Smells and Bells

  I have had swimmer’s ear too many times to count, but I can proudly say that I’ve only ever had an ear infection once. The swimmer’s ear makes sense since I was a part of local swim teams from ages 9 to 18, even though I wasn’t really good at the sport. The ear infection though I remember exactly when it happened. I was in fourth grade when I got it, and I woke up in unbearable pain. Now, I was notorious for being a crier when I was little (so much so that my mom didn’t believe that I had gotten stung by a jellyfish until I got stung two more times, but that’s a story for another time), so I’m glad that my mom believed me when this happened. My mom called the doctor’s office and the earliest appointment that they had for me was at 3:30. At first this was fine, until about 10 am. My mom suddenly decided that she was not mentally prepared to listen to me scream and cry in pain for 5 more hours so she called again and luckily was able to get an appointment in 45 minutes in the nex...

The women reciters in Rasmussen’s The Recited Qur’an have an undeniable degree of power. They can become leaders and politicians on the strength of their recitations alone – through their literal voice. It must be noted, however, that many of them reject traditional femininity (or at least the Western concept of femininity) in their recitations – “it is men who indulge in the freedom to display virtuosic showmanship and creative emotionality. During the moment of performance women opt for modest confidence over dramatic showmanship, which is the territory of their male counterparts” – where men are allowed to be emotional, women tend to be more withdrawn. They are given the chance to intellectualize their recitations, to display their knowledge. I can’t say that I understand this perfectly, but I do know that the moments in my life when I have felt the most power have been the times when I’ve embodied a more authoritative character on stage. Typically a man.  My older sister introd...

     One of the things that struck me while reading Women, The Recited Qur’an, and Islamic Music in Indonesia was just how diverse and varying Indonesian Qur’an recitation and music were in their forms. Anne Rasmussen discusses the many different contexts in which Qur’an recitations happen, including in children’s schools, at the college-level, in local and national competitions, and others. It’s so interesting how various musical traditions are distinct and yet interwoven as well; in chapter 5, Rasmussen notes the three main streams of Indonesian Islamic music as ones that have derived from Arabic traditions, Indigenous Indonesian music traditions, and the incorporation of contemporary Western music into the first two. Continuing with the theme of interconnectedness, I found it fitting that in Indonesian, Islamic music is called musik yang bernafaskan or “music that breathes or is scented with Islam” (153). Although this book is mainly about sound and music, the mixed ...

Image from http://johnmccallum.blogspot.com/2011/06/sleeping-in-church.html In Public Speaking class this semester, I am learning about my strengths and weaknesses in giving presentations. After my Speech of Introduction, my professor (Jennifer Madden, who is fantastic by the way), told me in my feedback that I have a pleasing vocal quality. This was a nice compliment, but I had never really considered it to be true. I’ve heard my voice in videos (like the YouTube tour I filmed that has over 13,000 views…gulp), podcasts, and the like, and I simply feel that it sounds like a little kid’s voice. This week, when learning about recitation through Rasmussen’s piece, I thought back to the voices and vocal qualities that I have heard in religious settings.   There are three people that I would like to introduce you to. First, my priest, who I will refer to as “OP” (original priest). OP has been serving mass for as long as I can remember. He baptized me and all of my siblings, confirm...