23.7. 1993 Vitoria-Gasteiz / Spain - World Federation of Music Therapy

infringed certain taboos and thus exposed himself to the
invasion of evil spirits which are capable of stealing his
soul (as Eskimos believe), to rule over it (the North
African belief in being "Posessed by the Devil"), or to
torment it by means of visions and dreams (as held by
the North American Salish Indians), and so on.
According to Foster's definitions it would seem that
music plays the dominant role in Personalistic healing,
However there is evidence that music is not the only artform
utilised in healing rituals: there is an integration of
movement, costume, headdress, dramatic action, the
ritual decoration of musical instruments (in Asia and
Africa for example), painted bodies and faces (among
North American Indian tribes) as well as more unique
phenomena (such as the sand-drawings of the Navajo
Indians in the South- West of the United States).
As opposed to Art Music which is sometimes enployed
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in music therapy, the music in healing ritual makes it
easier for us to explore the degree to which both the
physiological organism and the emotional mood of the
patient can be influenced, This is due to the
comparative simplicity of a musical texture based only
on a few components, Even in the Voodoo rites in Haiti,
in which the drumers make use of highly complex
rhythms, a basic beat is mantained to serve as a
framework ("Holder") for both music and participants, It
should also be noted that apart from drunming and
stickbeating there are almost no additional musical
elements.
In Ecstatic rituals in Asia, Africa and Australia for
example, drumming is the major component, In certain
rites, such as those of the Hamadsha in the Morroccan
Atlas Mountains, oboes are added; on the other hand in
the Hypnotic rituals of the North American Indians it is
singing which is dominant, accompanied by rattles and