THE ROLE OF MUSIC IN SUFI WHIRLING: TRANSCENDENTAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE MEDLEY, “SUFI,” BY THE YUVAL RON ENSEMBLE
Important musical inquiries intended to create a better understanding of a people’s culture, in any part of the world, is often approached from a variety of perspectives. Of utmost importance is the relationship between music and religion. Evidence from academic studies show proof of the interconnectedness and complementarity of both. It is a common occurrence to find music performed as a very important part of religious gatherings. Many ceremonies cannot take place without music. As we would see in the course of this paper, music has become an important tool in the attainment of an altered state of consciousness that characterizes a dhikr, or Sufi ceremony of remembrance. The interaction of music and the Whirling Dervish would be the focus of this inquiry.
