Date of Award
Spring 2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Medieval Studies
First Advisor
Toorawa, Shawkat
Abstract
This dissertation examines the history of music’s use for healing purposes in Antiquity and the Middle Ages and explores the contributions of Islamic medicine on historical musical therapy. It begins in ancient Greece with an examination of polytheistic ancient Greek music and medicine, moves to the role of music in Byzantine healing institutions after the Christianization of Greece, and to its role in bīmāristāns during the Abbasid, Mamluk, and Ottoman periods. Ultimately, it seeks to describe how music was used therapeutically in ancient Greek, Byzantine, and Islamic institutions of healing. Several ancient Greek philosophers believed music could affect the body, but it is Abbasid-era medical institutions that were the first to employ musicians and to apply music in clinical settings. Abbasid-era Muslim philosophers and physicians made major advancements to the theory and practice of the use of music for therapeutic purposes. Two important aims of this project are to correct historical narratives and to make known practices that can potentially be applied to modern medicine and music therapy.
Recommended Citation
Tsukamoto, Chihiro Larissa, "Apollon’s Gift: Musical Therapy From Asklepieia To Bīmāristāns" (2023). Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations. 888.
https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/gsas_dissertations/888
