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Religions
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Spirituality in Music and Sound
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Spirituality in Music and Sound

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 November 2023) | Viewed by 5147

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Therese Smith

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Music, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
Interests: music; religion; African American music

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will focus on the expression of spirituality through music. Questions to be addressed include, but should not be limited to: What function does music serve in articulating spirituality? How important is the function of music in this context? What is the style of music used and its role in engaging with spirituality? Who articulates this music and in what capacity? Where are decisions made, and by whom, as to what music will be included, its articulation, and by whom? How does music affect spirituality?

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue on music and spirituality. Music is central to the expression and articulation of spirituality, both as an enhancement of the articulation of spirituality or worship, and as an activity that may also introduce the Divine into the “real” world. Few spiritual activities occur without the inclusion of music, in some form; however, that expression may differ significantly from culture to culture, and over time. If music serves to enhance spirituality both daily and at times of both celebration and grief, it is clearly central to the articulation of humanity.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Therese Smith
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • articulating spirituality

  • function
  • style
  • articulation
  • capacity
  • decisions
  • what music will be included

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 254 KiB  
Article
Music and Spirituality: An Auto-Ethnographic Study of How Five Individuals Used Music to Enrich Their Soul
by Dinesh Bist, Matt Shuttleworth, Laura Smith, Peter Smith and Caroline Walker-Gleaves
Religions 2024, 15(7), 858; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15070858 - 16 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1846
Abstract
This paper presents a study of the experiences of five individuals who explore their unique relationship between music and spirituality. Each participant critically narrates their faith and beliefs and explores how these relate to their experiences with music. The paper begins with a [...] Read more.
This paper presents a study of the experiences of five individuals who explore their unique relationship between music and spirituality. Each participant critically narrates their faith and beliefs and explores how these relate to their experiences with music. The paper begins with a brief exposition of the literature concerning music and spirituality and the linkages between the two. The methodology combines narrative and auto-ethnography, underpinned by a phenomenological approach to reflection on experiences. Using deep self-analysis, the five authors derive and discover lessons concerning their own relationship between faith, spirituality, and music. These are then analysed to produce common themes concerning the intertwining of spirituality with music. Finally, the conclusions present a novel contribution which includes lessons on how through self-exploration, one can use music and spirituality to repair and ultimately enrich the soul. The paper exposes the interplay between faith, spirituality and music, which will be of general interest and provide inspiration to those who intend to use music to enrich their lives and heal themselves. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spirituality in Music and Sound)
16 pages, 4036 KiB  
Article
A Choral Meditation: Fusing Past and Present in the Sacred Music of Eoghan Desmond
by Laura Sheils
Religions 2024, 15(1), 135; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15010135 - 21 Jan 2024
Viewed by 2541
Abstract
Choral music and the sacred have been intertwined since the Middle Ages. With the increasing secularisation of society, it is notable that the sacred choral canon continues to expand and attract audiences in religious and secular spaces, underlining the enduring importance of tradition [...] Read more.
Choral music and the sacred have been intertwined since the Middle Ages. With the increasing secularisation of society, it is notable that the sacred choral canon continues to expand and attract audiences in religious and secular spaces, underlining the enduring importance of tradition and the human desire to search for something beyond our existence. The practice of setting sacred texts to music abounds in the work of contemporary composers, continuing the historic tradition into the present day via a wide range of compositional and stylistic approaches. In his sacred works, Irish composer Eoghan Desmond achieves a sound that fuses the past and present, exhibiting both the visceral and meditative aspects associated with the texts that he sets. This article focuses on the composer’s choral work Nothing in Vain (2021), a setting of John Henry Newman’s ‘A Meditation on Trust in God’. Through critical score analysis, I highlight Desmond’s ability to reflect Newman’s devotion to God and to evoke a sense of the spiritual through his formal organisation and application of harmonic, rhythmic, and textural techniques, drawing on influences from the Renaissance tradition, the contemporary style of ambient music, and the work of well-known composer James MacMillan. Desmond’s synthesis of ancient and contemporary compositional practices invites all listeners to engage in this musical meditation and contemplate the message of the spiritual text. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spirituality in Music and Sound)
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