Guide 09 Bahá'í literature independent reference
Bahá'í music: songs, chanted prayer and inspired arts
The Bahá'í writings speak warmly about music and the arts, and many Bahá'ís write songs or chant verses. This page gives an outside view of what that means and where to find examples.
Music in devotional life
The Bahá'í Faith has no clergy and no fixed liturgy. Devotional gatherings are made up of readings from the writings, prayers and, often, singing. The writings encourage believers to recite and chant their verses beautifully, and they speak of music as a means to lift the spirit. No instrument or style is prescribed, so Bahá'í devotional music takes many forms across cultures.
Songs and song books
Congregational singing is common at community gatherings and in children's classes. Many communities have their own song books, and independent libraries such as Bahá'í Library Online host compilations of songs and chords. Searches for Bahá'í songs in English, for children or for guitar mostly turn up videos, playlists and these song books, which are usually produced by individual believers and communities, not by Bahá'í institutions.
Chanting
Chanting a prayer or a verse is an old devotional practice in the Persian and Arabic speaking world from which the Faith comes, and Bahá'í chanting continues it. Recordings of chanted verses in Persian and Arabic circulate widely, and English settings of prayers are also common.
Inspired recordings
A great deal of Bahá'í inspired music is recorded independently, from solo songs to choral works. Some musicians outside the community have been Bahá'ís; the jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, for instance, joined the Faith in 1968. When listening to any album described as Bahá'í inspired, keep in mind that it reflects its artist's own creativity and is not an official work of the Faith.
Calligraphy and other arts
Calligraphy has a long history in the Bahá'í world, where it is used to write verses and prayers. The Houses of Worship, such as the Lotus Temple in New Delhi, show another strand of the arts. All of them have nine sides and a central dome, an expression of the nine that is also reflected in the star symbol used in Bahá'í design. For where these buildings fit in the wider story, see the guide to the World Centre.