Religion and Music By: Veronica Umstott

“Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise Him for His acts of power; praise Him for His surpassing greatness. Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise Him with the harp and lyre, praise Him with tambourine and dancing, praise Him with the strings and flute, praise Him with the clash of cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. (Psalm 150:1)”

Buddhism Very spiritual religion that is based on the teachings, praise and worship of Siddhartha Gautama, or more recognized as “Buddha.” Buddha practiced internal peace and spirituality his whole life and eventually achieved complete inner peace with himself He taught everything he learned to his followers (Buddhists) Nirvana- bliss, serenity, ecstasy

Buddhism and Music Music is essential in the meditation process. “The Yoga of Music” – Associated with ones devotion, inner –attachment, and love – Peace cannot be achieved without achieving this devotion Music is not viewed as entertainment to Buddhists, rather, it is a means of becoming closer to their faith and realization of their religion Chant – short, simple melody often made up of only vowel sounds and repetition of the vowel sounds. – Buddhists often chant sacred text and verses

Islam People who practice this faith are called Muslims Muslims believe in one God Stories were said to be sent down from God to a Prophet called Muhammad These stories were written down in the Islam equivalent to a Christians Bible, called the Qur’an (Koran) “Islam” in Arabic means submission The Islam faith is very strict in that, they ask you to commit your whole self, body, mind, and soul, solely to God.

Islam and Music Madih Nawabi – hymns that are used to worship Muhammad, the prophet with hyms that are taken from stories within the Koran Mawlid – used to celebrate Muhammad’s birthday Music in the Islam faith – hamd is the Islam equivalent to a Christian hymn where they worship and praise Allah (God). – naat is a song used to praise the prophet Muhammad There is a form of disagreement in this religion based on whether they think music is allowed or not as a form of worship. Some Muslims firmly believe that instrumental music is not to be used in the religion, rather, only vocal, a cappela music. They say that instruments do not give the thanks and praise to Allah that voices do and that instruments are forbidden.

Judaism One of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world. Very similar to Christianity The Jewish people attend church in a synagogue Instead of a Bible or Koran, Jews read from the Torah – made up of the most sacred stories and writings in the Jewish faith and they are used as guidelines for their beliefs and traditions.

Music in Judaism Music is used a lot and in many different ways in Judaism. In the temples and synagogues where Jewish worship, there is almost always a choir/orchestra. – Consists of twelve instruments and twelve male singers. Piyyut – A Jewish poem usually sung in a religious service Pizmonim – Sung to praise God and tell stories about the Jewish faith Nigun – Music sung by a choir or group Music is an essential part of this faith.

Christianity Christianity is a monotheistic religion They believe in God and Jesus Christ and his life/teachings. Christians believe that God sent Jesus to earth to save everybody from their sins. They get their traditions and beliefs from the stories in the Bible. The life and death of Jesus of Nazareth is the main focus of this faith.

Music in Christianity Music is used in almost every Christian religious service. It is used to praise and worship God, and especially Jesus. There are different parts of a service where music is used to worship Jesus. – Entrance Hymn – Gospel Acclamation – Responsorial – The Offering During a service, music is sung by a cantor, a choir, or most of the time, the whole congregation.

In conclusion, music plays an essential role in religion and gives people a way to express themselves in worship all over the world. It offers a way of praising your god and remembering what you believe in. Music has been called the “universal language” and that holds true in all religions throughout the world.

Questions?