Religious music (also sacred music) is music performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence.
A lot of music has been composed to complement religion, and many composers have derived inspiration from their own religion. Many forms of traditional music have been adapted to fit religions' purposes or have descended from religious music. There is a long history of Christian Church music. Johann Sebastian Bach, considered one of the most important and influential European classical music composers, wrote most of his music for the Lutheran church. Religious music often changes to fit the times; Contemporary Christian music, for example, uses idioms from various secular popular music styles but with religious lyrics. Gospel music has always done this, for example incorporating funk, and continues to do so.
Monotheism and tonality, all tones relating and resolving to a tonic, are often associated, and the textures of European homophony, equated with monotheism, may be contrasted with Asian heterophony, equated with poly or pantheism. Navajo music's cyclic song and song-group forms mirrors the cyclic nature of their deities such as Changing Woman.
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The earliest Christian or Jewish notion of a song devoted unto God, was mentioned in the whole chapter of Exodus 15, where the Israelites returned from Egypt, and had seen what God had done once they crossed the river (and Pharao's armies where destroyed in the river). The musical notes where lost just as every of the old psalms.
A Christian view point of 'Sacred Music' is to be fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, to bring forth musical tones and words (sometimes accompanied by musical instruments); in honor and reverence to God. Many Christians consider sacred song to be a spontaneous revelation, opposite to a song that is sung over and over again.
'Sacred music' or Sacred song is also known in Christian circles as 'Inspirational music', 'Free Worship', 'Free Flow' and 'Prophetic song'; they are very close connected to Free worship inspired by the Holy Spirit in 'Tongue language'; which is basically the singing of speaking in Tongues or otherwise known as 'rivers of the spirit'.
There is virtually no record of the earliest music of the Christian church except a few New Testament fragments of what are probably hymns. Some of these fragments are still sung as hymns today in the Orthodox Church, including "Awake, awake O sleeper" on the occasion of someone's baptism. Another early hymn is the Phos Hilaron (Greek for "Gladsome Light") which was part of the Liturgy of the Hours morning prayers (matins) in the early Christian Church. It is a hymn describing the morning light. Being Jewish, Jesus and his disciples would most likely have sung the psalms from memory. However, the repertoire of ordinary people was larger than it is today, so they probably knew other songs too. Early Christians continued to sing the psalms much as they were sung in the synagogues in the first century.
Kirtan originated in the Hindu bhakti tradition as loving songs sung to God. The songs are called 'Bhajans' in which one invocated Hindu Gods and this can be a song or repetition of the same hymn which is called 'Dhun'. When people sit together for Hindu Music this is called 'Satsang'. Where group of people first invocate Ganesha and then Shiva, followed by Devi bhajans. progressively they sing bhajans for Krishna and other deities.
Art of Living Foundation actively promoted interfaith satsangs to enable people to understand the deeper and spiritual aspects of Hindu music for people across the world. Some of their famous singers are Vikram Hazra, Nitin Limaye, Sahil Jagtiani.
Kirtan is one of the pillars of Sikhism and in that context refers to the singing of the sacred hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib to music. Sikhs place huge value on this type of singing and a Sikh is duty bound to listen and/or sing Guru-kirtan as frequently as possible. Sikhs also have 'Dhadi Varaan' which use the Dhad sarangi to sing about Sikh history.
The earliest synagogal music was based on the same system as that in the Temple in Jerusalem. According to the Talmud, Joshua ben Hananiah, who had served in the sanctuary Levitical choir, told how the choristers went to the synagogue from the orchestra by the altar (Talmud, Suk. 53a), and so participated in both services.
Sephardic music, the music of Spanish Jews, was born in medieval Spain, with cancioneros being performed at the royal courts. Since then, it has picked up influences from across Spain, Morocco, Argentina, Turkey, Greece and various popular tunes from Spain and further abroad. There are three types of Sephardic songs — topical and entertainment songs, romance songs and spiritual or ceremonial songs. Lyrics can be in several languages, including Hebrew for religious songs and Ladino.
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Nyabinghi music is the most integral form of Rastafarian music. It is played at worship ceremonies called grounations, which including drumming, chanting and dancing along with prayer and smoking of ritual ganja. Nyabinghi probably comes from an East African movement from the 1850s to the 1950s that was led by women who militarily opposed European imperialism. This form of nyabinghi was centered around Muhumusa, a healing woman from Uganda who organized resistance against German colonialists. The British later led efforts against nyabinghi, and classified it as witchcraft through the Witchcraft Ordinance of 1912. In Jamaica, nyabinghi was appropriated for similar anti-colonial efforts, and is often danced to invoke the power of Jah against an oppressor. The connection between the religion and various kinds of music has become well-known due to the international fame of musicians like Bob Marley and Peter Tosh.
Rastafarian music is not the only kind of religious music in the Caribbean. Religious sects have their own musical styles, though they vary from island to island. Obeah and Myal as well as Christian sects associated with revivalism are common in Jamaica. These styles have also influenced Jamaican dances. Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Haiti in particular have also developed African-influenced musical styles that are used in religious rituals associated with Santería, Vodou, and Espiritismo.
Shintō music (神楽) is ceremonial music for Shinto (神道) which is the native religion of Japan. It is related to Gagaku (雅楽) or old festival music. Taiko has also been used.
Buddhist music is music for Buddhist ceremony or meditation, most often taking the form of sutra recitation. Many believe that Buddha himself wrote the music for his people to play.
Zoroastrian music is a genre of music that accompanies Zoroastrian traditions and rites.
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