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: try at least to browse The Cantillation of the Qur'an (by Lois Ibsen al-Faruqi), for a more systematic treatment of Qur'anic recitation. If you have time, examine also 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. Note that the author is the director of the film we watched, Altar of Fire. Optionally, read (or at least browse) An Analysis of Rg Vedic Recitation, for a more systematic treatment.