Contemporary Religious Music

sodiumnightlife

Sweet Virginia
When I was a child I went to a cathedral with my parents, and while I didn't enjoy the Christianity I did enjoy the music. I was listening to some choral music today and I was wondering, what's out there in terms of religious music of the past 50 or 100 years? I'm looking for stuff that carries on that mood of reverence and wonder that you feel when sitting listening to a massive organ and a top notch choir. The only person I know of is Arvo Part, who I like alot. Doesn't have to be christian, i'd be interested to find out what other religions have been producing too...
 

zhao

there are no accidents
in case you missed it from the bwoggie:

B000027IGS.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg


David Hykes & the Harmonic Choir - Hearing Solar Winds

from what I understand, David Hyke's vocal work is based on ideas and techniques derived from Tibetan and Tuvian throat singing traditions, yet streamlined and refined according to an european choral aesthetic - the result somewhat akin to an Eastern gregorian chant... or if Arvo Part converted to Buddhism.

recorded in an old church, the resonant psychoactive overtones slowly build from the layering of voices; hair-raising and chillingly powerful in its majestic stillness - this is deeply transporting and transcendent stuff - music for mystical journeys and out of body experiences.

regrettably, like so many others, his later work succumbed to the garish tackiness of new-age, but this earlier recording, regarded by many to be his masterpiece, is nothing of the sort - uncompromising and rigorous in its search for a perfect sound - the Ocora label would not let us down.

I recommend late night or dawn as optimum times for this record; or meditating for a while in silence before listening.

download with clear conscience as it is out of print:

http://rapidshare.com/files/19860706/THCDHHSWall.zip
 

zhao

there are no accidents
i think the feeling of devotion and reverence toward the sacred is channeled through many many different practices in this day and age.

avant garde classical such as Scelsi or Tristan Murail, electro-acoustic music like Alvin Lucier or Phil Niblok, jazzists like Evan Parker, even stuff like Pan Sonic and Gas sometimes, all inspire a sense of religiosity in me...

ultimately, it is this, the sense of transport, the experience of coming right up to the borders which separate this world and other ones, it is this that I am interested in.
 
Last edited:

sodiumnightlife

Sweet Virginia
thank you zhao, downloading that now looks great. I know what you mean about it being channelled through all sorts of stuff, thanks for those names there, all names I don't know.
 

swears

preppy-kei
Have you heard any György Ligeti? If you are into choral or orchestral music then he is probably one of the top composers of the last century. I'm not into 20th century classical much at all, but his work with choirs is awe inspiring.
 

Logos

Ghosts of my life
Have you heard any György Ligeti? If you are into choral or orchestral music then he is probably one of the top composers of the last century. I'm not into 20th century classical much at all, but his work with choirs is awe inspiring.

He tends to lumped with Part as 'holy minimalism' which is a bit silly but he does have that hypnotic, nod to early music, thing going on.

Symphony no 3 was a massive hit in the early 90s - sold loads apparantly. And ended up in lots of films which spoiled it for me the first time i heard it, as I ended up remembering it for the first time (if you see what i mean).
 

zhao

there are no accidents
there are many mystical aspects to Ligeti, certainly... but his work is, IMHO, primarily concerned with form. if you listen to his huge body of works, such as those Sony Ligeti Editions vol. 1 - 23 (or wotever), or the Clear or Cloudy box set, the spiritual dimension seems sporatic... amazing stuff though obviously.

but the work of someone like Giacinto Scelsi... i think is consistently... what's the word? other-worldly? visionary? mystical? to my ears at least. it's all about the sustained string tones overlapping... like Tarkovsky's sloooooow zooms in or out of a lush landscape...

i made this mix sometime ago... the link here is dead. I'll try to reup it but have to get my ex to send the original file from california... who knows how long THAT will take! :eek:

http://differentwaters.blogspot.com/2006/07/shen-studio-mix-mystical-minimalism.html
 
Last edited:

reeltoreel

Well-known member
I had something approaching a spiritual experience listening to John Tavener the other night. I'm very new to him, but keen to delve deeper based on the little I've heard.

I don't have the name to hand, but I remember one piece with two voices weaving in and out of each other, slowly building a complex structure and ending with two massive organ chords that jump out of the speakers and, I dunno, mess with the fabric of spacetime, or something similarly momentous. Powerful stuff - it got me thinking about spiritualityfor the first time in a while.
 

sodiumnightlife

Sweet Virginia
I've got a cd with some part and some taverner choral works on it, and I like that alot. Thanks for all the reccomendations people!
 
Top