Music Conference on Religious Expression by Jean-Michel Vallot

Musician, guitarist, choir leader, musicologist, and arranger, Jean-Michel Vallot dedicates himself to teaching and transmitting music. On Thursday, May 21 at 6:30 pm, Jean-Michel Vallot will give a free conference entitled “Music and the expression of religious sentiment” at the Cocteau-Marais cultural center. This conference will explore the evolution of musical language throughout different eras and cultures, illustrated by numerous musical examples. Throughout history, humans have favored music as a way to express their feelings towards the supernatural. Saint Augustine and Luther famously said, “Singing well is like praying twice.” Singing allows one to pray not only with the mind and heart but with the entire body. The conference will define some forms of religious sentiment and show how music can translate or even elevate them through musical examples ranging from simple melodies to symphonic music. Additionally, tracing the evolution of musical language across different eras allows for a different expression of religious sentiment.

Lastly, the selected examples from various cultures will provide an “ethnomusicological” approach (a social science that studies the relationship between music and society).