Reciting the sacred

Assigned viewings, listenings

(some we will do in class; most will be on Music Library reserve afterwards)

Assigned readings

Judaism

Please read Jewish synagogue music from Grove Music Online. Focus primarily on the section entitled "Biblical cantillation; read other sections of the broader article, on liturgical and paraliturgical music as you wish.

Islam

Please read The Qur'an in Indonesian Daily Life. Optional readings: The Cantillation of the Qur'an (by Lois Ibsen al-Faruqi), for a more systematic treatment of Qur'anic recitation; and Sound, Spirit, and Gender in Surat al-Qadr (by Michael Sells), for a deeper understanding of the musicality inherent in the Qur'anic text itself.

Hinduism and Vedas Please read Mantras and Bird Song. Optionally, read An Analysis of Rg Vedic Recitation, for a more systematic treatment.