ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book investigates the role of music in mourning rituals across time and culture. It presents the basis of the studies: cultural history, ethnomusicology, psychology and music therapy. Music has a large role to play in this re-ritualisation of mourning. Regulation of emotion is clearly important, and music can provide a powerful tool for the ’re-ritualization’ of grief and a re-discovery of personal expressions of grief. Music often has an important role to play within such rituals of mourning. Regionally, specific religious traditions have been strongly associated with rituals of mourning, particularly funerals. The music used in such rituals would, in the past, also have been based primarily on local religious customs. Music played at contemporary funerals may be pieces of special significance to the deceased rather than traditional music for funeral services.
