Since its inception in the seventh century, the “spatial rhythm, the mobile trajectory of Islam” (Cooke & Lawrence: 2005) has fostered a transnational Muslim identity. This identity is expressed by the concept of “ummah,” a frontier-less community of Muslims bound by their common faith in the “Qur’an” and teachings of the prophet Muhammad. At the same time, the multilateral direction of Islam’s “spatial rhythm” and the global contact of Muslims with other cultures have resulted in an extraordinary diversity of expressions of this faith. Musical performance traditions, in their voyage back and forth from the eastern coast of Africa to the far reaches of the Indonesian archipelago, offer an excellent avenue by which to appreciate unity and diversity in Islam.

"Music Moves Religion" is coordinated by Tazim R. Kassam, professor and chair of the Department of Religion and director of the Muslim Cultures Program, both at SU.

The keynote concerts represent classical and popular genres of music in Indian Ocean cultures. Padmashree Dr. Prabha Atre is one of the finest living exponents of the Kirana performance style, noted for its exquisite tonal purity and meditative melodic improvisation. She has received two of the most coveted awards from the Indian government: “Padmashree” and “Padmabhushan.” Her musical compositions are known for their originality, poetic beauty, and melodic intricacy. A respected scholar-teacher, she has served as visiting music professor at the University of Calgary; University of California, Los Angeles (U.C.L.A.); and the Rotterdam Conservatory. Her book Swaramayee won the Maharashtra State Government Book Award. Dr. Prabha Atre performs at the Everson Museum of Art in downtown Syracuse on Friday, April 18, at 8 p.m.

Farid Ayaz Qawwal and Brothers sing the traditional form of “Qawwali” in Urdu, Seraiki, Punjabi, Sindhi, Hindi, Arabic, Persian, Purbi, Bengali, and other languages. “Qawwali,” which means “word”—in particular, “divine word”—originated in Iran and developed in South Asia. Musicians begin by singing words and then repeating them, using variations to emphasize the more profound meanings, until the words, themselves, cease to have meaning, and the singer is moved to a deep level of inner illumination. Farid Ayaz Qawwal and Brothers perform in SU’s Grant Auditorium, connected to the College of Law’s White Hall, on Saturday, April 19, at 8 p.m.

Farid Ayaz and Abu Muhammad Qawwal in Montreal and Farid Ayaz in New York. Phtos by Arif Khan

Panel discussions are being held Saturday, April 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, April 20, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Killian Room (room 500) in SU’s Hall of Languages. Panelists will address a number of issues, including how music is involved in the transfer and transformation of religious ideas, practices and sentiments; how musical traditions affect and reflect religious, cultural, and social change; how race, patronage, and politics condition the social uses of music; and how social and political contexts encourage creativity and innovation, or inversely, draw sharper boundaries when distinct traditions of musical performances come into contact.

Guest speakers include Julia Banzi (Reed College and the Al-Andalus ensemble), Judith Becker (University of Michigan), Birgit Berg (Voice of America International Broadcasting), Amy Catlin-Jairazhboy (U.C.L.A.), James Chopyak (California State University, Sacramento), Michael Frishkopf (University of Alberta), Christopher Lee (Canisius College), Anne Rasmussen (The College of William & Mary), Natalie Sarrazin (S.U.N.Y. Brockport), Ted Swedenburg (University of Arkansas), and Richard Wolf (Harvard University).

Music Moves Religion is co-sponsored by SU’s religion department, the Chancellor’s Office, The College of Arts and Sciences, U.Encounter, iLearn, History Department, Middle Eastern Studies Program, Religion and Society Program, Music History/Musicology Cluster of the Central New York Humanities Corridor, African American studies department, Community Folk Art Center, fine arts department, Hindu Student Council, and South Asia Arts Foundation.

For more information and to register, please visit http://musicmovesreligion.syr.edu. All events are free and open to the public.