TruthBook Religious News Blog

ISTANBUL - When the US invaded Iraq, Habibe wanted to be a human shield, but her family kept her from sacrificing herself. Instead, she took off her black chador, donned a white one and set her protest to music.

A Muslim woman’s songs call for peace For Habibe, a young Muslim woman, Pope Benedict XVI’s statement that "Islam is a warrior religion" was the last straw. She took off her black chador and donned a snow-white one, symbolizing peace, and hit the road to tell the world that her faith was not one of war.

Born in Medina, Habibe, 33, had been ready to give up her life as a human shield when the United States invaded Iraq in 2003. Though her family just barely prevented this young woman from sacrificing himself, she was determined to not stay silent about what she saw happening.

As a covered Muslim woman whose voice was forbidden by her religion, Habibe’s singing has been controversial, but she never gave up. She started working under the leadership of famous composer Taner Demiralp and performed nine different songs that call for friendship and peace in the world, including "Talea’l Bedr-u Aleyna" (Welcome, Dear Mohammed), one of the most-loved chants of the Muslim world, in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian and English. Habibe prepared her first music video for the techno track "No War." The video, which includes verses of peace from the Koran and the Old Testament of the Bible, is already on airing on the MTV music channel and its Web site, www.mtv.com.

Labels: Bible, Habibe, Islam, Koran, music, Muslims, peace

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Friday, March 06, 2009

ASKING THE CLERGY: Is there a relationship between art and religion?

February 28, 2009

Rabbi Johanan Bickhardt, Congregation Beth Sholom, Long Beach:

Without question, there is a powerful relationship between art and religion. Scripture tell us in Genesis 28:2: "You shall make Holy Vestments ... for honor and splendor." The direct commandment to create vestments that are enticing and aesthetically pleasing were to provide splendor into the holy service and bring honor to the office to those who held it. Houses of worship through the centuries always have had an eye for adornment and to create an atmosphere that was spiritually uplifting... In the words of the great 20th century writer Franz Werfel (1890-1945); "Religion is the everlasting dialogue between humanity and God. Art is its soliloquy."

Pastor James Lupis, Grace and Truth Church, Coram:

Since the beginning of time, there has always been a relationship between art and religion. Before the written word, man communicated what he felt and believed by art. I believe that in this world today, which has become mostly visual, art can be a great way to communicate our belief in God...Jesus painted pictures in the minds of men and women in the form of parables. The relationship of art and religion has never been stronger or more important than the time in which we are living. I believe that men and women and especially children can effectively communicate and minister their personal belief in God through art, and more importantly, glorify him in the process.

Pastor Joseph Costa, Blessed Hope Baptist Church, Coram:

...Art, as well as other forms of creativity, such as music or writing, can be a great way to connect with faith. I also am aware that art does not necessarily have to express anything other than that which its author intended. Some art has certain appeal to some, while it may actually be viewed as offensive to others. My church has sponsored a cable show the past seven years, called "Drawing Men to Christ," where a gospel preacher draws as he preaches. It has proved to be successful in that he keeps the attention of his audience by his artwork while at the same time his message of either salvation or sanctification settles into the soul of the listener.

The Rev. Richard Lehman, director of pastoral care, Long Island Council of Churches, Hempstead and Riverhead:

Art is often expressed in religious ideas and symbols...I think it is great to have art in the church. Art is an expression of a person's creativity. The church should always encourage creativity. I'm a musician, which is another creative expression. Some of the greatest music there is was written for the church. Christmas without "The Messiah" would be a distinct loss. The church would be very much at a loss without music and art.

Labels: art, church, clergy, music, Rabbi Johanan Bickhardt, religion, worship

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Wednesday, May 28, 2008

You don’t need to know music to appreciate it

May 28th, 2008
By Amjad Ali Khan

What is music? There may be any number of scientific explanations about pitch and vibrations but it is difficult to explain how ’sound’ becomes ‘music’. It has more to do with human nature. Music is a unique and precious gift of god to mankind. Music is a celebration of life. The wonderful truth is any music, from anywhere in the world, is based on the same seven, beautiful musical notes: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni or Do Re Me Fa So La Ti.

These seven notes are the ‘alphabet’ of a universal ‘language’. Of the seven notes, the first and the fifth are fixed while the remaining notes have sharps and flats, making a total of 12 notes. Music has been in practice for at least 5,000 years, yet we have not been able to discover a 13th note!

Musicians and listeners of music have been communicating with each other across all barriers through this ‘language’ from time immemorial. As we use flowers in worship, welcoming, honouring, departure and celebration, no matter what our race, origin, religion or language, we similarly arrange musical notes into ‘bouquets’ or compositions that display all our human feelings and emotions.

Musical vibrations can convey moods and emotions and have the ability to mould and shape our consciousness. Different types of music can have different effects on the mind -both positive and negative. Our mind is like any living organism. It must be nurtured and needs stimulation to develop and grow. Music is one of the most important ‘foods’ for the intellect. Each musical note is connected to this most important part of our minds.

Music has many faces. Conversation, recitation, chanting and singing are all part of music. Music can be either vocal or instrumental. Vocal music appeals to most of us because of its poetical or lyrical content. Instrumental music, on the other hand, such as what I play on the sarod, is pure sound. It needs to be experienced and felt. Since there are no lyrics, there is no language barrier between the performer and the listener, and that is why instrumental music transcends all barriers.

A wonderful and strange mystery of Indian classical music is the fact that one can spend a lifetime trying to attain knowledge and perfection and still feel that one has only touched a mere drop in an ocean. Along the journey of searching and discovering, the learning never stops. Its understanding changes with every year a musician lives. This is true sadhana. Some of the greatest sadhaks in Indian classical music were Swami Haridas, Swami Tyagaraja, Swami Muttuswamy Dikshitar, Swami Shyama Shastri, Purandara Dasa, Swati Tirunal, Baiju Bawra and Miyan Tansen (from where my family gets its musical lineage). They are responsible for the solid foundation of the art in both north and south India.

There is an old saying, “Swara hi eshwar hai”. In every culture, music has its roots in spirituality. Music has always been an internal part of the worship of god. That is why hymns, carols, bhajans, shabads, kirtans, etc., are all forms of prayer. Through music we can convey our innermost feelings. From childhood it has been my aim to be able to sing through my instruments, whether it is Dhrupad, Khayal, Thumri or folk. When I’m performing, in search of perfection and excellence with eyes closed, I feel connected to a cosmic power from where I receive the messages which my audiences experience. When I am able to get across to my audience, when I can get them involved, I find that my listeners always give me the inspiration to create that special atmosphere, the ambience where music, the musician and the audience become One.

Music is essential for mind and body. Pure music like the sarod, violin, etc., listened to with concentration restores the subtle mental imbalances that crop up in today’s modern lifestyle. People today need more than ever to cope with tensions, distress, depression and struggle to find peace and relaxation. Sound pollution is also a daily hazard. Music helps to retune one’s system. That is why eminent doctors and psychologists are prescribing certain type of music as a form of therapy and treatment for stress disorders. Noisy music on the other hand can be damaging to human mind and body. Music, like the sarod, needs to be heard at moderate volume and with concentration to avail of its positive effects.

In western classical music, a composer scores a composition that is read and sung or played by the vocalists or musicians. In the Indian classical system, there is no written or scored music. It would be extremely difficult to record and subsequently interpret the subtle nuances on paper. We therefore follow an ‘oral’ tradition. Music and musicality is passed on from guru to shishya directly through the guru-shishya parampara. In this manner, music has been handed down from generation to generation. For musicians, classical music thus becomes a way of life.

Music is the greatest wealth that I inherited from my forefathers. One that I am constantly sharing with my disciples. It was a great moment in my wife Subhalakshmi’s and my life when my two sons, representing the seventh generation of musicians in my family, began to play the sarod. Considering today’s distractions and musical pollution, if Amaan and Ayaan are playing today it only shows the wish of god that this tradition should be carried forward.

My other inheritance was the house of my birth in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, which was the birthplace of four generations of my family. Today, with the aid of the central and state governments, it houses ‘Sarod Ghar’, a museum of musical heritage; a tribute to my guru and to all our great musicians of the past. It houses, apart from the instruments of my ancestors, the instruments and artefacts of great musicians from all over the country. Should you find yourself in the vicinity of Agra, you are most welcome to visit this humble house of music in the neighbouring town of Gwalior.

(Amjad Ali Khan is a renowned sarod maestro. He can be reached at music@sarod.com)

Labels: Amjad Ali Khan, inspiration, mind, music, spirituality, worship

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Sunday, May 04, 2008

One world One music

Sunday , May 04, 2008

Sarhad, a registered trust, plans to institute a university of music that can ease tensions globally through its unified diversities and dispersal of universal knowledge on music

Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will be as one- was the anthem Lennon sang to galvanise the counter culture movement. He believed that music could raze boundaries and lived and died for the belief. That belief now has found wings and a prayer again half a world away. Sarhad, an organisation working for peace in militancy-hit regions, wants to concretize this healing power of music, embody it in buildings, house it in a campus and nurture it with citizens all across the globe.

Working since 1997 for promoting peace, rehabilitation of victims of violence (specially in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir) and reconstructing ruptured spirits, Sarhad, now wants to create a university of music where universal knowledge of music could pass freely inside and outside the country. Sanjay Nahar, president of Sarhad, is ready to invest his energies, resources and soul to see his dream transmogrify to reality.

"...I got together with other members of Sarhad on an enterprise of working towards an institute which would be devoted solely to the study of music in all its forms, subjects, genres – folk , western, pop, rap, rock and what have you, from all across the world. Music has played a great role in our tradition, culture, history and spirituality, for whatever reasons, say prayer, leisure, offering, poetry and of course pacification. It is the one divinity that transcends regional contours to assume celestial dimensions. It touches the soul. And there is no institute that studies music and only music irrespective of its origin and nationality. The truth is, music has no nationality. It belongs to the world and is one despite all its variances,” he says, “and we do not have any place where all its aspects can be united for research, study, promotion and dissemination globally, without any discrimination.”

For the same, Nahar got together with eminent personalities like Dr Mahmood Rahmaan who has been the vice chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University and also the chairman of the Finance Commission in Kashmir which deals with betterment of Kashmir as a people's state and mapping the backward areas. “India has been a virtual storehouse of knowledge and music and we will build on this idea. The project of a university is in its conceptual stage. There are so many universities in the country. We do not want to add just another. We hope to create a place thriving with a cosmopolitan outlook and the multi-lingual characteristic of music. It will not belong to a country but the world, secular, global and moral,” says Rahman, Sarhad’s mentor.

Getting specific, Nahar adumbrates a skeleton plan. “We are seeking help from a lot of people with reference to this. We already have land near Wagholi in mind. The ideation has been completed. The legal work and architectural processes will begin by the end of June. We hope to have laid the foundation of the university in about a year,” says a hopeful Nahar.

Labels: music, peace, Sanjay Nahar, Sarhad, universal

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