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Meditation music is music performed to aid in the practice ofmeditation. It can have a specific religious content, but also more recently has been associated with modern composers who use meditation techniques in their process of composition, or who compose such music with no particular religious group as a focus. The concept also includes music performed as an act of meditation.
Modern meditation music in the 20th century began when composers such asJohn Cage,Stuart Dempster,Pauline Oliveros,Terry Riley,La Monte Young andLawrence Ball began to combine meditation techniques and concepts, and music. Specific works includeKarlheinz Stockhausen'sInori (1974),Mantra (1970),Hymnen (1966–67),Stimmung (1968), andAus den sieben Tagen (1968), andBen Johnston, whoseVisions and Spells (a realization ofVigil (1976)), requires a meditation period prior to performance.R. Murray Schafer's concepts of clairaudience (clean hearing) as well as the ones found in hisThe Tuning of the World (1977) are meditative.[1]
Stockhausen describesAus den sieben Tagen as "intuitive music" and in the piece "Es" from this cycle the performers are instructed to play only when not thinking or in a state of nonthinking (Von Gunden asserts that this is contradictory and should be "think about your playing"). John Cage was influenced by Zen and pieces such asImaginary Landscape No. 4 for twelve radios are "meditations that measure the passing of time".[2]
Music can provide many psychological benefits includingstress reduction, improved memory, and general improvement tocognitive performance.[3] Research shows that the activity of listening to music can aid individuals in detaching from their surroundings[clarification needed] and help them focus on their own thoughts and actions.[4] When applied specifically to a meditative setting, music can aid inmindfulness, visualization, andcontemplation. According to theNHS, these qualities can increase personal awareness and help identify signs of stress and anxiety.[5] Practicing mindfulness can help individuals be more observant of their present thoughts and actions.[6] Research shows that meditation music can improve confidence[clarification needed] during the practice of meditation.[7]
In a July 2018 study, volunteers between the ages of 60 and 80 who were listening to healing music, meditating for one to two hours a day, and eating a sugar-free healthy diet[vague] exhibited sharper memory and cognitive skills with happy and cheerful behavioral patterns compared to those who were not.[8]
Meditation music can help improve focus while performing mechanical tasks. A June 2019 study that observedneurosurgeons performingmicrosurgical training bypasses with and without meditation music showed a slight improvement in the total time utilized by novice surgeons. While the total time utilized by experienced surgeons remained unchanged, the thread length used in the training bypasses was significantly different[clarification needed] for both surgeons.[9]
Meditation music can have positive effects on people recovering fromdrug addiction. In general, spiritual meditation may promote addiction recovery and improve psychological and mental health outcomes by reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress.[10] In a January 2020 study, it was concluded that meditation music conducted byYoung-Dong Kim can be useful therapy to prevent the reinstatement ofmethamphetamine addiction during abstinence in rats.[11]
Some Christian faiths, particularly the Catholic Church, reject meditation practice from outside their traditions, particularly new-age music.[12][13][14][15] On the other hand,Quartet for the End of Time (1941) byOlivier Messiaen, a practicing Catholic and churchorganist, is an explicitly Christian piece of meditation music.[clarification needed][citation needed]
Specific works includeTony Scott'sMusic for Zen Meditation.[citation needed]
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