Recitation of the Qur'an vs Other Religious Music & Doxology

This week we've been talking about whether or not Qur'an recitation is actually 'music.' We seemed to come to the conclusion on Tuesday that it's not necessarily music, but uses musical components, strategies and performative elements in order to effectively communicate a reverent and thought-provoking recitation of Islam's sacred text.

Do we have anything similar in other religions? JBK mentioned that he chants Torah, and mentioned that there are specific melodies associated with reciting certain aspects of scripture. I come from a Roman Catholic background. While I don't always agree with some of the practices or some of the archaic rulings in the Bible, the aesthetic component of Catholicism, specifically Catholic Mass, is something I definitely appreciate. And singing is something done very often within Catholic tradition, in a very reverent way which makes me immediately draw similarities with Qur'an recitation.

I grew up, from a very young age, singing Bible songs and hymns at Church and at Catholic school. There are certain songs performed for certain events, but the cultural context makes a difference which I think is an aspect very relevant to how we've been talking about Islam. For example, "Ave Maria" is usually sung in celebration of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, in May when she is celebrated. But "Ave Maria" is also a very popular song at Catholic funerals--it was sung at my grandmother's, in fact. Listen to Celine Dion's rendition of "Ave Maria" here. Does it sound melancholy? Does it sound celebratory, or adoring? Or, as I posit, does it depend on the context?

But this, as I said, is a song, with an intended melody. The Qur'an is a text, being recited with musical components. I think that something similar happens in Catholic mass, when the priest does what is called the "doxology" before the Communion blessing. According to wikipedia, a doxology is "a short hymn of praises to God in various Christian worship services, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns." While these aren't texts per se, I think they are a lot closer to the kind of recitation we've been talking about. They are elements of the Bible and of Catholic beliefs, put into a musical setting. The Eucharistic doxology is as follows:

"Through him, with him, in him/in the unity of the Holy Spirit/all glory and honor is yours, Almighty Father/forever and ever."

There are a ton of variations of the words, but the most important component I find here is that the tune the priest sings varies from place to place. I've gone to a number of different churches for Mass over the years, and each individual priest does something different with the words. He sings them while holding up a piece of the Eucharist (as pictured below), and sings it at the same time each Mass without any instrumental accompaniment. Again, this isn't actual text from the Bible, but it's a few words put to a tune in order to draw attention to the importance of the Eucharist and the importance of the moment in Mass--the laypeople respond in song with "Amen," as well.

The Eucharistic doxology in a stained glass window.

Thus, I think putting the words to music make it easier for the priest and the laypeople to connect, as well as for all people to connect to the religion or religious text they're practicing or trying to understand. I think that's an important similarity as well as something to think about with the sense of hearing throughout this course.