Description
Book SynopsisThis book concerns an examination of the totality of the musical experience with a view to restoring the soul within it. It starts with an analysis of the strands in the landscape of contemporary spirituality. It examines the descriptors spiritual but not religious, and spiritual and religious, looking in particular at the place of faith narratives in various spiritualities. These strands are linked with the domains of the musicking experience: Materials, Expression, Construction and Values. The book sets out a model of the spiritual experience as a negotiated relationship between the musicker and the music. It looks in detail at various models of musicking drawn from music therapy, ethnomusicology, musicology and cultural studies. It examines the relationship between Christianity and music as well as examining some practical projects showing the effect of various Value systems in musicking, particularly in intercultural dialogue. It finally proposes an ecclesiology of musical events that includes both orate and literate traditions and so is supportive of inclusive community.
Trade Review«
Experiencing Music—Restoring the Spiritual is dense with ideas, and is strongly recommended for those interested in formations of spirituality in music, and in the use of music to promote individual and societal well-being.»
(Anne-Marie Forbes, Musicology Australia vol. 39, no. 1, 2017)
«This is not a book for a casual read, but is a treasure trove of musical, social and spiritual insight, and the way music can open doors to spirituality.»
(Marian Liebman, the Friend, 15 June 2018)
Table of ContentsContents: And Still I Wander … through Greek Mythology and the Idea of the Soul – The Development of Religionless Spirituality – The Cult of Creativity – The Development of a Phenomenography of the Musical Experience – A Place of Transformation:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – The Environment – Music and Expression – Musical Construction – Values in Musicking – Music and Christian Theology – Crossing a Threshold: Encountering the Spiritual – The Extrapersonal Dimension: The Use of the Musical Liminality as a Space for Peace and Justice Making – Radical Musical Inclusion: An Ecclesiology of Music – Orpheus Rediscovered: The Way Forward.
