Music and Spirituality

While the third round of COVID, the nasty Omicron, has put a damper on most end of year celebrations including a couple of anniversary and birthday parties in our family, it has given me more time for reflection and for enjoying virtual gifts thanks to the amazing technologies, like YouTube, Zoom, Facebook, Alexa, Spotify, etc. that can bring us all together at least in spirit. They could be uniting forces in society if used as such, but that-alas- requires a culture that is rooted in humanity and human values.

My earliest memories of music were the giant Grundig tape recorder and player in Germany that my father used to constantly listen to. His music taste range was so diverse and enriching, from Western to Eastern classics, to Bollywood and Western pop singers of 50’s and 60’s , Celtic and Arabic music like Um Kalsoom. I think he stopped at the Beatles, if I am not mistaken! Looking back, his love of all music was his love of human diversity in unity. It was a recognition that all cultures were beautiful, and expressions through music were to be enjoyed and learned.

Music touches our hearts and lifts our spirits. Whether it is instruments or a beautiful voice, music awakens our spirit and expands the heart. In the 70’s when the first Kawwali (Sufi music of India and Pakistan) groups started to come to US, we were invited to a hotel in Manhattan. I had a fever of 104, and yet I insisted that I go to enjoy the music of Ghulam Farid and sons. Many decades later, I remember when I took the twins to Turkey. We stayed at a boutique hotel near the Blue Mosque…