Religious Music of Asia

From India to Taiwan, from the bare chants of Islam to the absence of vocals in Jainist worship, the diversity of Asian religious traditions is revealed in devotional music and prayer. The continuity of Asian religious practices is also revealed, as Buddhist rituals are filtered through the musical traditions and instruments of places as far as Nepal and China. Accompanied by the ambient sounds of everyday life, the recordings capture the unvarnished reality and vitality of the prayers, chants, devotional songs, processions and celebrations that characterize the practice of the disparate Asian religions.

Track Listing

101	The Holy Quran, Surah 1	Male reciting prayer	00:40
102	Call to Prayer	Muezzin (solo male voice)	02:22
103	Quranic Chanting Before Prayer Service	Solo male worshipper	02:30
104	Hindu Wedding Chanting	Hindu priest at wedding	02:15
105	Song to Kali	Boy singing in Bengali language, Calcutta	01:41
106	Jain Puja	Hindu Brahmins drumming and ringing bells	07:42
107	Adi Granth Recitation	Sikh worshipper, Golden Temple of Amritsar	02:47
108	Nepalese Monks	Nepalese Buddhist monks	02:48
201	Chinese Buddhist Priest Chanting	Chinese Buddhist priest	01:30
202	Chinese Buddhist Nuns Chanting	Chinese Buddhist nuns	02:12
203	Band Playing for Wezak	Brass band at Taiwan parade	01:23
204	Zen Monastery, Morning Services	Reverend Sohatu Ogata, his sons, and Zen students at Shokokuji Monastery, Kyoto	05:06
205	Hymn to Dhyana	Kyoto University students practicing zazen	02:49
206	Zen Monastery Drum Call	Zen monk	05:14
207	Shinto Processional	Shinto musicians at Konkokyo Church of Izuo, Osaka	01:53
208	Shinto Congregational Chant	Shinto congregants at Konkokyo Church of Izuo, Osaka	02:04