MUS 2420 Lecture Notes - Lecture 24: Music Of Tibet, Buddhist Chant, Fundamental Frequency
Document Summary
Music is often used in public celebration of belief (religious services) Music helps shape ritual form by marking time. Rituals have significance beyond religious belief (such as religious music in secular context, i. e. composed masses) Ritual, sacred services, liturgy and liturgical order are words describing belief celebrations. Rituals connect individuals to the greater community. Rituals incorporate a symbolic process or change of state in 3 stages: separation, transition, incorporation. Ex: wedding ceremony is a rite of passage that separates the brides and groom from their single status, takes them through a brief transition and finally incorporates them into the society of married couples. Rituals can have multiple layers of meaning. Weddings ceremonies make the official union or of 2 families but in the context of royal lineages, they symbolize new national and political alliances. Text, music and bodily gestures help convey complex meaning. Some rituals are performed in archaic or esoteric languages not understood by most participants, ex: catholic mass.