Smells and Bells

     In the second chapter of "Women, the recited Qur'an, and Islamic music in Indonesia", Anne Rasmussen begins her analysis of the Islamic soundscape and the community of voices that contribute to the "tapestry of loose free-meter heterophony emanating quasi-simultaneously from numerous sources". Her work highlights the sense of community fostered by Islamic traditions and rituals, and here takes a closer look at the nature of recitation and the significance of the ear to religious ceremony. Before reading this excerpt, I had no idea how tightly linked the Qu'ran was to oral tradition. My perception of any ancient religious text is that such a text must have been written down to prevent the mutation of the scriptures over time. However, Rasmussen tells us this is not the case for Islam and the Qu'ran. According to Rasmussen's citation (Nelson), the Qu'ran did "not exist to preserve against change; it is taken for granted that oral tra...

Jakarta City Central      In her book Women, the Recited Qur'an, and Islamic Music in Indonesia, Anne Rasmussen discusses the soundscape of major Indonesian cities such as Jakarta. She mentions that she learned about the world through it's noises: the honking and clanging of traffic, motors of delivery motorcycles, vendors, idophones, radio, televisions, etc. She describes how the architecture is open and the walls are porous "rendering the outside world ever-present in the domestic sphere" (38). In some sects of the Indonesian culture it is believed that silence leaves you vulnerable to the spirit world. Therefore to ward of the evil spirits the city is covered in light and overlapping sound. Shops in southeast shopping malls would point their speakers into the hallway to entice people to come into their store. This leads to the generation of competitive music. When Rasmussen was in Central Java her host would loudly broadcast the radio all night so that the eve...

Rasmussen's description of the "Public Soundscape" really brought the noisy atmosphere of Jakarta to life and clearly portrayed the contrast between the lifestyle in Indonesia and the lifestyle of those living in rural America. She describes the buildings themselves as being porous, inviting in all of the sounds from outdoors into the private lives of people in their homes. The concept of being willingly to mix the noise of daily life is completely polar to the Western concept of noise, which is, to avoid it even at high costs. She gave a particularly heart-warming description, noting that the culture of sharing your personal sounds at a high volume: songs, boomboxes, radios, conversation, is a way of showing your inclusivity of everyone. It allows for a feeling of community of unity when everyone is sharing in the same sensory experience. I myself, grew up in in the middle of the woods. We couldn't even see our closest neighbors from our window and the only sounds ...