Musicology of Religion

"Beck's advocacy of the importance of considering music and religion in relation to each other is welcome. He poses welcome questions for scholars of music and religion to consider and draws on a helpfully wide range of religious musical practices as examples." — Notes

"In his book Musicology of Religion, Guy L. Beck provides us with a groundbreaking study of the intimate relationship between religion and music. As religion and music have been regarded as 'universals' for generations, the author offers a new theoretical and methodological framework to advance the field of musicology of religion through a comparative study of music in religious cultures of the world. This work has indeed become a magnum opus of the author, reflecting his lifelong achievement in the academic study of sacred music. It is a must read for both undergraduate and graduate students, including research scholars working in the field of musicology of religion. I have been an avid reader of author's works for the last two decades. While reading this book I was struck by his wider canvas of focus on diverse range of theoretical disciplines, namely religious studies and music, social sciences and music, musicology and ethnomusicology, philosophy and music, theology and music, linguistic studies and music, and finally cognitive studies and music. After examining all these disciplines, he arrived at his unique contribution to a new discipline of 'musicology of religion'. Let us hope it becomes a recognized field in the academy. Once it does it will bring accolades to the author." — Pashaura Singh, Distinguished Professor at University of California, Riverside

"Guy Beck's Musicology of Religion is a full‐throated call for a new academic discipline constituted by comparative studies of music in religious cultures. Beck boldly and earnestly renews a century‐long debate over musical universals that is unquestionably important, and there is no question that he speaks for many in these fields who, as he says, know that religion and music are intimately related in human experience but have no dedicated theoretical and methodological discourse to examine that relationship. Musicology of Religion takes a decisive step forward in advancing that discourse and could well become a landmark in the study of sacred music." — Stephen A. Marini, author of Sacred Song in America: Religion, Music, and Public Culture