Music as a Universal Bond and Bridge Between the Physical and the Divine

Transcultural and Medieval Perspectives

Bibliographic Data

ID14956962
AuthorsAlbrecht Classen (0000-0002-3878-319X, University of Arizona, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume13
Issue3
Publication date2021-10-08
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueRupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0975-2935 • E-ISSN: 0975-2935
PublisherAesthetics Media Services (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.21659/rupkatha.v13n3.01
OpenAlexW3208566645
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited8

This article accepts the challenge to reflect on the cultural history of music as a transcultural and universally human phenomenon, particularly in the medieval context. To what extent has music played the same or at least similar function in endless cultural contexts all over the world from the past to the present? We know for sure that music has always been present at all age groups, in all ethnic groups, among all genders, and throughout time. There have always been local, ethnic types of music (folklore), and universally accepted manifestations of music (esp. classical music). The emphasis here rests, after an extensive study of music in global cultural-historical terms, on comments about music in medieval philosophy, mysticism, and literature because here we discover fundamental notions about music being the medium to connect the individual with the cosmic harmony, hence with the divine. In literary texts, above all, music was identified as the critical expression of identity, love, and religion. Keywords: Transcultural music; classic music; music in cultural-historical terms; The Beatles; Martianus Capella; Boethius; Gottfried von Strassburg; Jörg Wickram; Hermann Hesse

Aesthetics · Art · Literature · Music education · Music history · Musical · Musicology · Mysticism · Philosophy of music · Popular music · Visual arts · Historical and Linguistic Studies · History · Medieval Literature and History · Music · Reformation and Early Modern Christianity

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