Music

[lethargic_man]

When I was first confronted with imminence of bereavement, the prohibition that worried me the most was the ban on listening to music; music's what I use to get me up when I am feeling down. As it happens, though, so far I've had little to worry about, due partly to doing what I can to ensure I don't get depressed, and partly to the fact I am still continuing to listen to lots of music, just all in here. <taps head>

It's now six and a half weeks since I last listened to a piece of music, other than anything I happen to hear in a shop, or sung music on Shabbos, and yet my brain is still continuing to serve up a rich and varied diet of music, each piece of which I last listened to a varying period of time in the past; today's offerings have included: a piece the name of which I cannot recall by Taraf de Haïdouks, "Thirst" by the Apples, a piece with a very superficially similar opening from the Babel soundtrack, a track from Inside Stories by Peter Chase (an album of music for the Hybrid Music System, dating to the late eighties), "Alcohol" by Gogol Bordello, and a track from The Afro-Celt Sound System, Volume I.

I wonder whether this is going to keep up for the full year, by which time (if I keep to this) it'll obviously be a year or more since I last listened to any of the source material.

Comments

Music during Aveilut

[my_torah]

I do find your posts interesting Michael. I think that you are lucky you can do music inside your head. I have attempted to play chess "blindfold" but my brain cannot see more than a portion of the board at a time. Some people can do it with ease.

From what I have read there are different views on music - strict: no recorded music, lenient: permit recorded music (or some types such as background music). Other than the very stringent, most people seem to rule that the human voice singing is not considered "music" (or more precisely not considered a musical instrument) and so recordings of the unaccompanied human voice are not considered "music" by most people.


Some interesting discussions here:
http://www.imamother.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=122743
and here:
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/281640/jewish/Joyous-Occasions-During-Mourning.htm

and finally a rather strict bunch of halachic views here:
http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/735559/Rabbi_Aryeh_Lebowitz/Halachos_of_the_Three_Weeks
but nevertheless including some "exceptions" like that:
" However, most assume that a recorded voice has the status of a voice and is therefore permissible to listen to, while recorded music has the status of music and would therefore be forbidden to listen to."
"Rav Moshe Feinstein has been quoted as saying that background music in a video presentation or the like is not considered music, and is permissible."

(Although the latter link is discussing the mourning of the three weeks, I can't see why not listening to music during Aveilus would be a different case - Why would there be any difference of principle?)

Re: Music during Aveilut

[lethargic_man]

Thanks for this.

There's a decided problem IMNSHO that the majority of the resources out there I've come across aimed at mourners—the קִיצוּר שֻׁלְחָן עָרוּךְ and The Jewish Way in Death and Mourning being the main culprits, but, surprisingly, also Klein—take a strict approach. It would have been nice to have come across a book aimed at the observant Jew who wants not to be more stringent than necessary, but if such a book exists, I haven't come across it; so I end up asking the Net of a Thousand Lies instead (and my rabbi, who gives me vague answers).

I have for a while been considering not stopping myself when I find myself singing, or humming, or whistling something. I might start doing that once I've reached the end of the second month (or possibly a further one). The idea of further gradations in reducing mourning than just shiva, sheloshim, twelve months appeals to me.

"Rav Moshe Feinstein has been quoted as saying that background music in a video presentation or the like is not considered music, and is permissible."

Yes, I've been aware of this since my mother consulted her rabbi over television programme theme tunes after the death of her father many years ago.

(Although the latter link is discussing the mourning of the three weeks, I can't see why not listening to music during Aveilus would be a different case - Why would there be any difference of principle?)

Everything I've seen always seems to treat them separately; one doesn't see "Mourning customs of the three weeks: See under mourning customs. Mourning customs of the nine days: See under mourning customs of sheloshim."