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Chapter 5 The Middle Ages Global Perspectives: Sacred Chant Key Terms Qur’anic recitation azan muezzin mele pule mele hula ho’zho’ni songs Vocables Enemy Way ceremony Global Perspectives What can world music do for us? Help us see our own traditions more clearly; understand our world more fully Stimulate intellectual curiosity Learn how cultures influence each other • Western music did not evolve in a vacuum Gain a sharper understanding of the elements of music Honor the diverse traditions represented in today’s classrooms Global Perspectives 1 Sacred Chant For many ancient cultures, music possessed sacred, even magical power Chanting sacred texts was and is a nearly universal phenomenon Still practiced by Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Buddhists Used by most other traditional religions, e.g., Hawai’ian or Navajo cultures Qur’anic Recitation Islamic practice of reciting holy scripture Though it possesses musical qualities, it is regarded as “reading,” not “singing” Its goal is to convey texts of the Qur’an in a clearly comprehensible manner A purely oral tradition, never written down Style and degree of virtuosity vary with the reciter It takes years to memorize the Qur’an and learn the rules of recitation Ya Sin (Surah XXXVI) • Starts low, gradually rises higher, circling around scale step five • Irregular phrases ornamented with trills, shakes, etc. • Based on non-Western scale (Arabic maqam) • Nonmetrical: no fixed rhythm or meter • Speechlike rhythms, free and unpredictable • Unaccompanied, monophonic • Solo male voice, often with nasal quality • No obvious patterns of repetition or return The Adhan (Azan) Islamic call to prayer Sung five times a day by mu’adhdhin (muezzin) Traditionally sung from minaret (a tower attached to the mosque) and then inside the mosque to begin prayers Now often broadcast over loudspeakers Perhaps best known type of Islamic chant Closely related to Qur’anic recitation, but does not use words from the Qur’an Hawai’ian Chant Mele pule Mele = song; specifically, poetic texts sung with or without instruments Mele pule = prayers to gods Sung prayers seek to bring images of gods to life and invest them with divine powers Often sung in olioli style: delivered on a sustained pitch with vibrato (i’i) Mele pule • Two short prayers: “Aia no ke akua la I uka” and “Ike ia Kaukini e lawai’a manu” • One primary pitch, barely touches one other pitch • Heightened speech, with vibrato and glottal stops • Nonmetrical: no fixed rhythm or meter • Very close to natural speech rhythms • Unaccompanied, monophonic music • Solo female voice • No obvious patterns of repetition and return Native American Song Singing closely allied with sacred ritual Used in healing, hunting, and social rituals Used in human relations with gods, spirits, and ancestors Like Hawai’ian, Islamic, or Christian chant, this music is monophonic Unlike the others, singing is often accompanied by drums or rattles Navajo Songs All music is sacred to the Navajo Ritual music and language have the power to summon deities, to protect, or to restore strength and health Some songs can be sung by anyone Other songs are more potent, sung only by expert ritual practitioners (shamans) Expert practitioners ensure that rituals use proper songs in proper order Enemy Way Ceremony Enemy Way Ceremony Three-day healing ceremony Designed to protect and free warriors from the ghosts of slain enemies Many songs sung by all participants The most potent songs sung only by the ritual practitioner Concluding ritual may include ho’zho’ni (Blessing Way) songs A Navajo Song “K’adnikini’ya’” Ho’zho’ni song from Enemy Way Used to end final night of ceremony Each phrase begins with vocables, a potent part of Navajo ritual language The only translatable words are: • Ho’zho’ni: “beautiful” or “holy” • K’adnikini’ya’: “I’m leaving” • Title may reflect on time of captivity at Fort Sumner, where song was composed “K’adnikini’ya’” • Organized around a few simple motives • Phrases begin and end on low reciting tone with upward arch in middle • Uses only four pitches of pentatonic scale • No clear meter, but steady, regular drumbeat • Recurring 4-beat and 7-beat patterns • Monophonic: single melody over drumbeat • Solo male voice, relaxed sound with slight nasal color and a bit of vibrato • Uses repetition, contrast, and return • Series of parallel phrases, some refrain-like
