The book also argues that music evolved as an inseparable part of religion in early human groups, even though its role has been reduced in modern religions. Does music seem an emotionally important part of religious services and if so does that argue for some deep connection between music and religion?
Nicholas Wade
The Faith Instinct, Before the Dawn
“some deep connection between music and religion?”
naturally, for music is an expression of religion; but only incidental to “religious behaviour”.
“even though its role has been reduced in modern religions”, as a result of secular substitutes and the consequent debasement of religion into empty repetitious ritual.
A “deep” connection betwn them?!
god, no!
Although I hear that banging on anything, usually some percussion object, gets rid
of a whole lot of stress.
Hmmm. Maybe they are connected…..
(religion PRODUCES stress in most cases I believe – at least western versions)
And then I heard about the baboons who observed five minutes of silence. Them having some form of reverence or at least showing they have an inner life. (NPR had on another program – forget…..) A scientist spent a few years with a group of baboons and saw this once. Probably the only human to ever witness this.
You know, I just started reading the book and realize, the question I was answering was “How many Pharaohs does it take to change a light bulb?” There were no iPods or MP3s at the dawn of man – and almost forever. We’ve lost that society of yore.
I heard the other day of how many days without electricity will put us back 100 years.
A mere century.
Does music seem an emotionally important part of religious services? – yes.
does that argue for some deep connection between music and religion? – this was not clear to me, but I find the argument put forward in _The Faith Instinct_ credible, persuasive and congruent with my own experiences.
as professional musician who also studied ethnomusicology, I believe that one aspect of this is that in the group experience of music the participants experience the emotion together (bonding etc…), and that this is true of groups listening together as well as those activities where everyone is participating. this would have been true before spoken language.
also, that there are some rhythms that are so widespread and so common that they seem as if there might be some evolutionary aspect to it… music certainly is passed down in families
I would suggest that the connection has nothing to do with religion at all, but is between music and human nature. That religion has exploited that connection, as it has done with visual arts for example, is strictly for the propaganda value and development of tradition necessary to rationalize itself and maintain a cultural presence.
Dear Dr. Wade,
Physical care of the young is well-known animal behavior. Emotional care of the young is unique to the hominin, the only primate with a sense of rhythm. Mothers sing lullabies, speak with cadenced cooing, rock their babies with singsong. They bond with their infants through the sound of music.
A mother’s care provides the necessary foundation for her baby’s growth and development. As demonstrated in Foundling homes,emotionally deprived children die. Life-giving care takes place largely before the acquisition of verbal language. The good mother awakens her child to emotional life by physical care, experiences too deep for words but not for music.
Frederick Kurth, M.D.
No. However, if organised religion had not paid the great European composers for sacred music many great works would never have been written.
Sure there’s a neural connection, but in a way everything is connected to everything. Emotionally freighted neural responses are more tightly connected to other similar ones, so funerals, weddings, marching to war or graduations are all characterized by musical accompaniments.
most certainly, at least that is my experience. As a boy I would attend church on my own to listen to the pipe organ music as it helped open my heart to feelings of love, which is the essence of any true religion. The words of the pastor confused me more than anything since damnation, blood-sacrifice, propitiation, and eternal torment seemed anything but the God of love. Music in its most elevated form invigorates and compliments the worship impulse which transcends words, dogmas, and cognitive understanding. When you really want to bust loose in praise you shout and sing it out! Music in song is the highest form of vocalization we possess.