Sound, Music and Religion

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Sound, Music and Religion

• The Power of Sound

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Everywhere One Goes

• Sounds are everywhere
• Church
• Temple
• Synagogue
• Mosque
• Other Sacred Gatherings.

• Sounds are in
• Music
• Prayer
• Liturgy
• Spoken word (read and otherwise)
• Shouts.

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Audio Symbols

• There are three categories
• non-verbal
• music, sound
• nonconceptual verbal
• words used in chants and spells (used in the word
  itself as opposed to the concept the word
  conveys).
• conceptual verbal
• story, myth, rhetoric and doctrine (the written
  word is an extension of the spoken word. It is
  an extension of the sound).

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A word about Speech

• The speech act is
• Fragile
• Impermanent
• Intimate
• It is also
• unique, engaging a speaker and a listener in a
  specific existential situation. All that
  transpires is the formation of words, symbols of
  sound, stemming from thoughts.
• The words fill the space with the power of the
  sounds. Native Religions by Sam Gill

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A Closer Examination

• Nonverbal
• Nonceptual verbal

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The Power of Sound

• An Old Influence

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a long time ago . . . . .

• The power of music/sound has been recognized by
  many including Plato who devotes some space to it
  in his classic work The Republic.

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• He rationalized that rhythm and harmony affect
  the inner most part of a person and that the
  desired effect for rhythm and harmony is to
  produce grace inwardly. He said of music and
  poetry . . .

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Platonic words

• . . . rhythm and harmony permeate the inner part
  of the soul more than anything else, affecting it
  most strongly and bringing it grace, so that if
  someone is properly educated in music and poetry,
  it makes him graceful, but if not, the opposite.
  Republic 401d-e.

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What Music Does

• It sets the mood
• Music helps the participant to experience a mood
  or sensation which enhances the worship
  experience or spirituality.
• Native Spirit Pueblo Sunrise
• When used with lyrics it describes a story or
  articulates an idea
• Music often tells a story or an idea. It can be
  a testimony or it can be a tribute to a god,
  person or spirit.
• Mahalia GSH1 Didnt It Rain

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• It encourages or sends a message.
• Sometimes music encourages a person to move on or
  hold on when life gets weary or sometimes it
  gives a positive message.
• Donnie McClurkin - Stand

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Music is inseparable from religion

• Robert Ellwood in Introducing Religion From
  Inside and Outside has divided music into five
  categories with regard to its function in
  religion.

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The Five Categories

• Tribal
• Chants/Mantras (nonconceptual verbal)
• Liturgical
• Hymns/Devotional
• Performance

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Tribal

• Tribal music is associated with dance, ritual or
  ceremony of some kind. Usually heavy with rhythm
  and percussion. It may include shaman songs
  (religious leaders), chants or melodies song by
  shamans. It is noted as being communal and very
  often associated with some sort of ritual or
  ceremony and performed by particular people
  (shamans, seer, etc.,)
• For example (no 7 of yellow disk)

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Chants and Mantras

• Chants or the rhythmic, repetitious, monotone or
  quasi-monotone singing of religious words or
  texts predate written text.
• The style helps in memorization, ease in
  listening and creates a particular kind of
  atmosphere. As parts of magic formulas "the the
  very sound--vibrations--of the words themselves
  was part of the power."

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Effect of Chants and Mantras

• In later times only religious professionals and
  academics were concerned about them.
• Although many songs have lost some their literal
  meaning through their performances by certain
  orders and groups they create a sense of
  communion and fellowship and invoke a "religious
  aura" and channel certain kinds of feeling.
• Some examples are Gregorian chants and Hindu
  chants. (see Rel. Disk 2 for Gregorian)

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Liturgical

• The word means public duty or responsibility. It
  is a form of public worship.
• Liturgical pieces are what most people are
  familiar with. This music is called liturgical
  because of its intended use in a religious
  service as the formal liturgy. Usually it is a
  regular part of the service although it is often
  song by choirs and musically it is more elaborate
  than chants.
• An Jewish example (See Rel. Disk 2 Adonai Shema)

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Hymns

• Hymn pieces although are also sung during
  services have devotion as a main focus of their
  intent. They expresses tender, deep, feelings in
  their words and melodies. (e.g. Jesus the Very
  Thought of Thee) They may also have a "military"
  feel to them like "Onward Christian Soldiers").
• A Christian example (M. Jackson, no. 2 of GSH1
  My God Is Real)
• Another example (Little Richard, no. 10 of rel.
  songs var. Precious Lord) There is a story
  behind this song.

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Performance

• Performance music like oratorios (Handel's
  Messiah), spiritual songs, organ voluntaries
  (classical, baroque, etc.) and much contemporary
  Christian music. These songs are based on
  religious themes and create a religious mood,
  though they may not be strictly parts of worship
  and its orchestration of symbols, and may well be
  performed separately from formal worship, at
  concerts and festivals.
• Two Christian examples Handels Hallelujah Chorus
  (St. Martin-in-the-Fields and Soulful Messiah)

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• Sometimes one puts together music and dramatic
  presentations.
• Video Clip from Hampton VA

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The Challenge

• However, problematic for some religious
  practioners, especially some Christians, is that
  sometimes the distinction between secular and
  sacred is blurred.

• There are songs which sound secular. For
  example
• Minnie the Moocher
• Cab Calloway (no. 4 var. rel. 1)
• Its Alright
• Joe May and Winnona Carr (no. 8 var. rel. 1)

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Contemporary Times

• Another example
• One Nation Under a Groove
• Funkadelic (no. 6, rel. vol. 1)
• Stomp
• Kirk Franklin (no. 5, rel. vol. 1)

• Dance Tunes
• Edwin Hawkins rendition of Oh Happy Day (no. 2,
  rel. song. var.) garnered criticism from many who
  wanted there to be a greater distinction between
  secular and sacred.

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• Mary Mary demonstrate this dilemma in their song
  Shackles
• Some secular songs have religious appeal.
  Carol Kings (no. 13, rel. songs var.) Youve
  Got A Friend is an example.

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• Many artists like Aretha Franklin took the
  gospel sound to the secular studio. Sometimes
  there is a blending. For example, she and noted
  Gospel musician, James Cleveland collaborated on
  song which included the words from Precious
  Lord and Youve Got a Friend.

• In Precious Lord, a particularly religious song
  and Youve Got a Friend a secular with some
  spiritual overtones (no. 1, var. rel. songs 1) is
  an example of a mix of the profane and holy.

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Sources

• Slides
• 6 http//24.24.31.212/literature/Plato-head-LDS.jp
  g
• 8 http//hem.passagen.se/thebee/SCIENCE/Science.ht
  m
• 9 http//taoswebb.com/decolores/images/es_dia_boni
  ta_lg.jpg http//papercutsbychana.com/info.asp?in
  foNoahsArk
• 10 http//www.photolib.noaa.gov/historic/nws/wea00
  958.htm
• 13 http//www.dikenga.com/films/firecracker/newsle
  tter/session7/gods.html
• 15 http//www.melrose.bordernet.co.uk/festival2002
  /images/141-8.html http//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/ent
  ertainment/music/1690740.stm
• 16 http//www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism
  /worship/jew_worshipsyn.shtml