Since melodies do not have to be attached to words, music can often stir emotions before thought. In fact any sound, especially loud sounds, can trigger strong emotions such as fear more instinctively than if we simply saw the danger.[1] Sounds are received by the miniscule organs in our ears and sent to various parts of our brain to interpret. Music is the highest form of our sense of hearing as it takes several parts of our body and brain to follow the rhythmic nature and complexities of music. Confucius believed that music played a supernatural role in bringing heaven and earth into harmony.[2] Similarly the medieval church also believed that music came from an eternal nature beyond our limited and created experience. They believed that heaven is a space filled with continual worship. At the same time, silence or the perceived absence of sounds can be just as powerful for creating sacred space. Geographer Yi Fu Tuan writes, “…whereas certain kinds of music produce almost tactile sensations (for example, the loud and deep boom of rock), other open up spaces “out there” and invite a more contemplative frame of mind.”[3] Therefore, sounds can create an atmosphere of prayer, ritual, and sacredness. Sometimes bells, chanting, and other sound markers are also used to designate sacred space and sacred time. Sacred spaces especially serve as acoustic spaces that allow music to fill the space and overwhelm our spiritual senses just as much as our physical senses.
Thien Hau Temple is a Daoist temple located in Chinatown, Los Angeles. Although the temple is located near downtown LA, the space outside the temple is relatively quiet. As soon as one enters the threshold, however, the melody of the temple overpowers the soundscape. The music comes from a recording. In the background, two old men who serve as keepers of the temple are chatting loudly. At the same time a Buddhist monk keeps the consistent ringing of a singing bowl.
La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles, also known as La Placita, is a historic Roman Catholic Church located near Union Station. The vibrations of the cathedral bell can be heard and felt in the courtyard. A child is also playing with a clacker. As one walks into the sanctuary one can hear the faint sound of a woman’s prayer.
Just as the door opens to the cathedral. On this day is a wedding ceremony. The sounds of the soloist and organ echo throughout the massive space of the Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels.
[1] Yi-fu Tuan, Passing Strange and Wonderful: Aesthetics, Nature, and Culture (Washington, D.C.: Shearwater Books, 1993), 72.
[2] Ibid., 88.
[3] Ibid., 95.
Cindy S. Lee 