualistic or fundamentalist or anything like that. – Ravi Shankar, 1997 Shankar had grown up in the Hindu holy city of Benares , where the public chanting of Vedic hymns "[awakened] his passion for music", author Reginald Massey writes, and as a young man during the 1940s he had embraced the concept of Nada Brahma (meaning "Sound
3864-416: The south Indian city of Madras in January 1996, at Sruthilaya Media Artists Studio. After a second set of dates there, in April, Shankar and Harrison decided to move the project to Harrison's recording facility at Friar Park , his home in Henley-on-Thames , Oxfordshire. According to Tillery, Madras had been chosen in order to "cultivate authenticity", being a music capital of the South Asian region, yet
3933-435: The statuary is a friar holding a frying pan with holes in it, and a plaque reading "Two Holy Friars". The year Harrison and his first wife, Pattie Boyd , moved in, he was photographed among four garden gnomes located on the main lawn for the cover of All Things Must Pass , and again with his father Harry six years later, with the photo appearing inside the gatefold cover of Thirty Three & 1/3 . Harrison immortalised
4002-669: The still popular English Renaissance styles. New methods of construction were developed in this era of prosperity, but ironically the architectural styles, as developed by such architects as Augustus Pugin , were typically retrospective. In Scotland , the architect Alexander Thomson who practised in Glasgow was a pioneer of the use of cast iron and steel for commercial buildings, blending neo-classical conventionality with Egyptian and Oriental themes to produce many truly original structures. Other notable Scottish architects of this period are Archibald Simpson and Alexander Marshall Mackenzie , whose stylistically varied work can be seen in
4071-434: The studio was also used by Shakespears Sister to record their 1992 album Hormonally Yours . In the foreword to Harrison's 1980 memoir I, Me, Mine , Derek Taylor writes of Harrison's purchase of Friar Park: "It is a dream on a hill and it came, not by chance, to the right man at the right time." Friar Park once had extensive gardens and water features that were designed by Henry Ernest Milner for Crisp, including
4140-475: The traditional invocation to Lord Ganesha , continuing through a series of traditional Hindu prayers and chants from the Rigveda , Upanishads, and Bhagavad Gita ." Harrison biographer Gary Tillery describes the songs' focus, following the opening invocations, as "peace, love, ecology, and social harmony". Chants of India reunited Shankar and Harrison with English musician and arranger John Barham . Barham provided Western annotation of Shankar's melodies,
4209-417: The two artists, beginning in 1973. Chants of India was the last formal collaboration between Shankar and Harrison, who was diagnosed with cancer shortly after its release. At the Concert for George in November 2002, Shankar incorporated some of the selections from Chants of India , including the album-closing "Sarve Shaam", in a set performed by daughter Anoushka as a tribute to Harrison. Having maintained
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#17327805252414278-486: Was John Etchells. Tillery describes the making of Chants of India as a "labor of love" for Harrison following his participation in the Beatles ' Anthology project, and Barham similarly recalls it as having been "a pleasure working on this beautiful record". In Shankar's recollection, following a playback of some of the tracks, Harrison was so moved that he "embraced me with tears in his eyes and simply said, 'Thank you, Ravi, for this music.'" According to Lavezzoli,
4347-444: Was able to incorporate metal materials as building components. Structures were erected with cast iron and wrought iron frames. However, due to being weak in tension, these materials were effectively phased out in place for more structurally sound steel . One of the greatest exponents of iron frame construction was Joseph Paxton , architect of the Crystal Palace . Paxton also continued to build such houses as Mentmore Towers , in
4416-537: Was due to be demolished was unfounded and was little more than an "off-the-cuff" comment without any factual basis. In early 1972, Harrison installed a 16-track tape -based recording studio in a guest suite, which, at one point, was superior to the one at EMI 's Abbey Road Studios . By 1974, the facility had become the recording headquarters for his record label, Dark Horse Records . The album covers for projects Harrison recorded there usually mentioned "F.P.S.H.O.T." – Friar Park Studio, Henley-on-Thames. These include
4485-414: Was powerful enough to make an impact on the large, musical life of the later nineteen sixties and it reverberates, as clearly, even today. I would go as far as to say that today there can scarcely be a musician or composer virtually anywhere in the world that is not aware of, nor been touched by, the fruits of the remarkable encounter between these two. – Composer Philip Glass , 2010 Chants of India
4554-435: Was somewhat complicated by the fact that the record company wanted to release an album of "spiritual" music that would go to number one ... Neither George nor Ravi intended to commercialize it to anything like that extent ... the album is strictly a Ravi Shankar classical Indian record. – John Barham , discussing Shankar and Harrison's vision for Chants of India , 2003 The first recording sessions were held in
4623-414: Was the last formal musical collaboration between Shankar and Harrison. During promotion for the album in summer 1997, Harrison was diagnosed with cancer, a condition he was then thought to have beaten until a near-fatal stabbing by a deranged fan, on 30 December 1999, encouraged its return. On 29 November 2002, a year after his death at the age of 58, Shankar included selections from Chants of India in
4692-425: Was then sold at an auction to Sir Percival David. Following their divorce, Lady David moved into the Coachman's Cottage on the south-west corner of the property when the rest of the estate was donated for the use of nuns belonging to the Salesians of Don Bosco order. The nuns ran a local school in Henley, the Sacred Heart School, but, by the late 1960s, Friar Park was in a state of disrepair. The rumour that Friar Park
4761-461: Was walking in Friar Park, George's place, where we were recording. I was looking at the trees and the sky, and feeling very elated all of a sudden, wishing everything should be good for everyone, and it just came to me." Among the participating musicians at Friar Park were Shankar's occasional tabla player Bikram Ghosh , along with Tarun Bhatacharaya ( santoor ), Ronu Mazumdar ( bansuri flute) and Jane Lister (harp). While operating mainly in
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