Study of Musicality in the Recitation of Religious Hymns

Abstract

Religious traditions across the globe have their unique ways of reciting sacred hymns based on different melodic structures. Whether it is the chanting of Veda mantras in Hinduism or the recitation of Salaah in Islam or the singing of psalms in Christianity, there is a melodic flow in these hymns. Hymns have their own melodic appeal that makes them stand out among various melodic compositions, regardless of their language. The objective of this paper is to study the musicality of different religious hymns by selecting a few hymns from different traditions. This paper limits its study to the musical aspects of the oral traditions of reciting sacred hymns of different religions and it attempts to explore the unique musical elements in these hymns and also offers an insight into the artistic expressions across different religious cultures, through their musical recitations. Audio samples of the hymns are collected from various sources including field recordings, online resources and interviews. The collected data is subject to musical analysis by giving notations to the selected audio samples using musical notes of the Indian system of music, analyzing tonal variations and vocal techniques, and comparing the musical features to study the similarities and distinctions. The results of the analysis include finding the musical phrases from the chanting of different hymns, listing the observed commonalities and differences, and realizing the limited scope of melody. Eventually, the study accentuates the power of the musical notes, even with limited combinations, in building an effective auditory impact. These findings have significant implications on understanding the role of music in diverse religious traditions. This in turn results in establishing the fact that music has been an integral part of religious practices which takes it beyond the level of entertainment.