Religiously (Un)musical, Musically (Un)religious

Abstract

The expression “religiously unmusical†has become a catchphrase for many, since it was introduced by Max Weber a century ago. In this paper the question is asked whether the concepts of religiosity and musicality can be used to throw light on each other. A philosophical anthropology inspired by fundamental ontology is the basis for the investigation. It is concluded that viewing religiosity in the light of musicality can be fruitful in order to interpret and conceptualize religious phenomena as they appear in our world today. And, vice versa, a religious terminology can be fruitfully used to characterise much of what happens in the music scene.