
2 minute read
Modesty & Music: Exposing New Talent
Hannah Golan-Burnett
Modesty can be a loaded concept these days. It’s something that many tend to associate with oppression and misogyny, and it's been used to harm many in the past.
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Now, many use modesty as a tool for empowerment, rather than oppression. I wanted to look at some examples of women using music and modesty to empower from within our own community.
Many religions include vows and laws about piety and modesty. In Judaism, we see this in concepts such as ‘Kol Isha Erva’ (the voice of a women being sexual) and customs around tzniut (modesty of presentation). These concepts can be extrapolated towards women choosing their words carefully, acting modestly (i.e. not bragging), clothes covering the entire body and avoiding singing in front of men.
Other cultures share many of these traditions, including choosing carefully about how the voice is used and the situations for its expression. The specific ruling of Kol Isha can be derived from many different sources.
According to Aish, this includes Mishnaic and Biblical sources. Whilst the Mishnah states that “men should not listen to women singing, because it can lead to impure thoughts” (Mishnah Berurah 75:17). It links this to the explicitly sexual: ‘A woman's voice can be erotic, as it is written, for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance is comely.” (Song of Songs 2:14).
The implication of the sources is that a woman's voices could lead men to have impure thoughts, and act on them towards women who weren’t their wives. These days, a statement like that would be viewed as putting responsibility on women for the man’s lack of self-control - as well as placing little faith in that sense of control!
Judaism is not the only religion to have a practice that specifically addresses women singing in front of men. In Sufi Islam, there is no issue with a woman’s voice. However, in some Islamic communities, women will often choose to stop singing at a point during adolescence as an act of piety. In both Judaism and Islam, women who follow these practices tend to be more on the Orthodox side of the religious spectrum. The question is: does this rule mean that women don’t make music at all?
Certainly not. Instead, they make music in their own spaces.
Throughout Jewish history, we have seen Orthodox, observant women, singing to and for each other in gender-segregated groups such as at mikvaot (ritual baths), Rosh Chodesh (new month) ceremonies and prewedding parties.
From strong Yiddish tunes in a dim Poland mikveh giving other women strength in new marriages, to solemn comfort through miscarriages, to women at a henna ceremony in Yemen instilling joy (and a bit of fear!) in the bride – there has always been music. So, what’s new?
With the introduction of the internet and rapid globalisation there have been opportunities for women to create new spaces, with their own modesty codes, to perform music, mediate new musical influences, create music for new purposes and change the way in which groups use music.