Religious Sound as Emblematic Sterotype

It seems to me that one of the most "visible" aspects of a religion is that faith's music. The popular views, regardless of their correctness, held by the larger Western public imagination informs many people's knowledge of different religions, and may constitute the limit of somebody's knowledge of a faith, depending on exposure.

Much of Anne Rasmussen's book deals with how Muslim men and women interact with devotional music and one another in the context of music. One of the most visible and stereotyped Islamic musical practices comes in the form of the Sufi whirling dance, performed by both men and women in the Sema ceremony. The dance involves spinning around for extended periods of time. Practitioners whirl and listen to sacred music in order to lose their ego or sense of self. While Sufis constitute a relatively small proportion of the Islamic ummah, their dramatic dance and distinctive clothing captured the Western imagination. This whirling ritual has found its way into popular culture; notably in the famous song: "Friday, I'm in Love" by English rock band The Cure:

Dervishes of the Mevlevi order whirling in Sema
Early 18th century

"Dressed up to the eyes
It's a wonderful surprise
To see your shoes and your spirits rise
Throw out your frown
And just smile at the sound
Sleek as a sheikh, spinning 'round and 'round"
Perhaps The Cure knew about the devotional practice, as the lyrics certainly mirror aspects of the ceremony, particularly losing the self in music.

The extent of many gentiles' knowledge of 

music in Judaism is in relation to the Horah dance. 

Many westerners have been introduced to the dance 

via ceremonies such as weddings and Bar and Bat 

Mitzvahs, the Jewish form of which evolved in Israel, 

particularly in the Kibbutzim, but which then spread 

to the UK, the United States, and Canada. The elevation 

of the celebrated person on a chair is not a central fixture 

of the typical Horah, but is a way that most outsiders know 

of Jewish music and culture.

Israeli Kibbutznikim dancing a Horah
1948

An important part of the Catholic faith is

the choirs and chants of monks. Thought

to improve the spiritual well-being of 

all believers, "those who prayed"

(as opposed to "those who fought" or 

"those who worked") sung to glorify God

Church singing in the 14th century
Tacuinum Sanitatis

and to save the souls of the laity. Nowadays, 

chant is easily and frequently parodied, 

perhaps due to its perceived medieval 

"backwardness" and conservative structure.

French New Age band +eRa+ makes music

which sounds similar to Latin chanting, 

but upon closer inspection is aesthetically 

fitting gibberish which sounds like Latin

and Greek. One of the most famous portrayals

of Christian monks in cinema is in Monty 

Python and the Holy Grail. The scene depicts

flagellant monks, chanting "Pies Jesu Domine.

Dona eis requiem." (Pious Lord Jesus give them

rest.) and rhythmically smacking themselves on

the head with wooden boards. While not meant

to be taken seriously at all, the scene has certainly

informed some people's understanding of the 

medieval Catholic world.