I was intrigued by the similarities that weave their way through all of the cultures we have studied. One that particularly stood out to me was the spiritual aspect—the belief that music has a “higher purpose”. As it was created, it has the ability to inspire transcendence and connect people, both the musicians and listeners. It can join one with the divine. Within this belief are common characteristics: ritual, repetition, the importance of silence, balance and harmony as seen in nature, oral tradition, and the value of community. These can be seen in the Yeibichai songs and Enemyway ritual of the Native Americans; the BaAkan belief that God is everywhere in this world; the k’antu of Latin America, the bhajan songs and ragas of India; shakuhachi of Japan, where the goal is to reach enlightenment; and the gamelan music of Indonesia.
Through the study of these various cultural traditions, I have reflected on what they can contribute to my understanding of my own culture. The cyclic nature of life, for instance, was a recurring theme that reaffirmed my practice of observing the church’s liturgical year. It is not only the continual process of change, but the repetitiveness and constant renewal of nature that allows one to begin to understand truth. Another particular idea of interest to me was found in the chapter on Japan: “The intellect is not needed in the pursuit of truth. We can search to know about things, but we do not really know them. To know them, we must throw away our notions of scientific investigation and logical reasoning and instead rely on a heightened awareness and intuition about life.” This quote resounded deeply with my own beliefs. It is amazing to see such similarities in cultures that on the surface seem completely different from our own.
In our study of Africa, we learned about their belief that music is a necessary and normal part of life. I am interested in discovering further how our own society is lacking in this vision, and in finding ways that we can, as a culture, better appreciate the gift of music.
I'm also intrigued by Africans and thier belief that music is life essentially. I think this is entirely appropriate because what can better describe our life and emotions of life, many of which are hard to put into words! I am so struck by the fact that we do not take music seriously enough as an entire society and do not treat it with the respect that is due.
ReplyDeleteIt is neat to think about how some of the most different cultures have similarities. We truly are all connected. I also am intrigued by the way the African cultures live their lives through music, and I would love to go there and experience it!
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated your comments about Japan. There are other ways of knowing things other than science and logical reasoning. Being aware and alert can teach us so much.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it neat that pretty much every culture in the world has music that they associate with a higher being? Music can be very transcendant. We're all a like in our most unnoticed ways.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your imagery of how cultures weave and bend ideas. Aspects of countries certainly spread and travel throughout the world creating a fantastic masterwork of a brightly colored quilt. It would most definitely contain repetitive patterns that wound in a cirlce. The cyclic intuitive is definetly incorporated in most cultures. Perhaps this is why Da Capa pieces were and are so popular. This quilt would also contain a strong beat or recurring image that holds the piece together. Altogether, it represents human nature.
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