Music & Religion

It’s a classic chicken and egg example of which came first, but the two are inseparable.  In our own Western culture, the very earliest music we consider to be significant is religion based (I’m speaking of the Epitaph of Seikilos or  Επιτάφιος του Σεῖκιλου – my nerdy side in print).  Through the middle ages and the Renaissance, sacred vocal music virtually reigned supreme (middle ages = plainchant, yes?).  

Music and religion have always seemed to co-exist.  In the video we watched, one of the Native American speakers talked about the language of the spirits being song; they spoke to each other about creating the world in song.  The bible contains the book of Psalms: 150 songs praising God…an entire BOOK of songs!  There are countless other instances through out the Bible in which people are singing praises to God or playing instruments.  In our culture, many, MANY of the musical pieces that we hold with highest regard are sacred, such as J.S. Bach’s B Minor Mass (he did not give the work an official title, so I’ll leave this one as is).

When I think of music of non-Western cultures, religion is one of the first subjects that I associate with it.  I picture a huge bonfire surrounded by dancing people, full of joy and thanking their gods and creator.

I think the most obvious example of the association of music and religion is a funeral.  I’ve read and heard of many instances of Native Americans singing a death song as they are about to die, telling their creator that they are about to see him or her.  When people are buried, it seems to almost always be accompanied by a ceremony of some kind, almost always including music.  It can be slow and solemn, as it is in many instances in the West, or it can be enough to make people dance, such as in Indonesia or some African countries.  I can’t think of a better way to bring people together in a trying time than with music; an entire community united in song.

Universities and colleges offer degrees in sacred music.

From personal experience, at least half if not more of the songs I have learned to sing since beginning my study of music have been sacred.

Religion moves people.  Music moves people.  They want to express their joy and happiness (or lack there of) with others.  Even if it’s with nothing more than a steady ostinato or synchronized shouting and grunting, music works like nothing else.