Religious music (also sacred music) is This article needs cleanup. Please edit this article to conform to a higher standard of article quality. Music is a word whose accepted definitions vary with time, place and culture. It is said to be an art, a form of entertainment, and is also often defined by contrast with noise... music performed or composed for Religion, sometimes used interchangeably with faith, is commonly defined as belief concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the practices and institutions associated with such belief. In its broadest sense some have defined it as the sum total of answers given to explain humankinds relationship with the universe. Religion... religious use or through religious influence.

A lot of music has been composed to complement religion, and many composers have derived some inspiration from their religions. Many forms of Folk music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and of the people. Folk music arose, and best survives, in societies not yet affected by mass communication and the commercialization of culture. It normally was shared and performed by the entire community (not by a special class... traditional music have been adapted to fit religions purposes or descended from religious music. For other people named Bach and other meanings of the word, see Bach (disambiguation). Johann Sebastian Bach, 1748 portrait by Elias Gottlob Haussmann Johann Sebastian Bach (March 21, 1685 (O.S.) – July 28, 1750 (N.S.)) was a German composer and organist of the Baroque period, and is universally... Johann Sebastian Bach, considered one of the most important and influential This article is about the broad genre of classical music in the Western musical tradition. For the period of music in the 18th century see Classical music era, for articles on classical music of non-Western cultures, see: List of classical music traditions Classical music is a broad, somewhat imprecise... European classical music A composer is a person who writes music. The term refers particularly to someone who writes music in some type of musical notation, thus allowing others to perform the music. This distinguishes the composer from a musician who improvises. However, a person may be called a composer without creating music... composers, wrote most of his music for the The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. See Protestantism for further discussion. History of Lutheranism Early history Lutheranism as a movement traces its origin to the work of Martin Luther, a German religious scholar who sought to reform the practices of the... Lutheran This article is about the Christian buildings of worship. For other uses of the word, see Church (disambiguation). The Memorial Church at Stanford University. A church building is a building used in Christian worship. See also altar, altar rails, confessional, dome, nave, pew, pulpit, sanctuary, lych gate. Etymology The word... church.

Religious music often changes to fit the times; Upon This Rock, Larry Norman (1969) Contemporary Christian Music (CCM), or Christian pop/rock music, is a sub-genre of Christian music. It is called contemporary because it is distinct from traditional Christian gospel music and southern gospel music. Because it can be difficult to define what is and what... Contemporary Christian music, for example, uses idioms from various secular Popular music, sometimes abbreviated pop music, is music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are broadly popular. Definitions The term is used in both broad and narrow senses. In the broader sense, popular music means any sort of music intended for mass consumption and propagated over... popular music styles but with religious lyrics. Gospel music may refer either to the religious music that first came out of African-American churches in the 1930s or, more loosely, to both black gospel music and to the religious music composed and sung by white southern Christian artists. While the separation between the two styles was... Gospel music has always done this, for example incorporating Funk is a distinct style of music originated by African-Americans, e.g., James Brown and his band members (especially Maceo and Melvin Parker), and groups like The Meters. Funk best can be recognized by its syncopated rhythms; thick bass line (often based on an on the one beat); razor... funk, and continues to do so.

Monotheism (in Greek monon = single and Theos = God) is the belief in a single, universal, all-encompassing deity. Various forms of monotheism exist, including: Theism, a term that usually refers to the belief in a personal god, that is, a single god with a distinctive personality, rather than just a... Monotheism and Tonality is the character of music written with hierarchical relationships of pitches, rhythms, and chords to a center or tonic. Tonic is sometimes used interchangeably with key. The term tonalité was borrowed from Castil-Blaze (1821, François Henri Joseph Blaze) by Joseph Fétis in 1840 (Reti, 1958; Judd... tonality, all tones relating and resolving to a The tonic is the first note of a musical scale, and in the tonal method of music composition it is extremely important. The triad formed on the tonic note, the tonic chord, is thus the most important chord. More generally, the tonic is the pitch upon which all other pitches... tonic, are often associated, and the In music, the word texture is often used in a rather vague way in reference to the overall sound of a piece of music. A piece may be described as having a thick texture, or a light texture, or other terms taken from outside of music (Aaron Coplands more... textures of European Homophony is music in which the top line has a dominant melody, and all the voices accompany it with chords in the same rhythm. Many hymn harmonisations are homophonic. Homophonic music has distinct melody and harmony. Homophony is contrasted with polyphony (in which each voice is contrapuntally independent and equal... homophony, equated with monotheism, may be contrasted with Asian One of various musical textures, heterophony is a kind of complex monophony - there is only one melody, but multiple voices each of which play the melody differently, either in a different rhythm or tempo, with different embellishments and figures, or idiomatically different. The term was invented to differentiate this from... heterophony, equated with Polytheism is belief in, or worship of, multiple gods or divinities. The word comes from the Greek words poly+theoi, literally many gods. Most ancient religions were polytheistic, holding to pantheons of traditional deities, often accumulated over centuries of cultural interchange and experience. The belief in many gods does not... poly or Pantheism literally means God is All and All is God. It is the view that everything is of an all-encompassing immanent God; or that the universe, or nature, and God are equivalent. More detailed definitions tend to emphasize the idea that natural law, existence and/or the universe (the... pantheism. Navajo music's cyclic song and song-group forms mirrors the cyclic nature of their dieties such as Changing Woman.

Kirtan originated in the Hindu tradition as loving songs sung to God. It is also one of the pillars of Sikhism and in that context refers to the singing of the Sacred Hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib to music. The Sikh place huge value on this type of singing... Kirtan originated in the Hindu tradition as loving songs sung to God. It is also one of the pillars of Sikhism and in that context refers to the singing of the Sacred Hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib to music. The Sikh place huge value on this type of singing and a Sikh is duty bound to listen and/or sing Guru-Kirtan as frequently as possible.

Religions

Buddhist music

Buddhist music is prominent in many cultures, notably including: Music of Tibet (see Music of China): Throat singing Music of Japan: Shomyo, Taiko, Honkyoku Composer Philip Glass is a practicing Buddhist but claims it does not influence his music directly: The real impact of Buddhist practice affects how you live... Buddhist music is prominent in many cultures, notably including:

• Music of Tibet (see Music of China appears to date back to the dawn of Chinese civilization, and documents and artifacts provide evidence of a well-developed musical culture as early as the Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC - 256 BC). According to Mencius, a ruler had asked Mencius whether it was moral if he preferred... Music of China): Throat singing, also known in the western world as overtone singing, harmonic singing, or harmonic chant; and many other regional names, is a type of singing that manipulates the harmonic resonances (or formants) created as air travels through the human vocal folds and out the lips. The harmonic frequencies created... Throat singing
• For many outsiders, Japanese music is associated entirely with cheap, disposable bubblegum pop, of which there is plenty. However, many distinct styles and innovative artists play folk and classical music, much of it very intense, and others play distinct forms of rock, electronic music, hip hop, punk rock and country... Music of Japan: Shomyo (声明) is a style of Japanese Buddhist chant; mainly in the Tendai and Shingon sects. There are two styles: ryokyoku and rikkyoku, described as difficult and easy to remember, respectively. External links What Appears Through Chanting: Tendai Shomyo Ryokyoku http://jtrad.columbia.jp/eng/s_tendai.html http://www... Shomyo, Taiko drummers in Aichi, Japan The word taiko (太鼓) means simply big drum in Japanese. Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums (和太鼓, wa-daiko, Japanese drum, in Japanese) and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble... Taiko, Honkyoku are the pieces of shakuhachi or hocchiku music played by wandering Japanese Zen monks called Komuso. Komuso played honkyoku for enlightenment and alms as early as the 13th century. In the 18th century, a Komuso named Kinko Kurosawa of the Fuke sect of Zen Buddhism was commissioned to travel... Honkyoku

Christian music is music created by or adapted for the Christian church. There is virtually no record of the earliest music of the Christian church except a few New Testament fragments of what are probably hymns. Some of these fragments are still sung as hymns today in the Orthodox Church... Christian music

There is virtually no record of the earliest music of the Christian church except a few New Testament fragments of what are probably hymns. Some of these fragments are still sung as hymns today in the Orthodox Church, including "Awake, awake O sleeper" on the occasion of someone's baptism.

Being Jewish, Jesus and his disciples would most likely have sung the psalms from memory. However, without a centralised music industry, the repertoire of ordinary people was much greater than it is today, so they probably knew other songs too. Early Christians continued to sing the psalms much as they were sung in the synagogues in the first century.

Origin of Jewish music in the Temple The earliest synagogal music was based on the same system that in the Temple in Jerusalem. According to the Talmud, Joshua ben Hananiah, who had served in the sanctuary Levitical choir, told how the choristers went to the synagogue from the orchestra by... Jewish music

The earliest synagogal music was based on the same system that in the Temple in Jerusalem. According to the Talmud, Joshua ben Hananiah, who had served in the sanctuary Levitical choir, told how the choristers went to the synagogue from the orchestra by the altar (Talmud, Suk. 53a), and so participated in both services.

Muslim music

Islamic music is Muslim religious music, as sung or played in public services or private devotions. The classic heartland of Islam is Arabia and the Middle East, North Africa and Egypt, Iran, Central Asia, and northern India and Pakistan. The indigenous musical styles of these areas:

• Arab classical music
• Persian classical music
• Hindustani (हिन्‍दुस्‍थानी) classical music is an Indian classical music tradition originating in the North of the Indian subcontinent circa the 13th and 14th centuries CE. Developing a strong and diverse tradition over several centuries, it has contemporary... North Indian classical music

have shaped the devotional music enjoyed by contemporary Muslims.

Rastafarian music

Nyabinghi is a legendary Amazon queen, who was said to have possesed a Ugandan woman named Muhumusa in the 19th century. Muhumusa inspired a movement, rebelling against African colonial authorities. Though she was captured in 1913, alleged possessions by Nyabinghi continued (mostly afflicting women). The Nyabinghi resistance inspired a number... Nyabinghi music is the most integral form of Rastafarianism is a religion from Jamaica that has since spread throughout the world. Music has long played an integral role in the religion, and the connection between the religion and various kinds of music has become well-known due to the international fame of musicians like Bob Marley and Peter... Rastafarian music. It is played at worship ceremonies called grounations, which including drumming, chanting and dancing along with prayer and smoking of ritual ganja. Nyabinghi probably comes from an East African movement from the 1850s to the 1950s that was led by women who militarily opposed European imperialism. This form of nyabinghi was centered around Muhumusa, a healing woman from Uganda who organized resistance against German colonialists. The British later led efforts against nyabinghi, classifying it as witchcraft through the Witchcraft Ordinance of 1912. In Jamaica, nyabinghi was appropriated for similar anti-colonial efforts, and is often danced to invoke the power of Jah against an oppressor. The connection between the religion and various kinds of music has become well-known due to the international fame of musicians like Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley ( February 6, 1945 - May 11, 1981), better known as Bob Marley, was a singer, guitarist, and songwriter from Saint Ann, Jamaica. He was one of the widest known reggae musicians of all time, famous for popularising the genre outside of Jamaica. Much of his work... Bob Marley and Peter Tosh (October 9, 1944 - September 11, 1987) was a pioneer reggae musician. Militant, well-read and trailblazing, Tosh was the Malcolm X to former bandmate Bob Marleys Martin Luther King, Jr. Born Winston Hubert McIntosh, young Peter grew up in the Kingston, Jamaica slum of Trenchtown. Although his... Peter Tosh.

Sephardic music

The Sephardic Jews are one of the two main ethnicities among Diaspora Jews, the other being the Ashkenazi. Sephardic Jews originally referred just to the Jews in Iberian Peninsula, but now applies to the entire Mediterranean region. The Spanish Jewish community, however, remains the center of a form of popular... Sephardic music was born in medieval Spain, with cancioneros being performed at the royal courts. Since then, it has picked up influences from across Spain, Morocco, Argentina, Turkey, Greece and various popular tunes from Spain and further abroad. There are three types of Sephardic songs -- topical and entertainment songs, romance songs and spiritual or ceremonial songs. Lyrics can be in several languages, including Hebrew for religious songs and Ladino.

Shinto music

Shinto music (神楽) is ceremonial music for Shinto(神道) which is the native religion of Japan. It is related to Gagaku(雅楽) or old festival music. Kagura (神楽,かぐら): Shinto music Shinto (神道): Shintoism, native religion of Japan Hue: flute Tsudumi (鼓,つ... Shinto music (神楽) is ceremonial music for Shinto(神道) which is the native religion of Japan. It is related to Gagaku(雅楽) or old festival music. Taiko drummers in Aichi, Japan The word taiko (太鼓) means simply big drum in Japanese. Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums (和太鼓, wa-daiko, Japanese drum, in Japanese) and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble... Taiko has also been used.

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