Essay Sample on The Importance of Music in Rituals

Introduction

However, as opposed to other arts, architecture's instilling of a sense of place, speaks more to a sense of self, as well as society, more when compared to music, with its formation of a uniform change.

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"Music" as a term does not necessarily refer to a similar thing across all the cultures of the world. However, most societies do not have a word or concept for "music" in terms of Western culture. The activities included in singing make and take part in music, a factor that is universal among all humans. Therefore, "human communication that is sound and outside the language being spoken" exists among all the known as well as described human societies. It has proved to be having observable impacts on its listeners and makers. Music in different European countries has proved to be very different from one another. However, they all share some characteristics of conceptualization as well as behavior, at least in various respects. It is a factor that proves the relevance of music in the different rituals conducted in different European countries.

In nearly all the books or scholarly articles involved, music has been viewed as a well-known trait in the modern rituals throughout all European countries. Such can be seen from the many texts that have examined hundreds of pottery and paints that show musicians in cult scenes. Moreover, even in the case where the writings and depictions may not be considered as evidence for the applying music in rituals, and serve as traits for the relevant factors (Nompula, 2011). The importance of music in rituals can be seen by looking closer at how many musical activities have been performed in rituals, as well as the purpose of doing so.

In addition, there exist texts that explanation of the lack of music in a situation essentially not normal. A clear link is evident between the lack of war and music, tears and death. Music has constantly been related to the idea of celebrating, which can be taken as being opposite to grief. As opposed to the many examples in different countries of Europe, it is safe to make the conclusion that music is indeed a common part of the rituals such as crossing from childhood to adulthood and weddings (Gale, 2005).

For instance, depictions on painted ceramics display music as being more often included in ritual scenes. And even in the case where music indeed appears in the setting, the subject rituals are mainly the ones that are musically connected. Through looking at all the musical scenes in the different rituals conducted in modern Europe, it is easy to notice that music sang in rituals are mostly symbolized in ceramics by musical instruments, as opposed to by dancing or singing. Such is important, as it is known that most common musical acts in ritual practices involved singing. Depictions made during singing may not necessarily include instruments that are necessarily conspicuous. It is symbolized mostly by depictions such as opening the mouth, as well as sometimes by text lines that had been shown coming from the mouth.

Music plays a major role in life in Europe and is connected both to the day-to-day life and to conducted rituals. Songs played in rituals play a role of the medium supporting the religious roles that lead to ritual aspects such as changes in behavior as well as situations comparable to a secular norm. In the context, it is necessary for the hymns to be regarded as the main type of singing in the ritual performance. The reason behind this is that they are usually played in all the sections of the conducted ritual, in the course of the procession, prior to the main event. Another important role that music plays in rituals includes enabling a secure communication framework with the divine sphere. The close link between music and rituals is, for instance, shown in the popular rituals, where there exist gods that invent instruments and play them (Garrison, 2012).

Undoubtedly, there psychological and socio-cultural reasons as to why music became a permanent part of rituals throughout Europe. The effect music had on the ceremonies themselves showed the importance of music in these rituals. Some philosophers have emphasized the fact that music performances, particularly circular dances, aided in rites of passage such as marking transitions from childhood to adulthood. As a result, it is necessary to add to the fact that music, through the extension of dancing, had been used in inducing a changed state of consciousness in the course of the scared performance of the activities in the ritual (Garrison, 2012).

In modern Europe, music has often referred to rhythmic sounds and formalized melodic produced by the human voice among other instruments. In societies that are rather small-scale, however, the phenomenon called music (like, for example, drumming or melodic vocalizing) can well be categorized somehow in a different way. Its meaning can also overlap with the phenomenon, which a Western observer may probably consider as being rather irrelevant. For instance, what may be regarded, as "music" in Italy may not necessarily be the same as what it is in Norway. What sounds like "song" or sounds "human organized" and is regarded by its makers as being among one of the varieties of the sounds shared, need lesser or greater degrees by animal agents and natural, for instance, waterfalls, rain, birds, crickets, as well as human beings.

The relevance of music in rituals conducted in European countries can also be considered from the fact that in Western minds, music is in general considered a rare talent possessed by only a few. Resultantly, most contemporary thinkers that have been pondering on the evolutionary contribution music made to the human life regard it as an unexplained mystery, as it gets so distributed among different persons. Looking at traditional societies throughout Europe; it is evident which music is broadly endowed as other human capacities, and virtually everyone takes parts in music making (Kadar, 2013).

Even though some societies in Europe have musical specialists, in most, skills in "musical" like song, stylized whooping, weeping, humming, drumming, cheering, as well as identifying animal, bird, and other environmental sounds is naturally acquired, as opposed to learning to understand and talk speech (Nompula, 2011). The existing differences in the performance and composing abilities attributed to individual desires and interests are evident, as opposed to special endowments. In the traditional societies in Europe as well, as opposed to the modern West, similar music is played in a multimedia activity. That is to say, playing or singing an instrument is inseparable from gestural movements (both in audience and performer), whether as beating or dance time with the hands, body, or feet. For instance, Italians cannot easily sing a tune having to move their body, particularly their legs, and as a result, a singer may swing in their hammock or may merely tap a hand on a house post nearby (Pentaris & Yerosimou, 2014).

Non-religious rituals such as political events and sports are rarely an end in themselves, although a means to social ends, as well as in varying degrees that are integrated with other life activities. In modern societies, people tend to think of music as an aspect of performance by specialists for a somehow unconnected appreciation from people in the audience. However, traditional music in these events generally become integral to ritual ceremonies performed with a certain relevant pragmatic end. The rituals usually require the community to participate, and, together with the music that is...