Last night I went to a Muslim mosque for the first time in my life. I am not a religious person, and I never intend to be. It doesn't suit my need for individuality. But this was to observe a sacred dance and hear the accompanying music.
While listening and watching the trance-inducing ceremony I staved off any hypnotic effects. Such beauty in music and visuals can really tempt one to put faith in historical texts.
Then I began thinking about the very different scales played in Islamic religious music, as opposed to those played in Christian and catholic ceremonies. The intervals in the scales conjure such vastly different moods.
The long intervals and mysterious-sounding slides of the Middle East avert resolution and prolong the musical experience. Western music, with the half step at the end of the scale, seeks resolution desperately. Neither of these forms of music is better, and different people will have their preferences (probably based on what they grew up with and are accustomed to).
The presence of music in religion is profound. Musicians from antiquity supported themselves by composing for sacred institutions. This was dictated to them by law and necessity.
The music is the backbone of religion, and the conflicting harmonies and scales reflect a different ideology.
Eastern music eludes immediate gratification while western music may elude it- but it is seeking it with urgency.
I wonder how many of our world's wars and conflict are the result of this divergence in perception. People may not recognize it, as it may afflict them on a more subconscious level, but the stark contrast in harmony shows profoundly how our consciousness is shaped by the sounds we hear (or do not).
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