In the Beginning There Was Sound

Abstract

This paper approaches Arvo Pärt’s tintinnabuli concept as a point of entry into the unity of two seemingly oppositional states that ground human existence and underline the theology of Sufism: separation from God in longing and union with God in joy. Drawing on wide range of primary sources by classical theologians and Islamic mystics such as Ibn al-Arabi, Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali, and Abu Talib al Makki, this paper seeks to locate the theory of longing, the significance of hearing, and, ultimately, the meaning of music in Islamic mysticism. Finally, this chapter identifies a fundamental convergence between the expression of longing in Sufi poetry exemplified by Yunus Emre’s works and Arvo Pärt’s tintinnabuli technique, illuminating a closeness between the theological traditions of Orthodox Christianity and Islam.