There’s also singings in Hinduism. The traditional music in Hinduism begins in saman singing (or saman chanting). Which is known first as Gan-dharva Sangita, or Sangita, Sama veda chants, etc. They are music from the hindu scripture Sama veda. Said in book Discovering the Vedas, “the Vedas are not a religion in any of the many senses of that widespread term. They have always been regarded as storehouses of knowledge, that is: veda.” Sama veda is a part of the scriptures of Hinduism, despite they are songs. According to Dr. V. Raghavan, Sangita is born from the Sama Veda: "Our music tradition in the North, as well as in the South, remembers and cherishes its origin in the Sama Veda, the musical version of the Rig Veda.” This scripture not only represents Hinduism, but is also the basis of the development of Indian music. The transitional Saman chanting is composed of rhythmic syllables with a pattern, and passed down through generation through oral teachings. Saman chanting begins far before instruments were created, so it does not …show more content…
To others who don't understand such music, it can be described as spooky or just simply strange. Because the words and vowels are usually stretched and sustained in a vibrating state, it sounds like sad howls. And the constantine vibration of vowels are impossible to perform for most artist nowadays. Singer of Sama Veda requires very special skills to bring such music to life, and the music must sounds holy and relate the audience to God in a way. Different from other religious music, nonsense words and sounds are even considered as holy. Since one of the principles of Sama veda is self-generating, spontaneous phrases are encouraged. The history of this Hindu music was long, and it’s influence was all over the world. Indian musicologist Dr. V. Raghavan can even trace the similarities between Sama recital and the Jewish folk
Gregorian Chants have been around for the longest time, the music is a form of monks getting together and singing and they sang like church like choirs with a magnificent sound. Monks had skills behind this because of rhythm and their accents were soft. Being that the monks had two or three notes or beats to go along with the better the process of singing these chants it became.
In the display of Gullah song lyrics, Turner notes that the words were accompanied by handclapping, drumming, and dancing (256). While in Ghana I visited Nana Abass’ shrine of African traditional worship, where I was able to engage in spiritual service. The key component of the service was the dancing, singing, handclapping, and drumming. These methods were used to call in the presence of the spirits. Thus, one can assume that the combination of such elements in Gullah song is a spiritual
“For over one thousand years the official music of the Roman Catholic church had been Gregorian Chant, which consists of melody set to sacred Latin texts and sung without accompaniment” (Kamien 67). The credit for developing Gregorian chant music, also known as plain...
However, more important are the chants. Chanting is an extension of speaking that started as a means of communicating to the gods. The hula can be performed with or without music, but not without the chant. Bamboo sticks, drums, and gourds, are some of the instruments that are played to support the chanting. The chants are very poetic and have many levels of meaning.
Native American music has many different musical styles. Within every Native American tribe there is a variety of musical styles and instruments. In response to the research that I have conducted, there are three main musical styles that are going to be my point of focus. The Sioux Grass Dance, the Zuni Lullaby, and the Iroquois Quiver Dance are the principal methods which contribute to Native American music.
There are various aspects of our lives and of those there is music. Music is an inextricable part of life. It can be dated back to the most primitive of time. Where there are humans there is some form of music varying from culture to culture. Languages, belief systems and many other variables within a nation have great influence on what is considered music and what’s not music. This is why it is very important when listening to music to consider the context in which it was created in. This will enable you to appreciate the different sounds and musical constructions such as rhythm, melody, harmony and also the lack thereof. American music is fundamentally diverse because of the many ethnicities and subcultures. These attributes of society are also found in other nations around the world. The Middle East, Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa are nations of varied ethnic groups whom have expressed their beliefs, culture and other extra musical influences in their music. Through the study of many ethnomusicologists in these regions we can acknowledge and or comprehend the different sounds of music apart from our ethnocentric understanding of music.
One of the very first things taught in this class was the concept of the Qur'anic recitation. It is a practice reciting different passages in the Quran. Much to the frustration of those who take part in this practice, it is often mistaken for music by those who are not very familiar with the idea. Music in this culture, however, is considered a nonreligious thing and is thought to be “secular” and “profane”. I found this extremely different from music in Africa, for example, where music plays a huge role in religion. Praise dances are very common in West African cultures where music and religion go hand in hand. Music is most often present in worship and passage rites, as well.
Humans from the coast of West Africa arrived to the New World as slaves. Stripped of everything familiar, they brought with them their traditional ways of using music to record historic events, expressions, and to accompany rituals. While toiling in the tobacco fields of Virginia, slaves were not permitted to speak to each other. So, they resorted to their African tradition. They sang!
many cultures view as an important part in their way of life. Music ranges from strictly
There are many examples of which European religious music have been borrowed by black Americans, the key characteristics of their African-heritage were never forgotten such as improvisation, vocal slides and shouts, call-and-response style singing can all be found even in modern day gospel. Many of the lyrics and texts are performed in a half sung, half spoken manner which became a signature vocal technique. Vowel sounds like “ah”, “oh”, “yeah” etc. are mixed within the melodies as prolongations and or ornamentations to the music. Some words could form an entire melody with such elongations on its own. (Roach 24) Musicians can often alter the melodies and improvised vocal riffs in addition to the main melody which is an extension of the purpose
Hinduism is easily the oldest major world religion that is still in use today. It has not only survived countless attacks but has also thrived and has changed little to none in the last 2500-3000 years. "The Aryans are said to have entered India through the fabled Khyber Pass, around 1500 BC. They intermingled with the local populace, and assimilated themselves into the social framework. The Aryans did not have a script, but they developed a rich tradition. They composed the hymns of the four vedas, the great philosophic poems that are at the heart of Hindu thought" (The Aryans and the Vedic Age, 2004, par. 2).
When presented in its truest form, music has the power to affect human emotion. Hindusthani classical music is rooted in this belief. Some believe that music is an interesting part of natural philosophy that explains the causes and properties of sound. Music is believed to be present in every living and non-living thing. It is manifest through the art of raga. Raga or melody is, above all, an aesthetically pleasing sound. To create it, a musician must follow several guidelines and adhere to a strict framework vis-à-vis form. A musician must also have as his or her aim, to incite a particular emotion in the listener’s mind. In interpreting a raga, a singer must understand these emotions and try to bring them out using the voice. He or she must also practice singing the unique note combinations for many hours. The system is complex, and it takes much practice and deliberation to successfully render a raga – sometimes many years. Once both musician and singer follow the rules laid down in the earlier texts, a raga can be truly beautiful and as Indian classical musicians believe, capable of attaining pleasure and salvation.
Most of the early music that we have today still in print is primarily sacred music. This music, for the most part, is in the form of sections of the Mass, such as the Gloria, Kyrie and Agnus Dei. Most people of the Middle Ages were poor peasants who worked all day for meager wages and had no idle time lounging the way the upper classes did. Therefore, there are few extant secular compositions of music from this era. The rise of a new middle class, however, gave financial freedom for some people to spend time and money on entertainment in the form of music and dance. Thus, the rise of the middle classes also gave way to the rise in composition and performance of secular music, which became the music of choice for composers of that day.
person is in, there is a psalm to match it. For example, Psalm 19 is
Like many Indian arts, Indian dance also has its root in religion. Without the religious and cultural background of India, the growth and beauty of Indian dance is not possible. In ‘Natya Shastra’, there is a small story about the origin of Indian dance. According to Hindu mythology, dance first existed in heaven. There was always a constant conflict between the Asuras and the Devas for wealth and power. The Devas were tired of the Asuras’ greediness and jealousy.