Mary Petersen-Unger's Blog

Many of the readings in Week Eight had to do with questions about Sufi music,singing, and dancing as a means of praise within the Islamic faith.  We read about the whirling dervishes of Turkey and about the Sufi power of the voice.  In viewing the videos of the dervishes and the hypnotic trance states rendered by their dancing, it seemed very clear that the dervishes were no longer in this earthly world.   I was particular intrigued by the Sufi idea of Wajd – ecstasy – and that within this state you no longer find yourself – you find God.

As Professor Asani had noted in class, there does not seem to be any direct statement in the Qur’an that forbids singing and dancing – and yet the prohibition of music and dance within some communities of Islam is prevalent.  Carl Ernst spoke about the exclusivity of music and noted in his article, Sufi Music and Dance, “It is commonly stated in Sufi texts that music is never permissible for all, and in this way it is acknowledged that music is to be approached in terms of Islamic law; it must be evaluated like anything else for its ethical content” (Ernst, pg. 181).

In the two readings for the discussion during week eight the questions of “purity of intent” were discussed and who can be the judge of this intent.  Carl Ernst spoke about “purity of intent” as it related to Sama  in Sufi Music and Dance, and stated, “Since the criterion for participation in the musical session is purity of intention, hypocrisy is the greatest danger” (Ernst, pg. 182).  Leonard Lewisohn discussed Sama in his article The sacred music of Islam:  Sama in the Persian Sufi tradition and gave great insight to it’s meaning in Sufi Islam, “Sama, which literally means “audition”, connotes in the Sufi tradition a hearing with the “ear of the heart”, an attitude of reverently listening to music and/or the singing of mystical poetry with the intent of increasing awareness and understanding of the divine object described; it is a type of meditation focusing on musical melody, by use of instruments, mystical songs or combining both” (Lewisohn, pg. 4).  This idea of the “ear of the heart” I found to be particularly beautiful.

In my cartoon, An Islamic Quandary, I wanted to explore several questions from the eyes of an innocent bird, goat, or child – Why is there a prohibition on music and dance and who can be the judge of “purity of intent”.  I chose to use the medium of a cartoon because I had just started reading Persepolis by Marjane Sartrapi and I was intrigued by the graphic novel as an art form and it’s ability to very simply portray human emotions and questions of religion and politics.  As in all questions regarding religion – and in this particular situation music, singing, and dance – I was left with only one answer – only God knows the answer but hopefully he hears with the “ear of the heart”. An Islamic Quandary 2

Music Written by Mary Petersen-Unger

Piano – Mary Petersen-Unger

with

Keyboards and Bells – Molly Flannery

Bass – Melissa Crowe

Drums and Bells – Jan Bergstrom

My musical composition was inspired by two different sources from our class.  The first was from reading the twelfth century Persian mystic-poet, Farid Ud-Din Attar’s poem, The Conference of the Birds.  The Sufi poem tells the story of how the Hoopoe, a bird that represents the leader and spiritual guide of the birds, encourages the birds along the path to find Simorgh, who represents God.  The birds have various objections to making the journey to God.  The objections represent human shortcomings and fears.  The Hoopoe answers each bird with advice on how each bird can overcome their weaknesses and make the journey.  In the introduction to the book Dick Davis noted the deep spiritual meaning in the poem, “… the poem as a whole is about the soul’s relationship with God …” (Attar, XV).  With my musical composition I have attempted to reflect upon the soul’s search for God – with a particular emphasis on the journey.

The second inspiration for the musical composition was from the film, The Color of Paradise, directed by Majid Majidis, viewed in Week Eleven.  The movie is about a young blind boy Mohammad, who lives in Tehran at a school for the blind and is reluctantly brought home for the summer by his father.  Throughout the movie the imagery of birds, and the sound of their calls, brings forth the idea of God being everywhere and that you can feel and hear God within nature.

My musical composition begins with the haunting call of a bird.  Throughout the piece this theme is reiterated.  This is a direct reference to the call of the bird that was reiterated in the movie and the continued questions of the birds within the poem.  The music moves through various dynamics and different textural themes.  These musical moods represent the challenges that life can bring to you, the difficult journey to find God, how the soul is often concerned with things other than God, and ultimately – what you must overcome to find God.  Throughout the piece the call of the bird keeps returning.  At the end of piece – the music modulates to a different key, symbolizing that God is near.  The piece ends in an answered birdcall – resolved by a note that moves upward from the former bird calls – upward as if the soul is finally reaching God.    The Birds, edited for Mary