Musiq is a magical force of sound that is channeled and revealed by the musicians who organize it. Through Musiq the boundaries of subjective and objective reality dissolve, it inhabits the inbetween space mediated between human and spirit worlds.
"Transforming our awareness of time and space, in different ways, music modifies our ‘being-in-the-world." (Rouget)
​Diabolus en Musica (the Devil in Music)During the Middle Ages in Western music the tritone was classified as a dissonant interval and avoided at all cost during composition. If you’ve heard the opening notes from the band Black Sabbath's self titled song 'Black Sabbath' then you've heard this demonic interval.
Towards the end of the Renaissance era the tritone was nicknamed diabolus en musica meaning “the devil in music” by 1733 the phrase transformed into “mi against fa” (Satan in music). Later on during the Baroque and Classical eras this diabolical interval became perfectly acceptable in composition as another color on the composer's pallet.
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For those musically inclined this interval is the flatted 5th (b5). The tritone would be C F# C. CDEFGABC (12345678) it is perfectly situated in the center of the diatonic scale between F and G (4th and 5th). Metaphysically speaking here we have the division between the objective and our subjective universe. The world of the conscious and the unconscious mind, the World and the Underworld!
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Similar to the holy Tetractys is the mysterious tritone: an augmented fourth or diminished fifth, which is neither consonant nor clearly dissonant, and in the microcosm produces the “touch of freedom”. The flatted fifth to alchemy is the “quinta essentia” (the quintessence), creating freedom and paths into new life. In the nitrogen atom during photosynthesis sunlight is transformed into chlorophyll, in other words sunshine becomes living matter, in alchemy this is represented as “the Green Lion Devouring its Tail”, it is the Word made flesh! At this juncture, the tritone represents the crucial force, the quinta essentia.
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This nickname for the Devil in Music has been used as early as the 18th century by Johann Joseph Fux in his work from 1725 'Gradus ad Parnassum' and by 1733 the great composer Georg Philipp Telemann mentioned the phrase "mi contra fa", which the ancients called 'Satan in Music. Being the flatted 5th was considered a 'dangerous' interval it was avoided. Later the interval would be used as a expressive device in composition to connotate the idea of 'Evil'. Liszt would use the tritone to suggest hell in his Dante Sonata, and French composer Camille Saint-Saëns in his scordatura for the solo violin from Danse Macabre. The violinist Giuseppe Tartini claimed that he composed his Devil's Trill Sonata after Satan himself instructed him! Götterdämmerung is the last piece in Richard Wagner's cycle of four music dramas titled Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung, or The Ring for short) where the diminished fifth illustrates a scene of pagan excess and extreme.
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"Why is music called the divine art, while all other arts are not so called? We may certainly see God in all arts and in all sciences, but in music alone we see God free from all forms and thoughts. In every other art there is idolatry. Every thought, every word has its form. Sound alone is free from form. Every word of poetry forms a picture in our mind. Sound alone does not make any object appear before us."
- Hazrat Inayat Khan
"If you want to learn how to play anything you want to play and learn how to make songs yourself, you take your guitar and you go to where a crossroad is. A big black man will walk up there and take your guitar, and he'll tune it"
Tommy Johnson (1896-1956)
The Crossroads Ritual
"You have to go to the cemetery at the stroke of midnight for nine nights, and get some dirt and bring it back with you and put it in a little bottle,” he replied. Then find a place where the roads cross, a crossroads, and at midnight, for nine nights, sit there and try to play that guitar. Don't care what you see come there, don't get afraid and run away."
"You will see a gamut of black animals, a black rooster, black bull, black dog or cat, even a black snake or lion. It will begin thundering and downpouring rain, a black smoke descends on you to where you cannot see anything. Then on the last midnight there will come a rider, in the form of the Devil, riding at lightning speed. You stay there, still playing your guitar, and when he has passed, you can play any tune you want to play or do any magic trick you want because you have sold yourself to the Devil"
Honeyboy Edwards
I had the good fortune of backing up the last original Delta Bluesman David 'Honeyboy' Edwards at BB Kings at Times Square NYC (now gone). Picking his brain in the dressing room was almost as much a privelage as performing with him that night. Honeyboy is known for traveling with and hanging out with Robert Johnson back in the 1930's. At one point I asked Honeyboy if he thought Robert sold his soul at the crossroads for musical success as the legend states? Honeyboy looked at me as if the question was foolish, said something about your soul not being something you can sell . . . but his eyes said something different! Honeyboy did tell me to look into the lyrics of Robert Johnson because within them will be the key to the Blues and Vodou.
Horned Head Dresses and Cowtails
The blues is ultimately derived from African music. West African slaves were brought North America beginning with Christopher Columbus in 1492 and continued until between the 1800's. They arrived with their indigenous music and religious beliefs along with drums, stringed instruments, wind instruments and various vocal styles. These were the Griots, singing stories of wealth and praise of Kings and Queens and magic and folklore.
Music consisted of drumming, hand clapping and improvised call and response singing. Extra devices such as rattles and bells were attached to instruments and individuals to create a complex polyrhythmic groove. Simultaneous melodies known as polyphony was present in parallel thirds, fourths or fifths. Some vocalizing consisted of whooping or sudden falsetto which we can hear in the styles of Pre-War Delta artists like Robert Johnson, Tommy Johnson, Skip James and Peetie Wheatstraw.
Makin' Music on a Sheep-Skin Covered Gumbo Box
African music was always participative. Group situations such as religious ceremonies, farming, building or just partying offered plenty of opportunities for making music. This can be traced to the field hollers and work songs of the delta. Eventually drums and horns were banned by slave owners. This became known as the Black Codes and also prevented slaves from congregating. Without indigenous instruments and freedom to gather and worship they were reduced to voice and body percussion called ‘patting juba'. Later they were allowed to use Civil War instruments like snare and bass drums along with flutes and thus the music of drum and fife corps was created. This meant when not playing traditional European songs for white entertainment, slaves could reestablish their musical identity in private.
Goin' Where The Southern Cross The Dog
The Black Codes, with the exclusion of ‘patting juba’ and the drum and fife bands, ultimately dealt the death blow to the marriage of African polyrhythms and what became prewar delta blues. This along with the fear and repression of African slaves, customs, and beliefs, gave way to the matrix of Vodoun religions.
Voice masking, is a vocal technique consisting of deep chested growls, false bass tones, strangulated shrieks and other bizarre effects. You can hear these African vocal techniques used in early blues singing especially by the greats Charley Patton and Blind Willie Johnson. This technique came from ritual possession where the voice is modified to match the spirit and mask being worn.
The guitar wasn't the sort of strummed accompaniment associated with high plain drifting cowboys or the minstrels of Europe or even the precise picked ragtime banjo. Instead, it set up an intricate pattern of rhythmic accents and responses to the singer, it became both drum, orchestra and second voice. Slide guitar evolved from the African single-stringed bow ( diddlebow) and it was played with a knife, rock, or bone. Eventually giving way to the bottleneck thanks to Hawaiian guitarists. With the 'slider' one can hit the in between notes and produce a very voice like sound.
Robert Johnson and Vodou Connection
Robert Johnson was born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, on May 8, 1911 to Julia Major Dodds and Noah Johnson. Julia was married to Charles Dodds (born February 1865), a relatively prosperous landowner and furniture maker, with whom she had ten children. Charles Dodds had been forced by a lynch mob to leave Hazlehurst following a dispute with white landowners. Julia left Hazlehurst with baby Robert, but in less than two years she brought the boy to Memphis to live with her husband, who had changed his name to Charles Spencer.
Robert married Virginia Travis in February, 1929, and the young couple soon became expectant parents. But tragedy struck when Virginia, only sixteen years old, died in childbirth in 1930. In 1931 Robert met and married a woman named Calletta 'Callie' Craft.
During the next year, Johnson travelled to such places as St. Louis, Memphis, Illinois, and back home to the Delta. Then, on Saturday night, August 13th, 1938, at a juke joint named Three Forks, near Greenwood, Johnson played his last gig. Of the many rumors concerning Johnson’s death, poisoning is the most substantiated. His death certificate was found in 1968, verifying that he died in Greenwood, Mississippi. He was buried in a small church in nearby Morgan City.
Robert Johnson's musical life did not begin with a bang. His playing was not very good and the older, more respected bluesmen would chase him away so as not to scare the patrons. Eventually, Robert vanished from everyone's sight and memory for a period of time and when he reemerged he blew everyone's minds, his technique was unsurpassable, his performance mesmerizing, and he wrote a bunch of songs, though based on older songs of the time, that introduced new and mystical themed lyrics inot them. During my talk with Honeyboy he told me that Robert was a ladies man, and had several women in several locations throughout his gigging route as a musician. That some of these women practiced a western form of African Vodou(n) called in the South, Voodoo or Hoodoo. In the next segment I am going to extract a number of verses from his songs which contain direct associations with Vodou.
Johnson's Juju
"Kind Hearted Woman Blues"
But these evil-hearted women
Man, they will not let me be
She's a kindhearted woman
(But) She studies evil all the time
"Malted Milk"
My door knob keeps on turnin', it must be spooks around my bed
These may be references to the women in his life who practice Vodou and to the spirits that surround them.
"Come On In My Kitchen"
I know she won't come back
I've taken the last nickel out of her nation sack
A nation sack is a kind of magic bag that is used in hoodoo magical practices. It is only used by women, and originally was hung from the waist of a woman's skirt; to swing on the inside of the skirt, between a woman's legs. It would have contained nine silver coins.
"Stones In My Passway"
I got stones in my passway
And my road seem dark as night
My enemies have betrayed me
Have overtaken poor Bob at last
And there's one thing certainly
They have stones all in my pass
Laying stones down in the passway in a certain configuration is another way to jinx someone. These methods of jinxing someone are called foot track magic. The stones need to be placed in a passway because the person has to walk over the cross in order to be cursed. This is called 'crossing the line'.
"Little Queen of Spades"
Everybody say she got a mojo, now she's been usin' that stuff
A Mojo (bag) is a Voodoo charm, a 'prayer in a bag' consisting of a bundle of twigs, nail clippings, hair, skin, and other remnants secretly collected from the body of the person, it also contains a spirit trapped inside by the conjurer. The word comes from 'mojuba' which means, "a prayer of praise" which comes from the Kwa language of the Yoruba and means 'em' (I) 'ajuba' (salute). It was an appeasement to the gods. In New Orleans Hoodoo they call it a Gris-Gris Bag or a Mojo Hand.
"Hellhound On My Trail"
And the days keeps on worryin' me of a hellhound on my trail
If today was Christmas eve and tomorrow was Christmas day
You sprinkled hot foot powder, mmm
Mmm, around my door, all around my door
Adherents of Voodoo mingle together Christian ideas with African ones and weeks prior, leading up to Christmas Eve, powerful powders are prepared to ward off evil sorcerers known as Zobop. The Loups-Garou feature predominantly in the evils that can befall someone. Swiss anthropologist Alfred Métraux who was noted for his pioneering contributions to South American ethnohistory and the examination of African culture in Haiti, cites that the Zobop were members of a secret society of sorcerers and shape-shifters who could transform into a werewolf (loups-garou). These Zobop would "lay ambushes to get recruits in remote spots, obliging them to take part in their sabbath" (Metraux).
Hot Foot Powders were concocted in order to drive these evils away and contained red and black pepper, sulfur, essential oils, and herbal extracts.
"Traveling Riverside Blues"
She got a mortgage on my body, now, and a lien on my soul
"Me and the Devil Blues"
Early this mornin', ooh, when you knocked upon my door
And I said, "Hello, Satan, I believe it's time to go"
Me and the devil, was walkin' side by side
It must-a be that old evil spirit, so deep down in the ground
You may bury my body, ooh, down by the highway side
So my old evil spirit, can catch a Greyhound bus and ride
The devil has many names throughout history's cultures, among adherents of Voodoo he is Papa Legba a trickster deity. Lyrics such as these added fuel to the rumors that he had made a deal with the devil (Legba) at a Crossroads. That after his death, the devil (Satan) will come and collect his due by taking Robert's soul in exchange for granting him musical success during his lifetime.
"Cross Road Blues"
I went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees
I went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees
Asked the Lord above "Have mercy, now save poor Bob, if you please"
Yeoo, standin' at the crossroad, tried to flag a ride
Ooo eee, I tried to flag a ride
Didn't nobody seem to know me, babe, everybody pass me by
Standin' at the crossroad, baby, risin' sun goin' down
Standin' at the crossroad, baby, eee, eee, risin' sun goin' down
I believe to my soul, now, poor Bob is sinkin' down
You can run, you can run, tell my friend Willie Brown1
You can run, you can run, tell my friend Willie Brown1
That I got the crossroad blues this mornin', Lord, babe, I'm sinkin' down
And I went to the crossroad, mama, I looked east and west
I went to the crossroad, baby, I looked east and west
Lord, I didn't have no sweet woman, ooh well, babe, in my distress
At the very heart of blues and rock music, both of which have been described as the Devil's Music, lies the shadow of the Faustian pact, as epitomized by Robert Johnson. But behind the Faustian pact mythos lies the Hoodoo lore of the crossroads. Going down to the crossroads, where two lonely roads interesect symbolize the juncture where a person must call upon their spiritual strength and face their demons. It is a life-altering decision. The legend can be found throught Europe, India, Greece, and Japan as well with the American Indian. With each culture's story the crossroads are where demons, evil spirits, and ghosts rendezvous with witches, warlocks, sorcerers and boku. Sacrifices are made here, souls are bargained with and if you perform the rituals perfectly you walk away with magical powers. In the Central African Bakongo culture when making an oath, the person marks a cross on the ground and stands on it. The crossroads is where the dead and the living meet, where the Spirit-Gods (Loa-Lwa) hang out. Standing at the crossraods means that you have mastered both life and death. In Voodoo the God of the Crossroads is Papa Legba, a Trickster, it is through him that you must first seek to 'open the way' so that the gods may possess (ride) you.
The myth surrounding Robert Johnson implies that in exchange for fame and guitar brilliance you die young, forfeit your soul and spend eternity in Hell to be taken away by (Hell) Hounds! Robert Johnson went to a lonely crossroads, played some guitar, and experienced visions as would shamans experience during their initiatory vision quest. This allowed his unconscious, or inner-genius, to take control of his guitar playing, thus his musicianship became outstanding. It also brought him a high level of charisma, charm or enchantment.
So, here you have several associations between Robert Johnson's lyrical content and the West African Vodoun beliefs which became Voodoo or Hoodoo down in the deep south of North America. I may be stretching these ideas a bit but they are interesting to entertain at the very least and hopefully, you found some of it fascinating and learned something about the Blues, Africa, and Voodoo!
The Trapezoidal Sound 0f Alexander Scriabin
In Greek mythology, Hesperus symbolizes the "Evening Star," Venus appearing in the twilight sky. As the son of the Dawn goddess Eos, akin to the Roman Aurora, Hesperus is linked to the waning daylight. He shares celestial duties with his brother Eosphorus (Phosphorus), the "Morning Star," representing Venus at dawn. Eosphorus, meaning "bearer of dawn," is Latinized as "Lucifer," signifying "light-bearer." Initially seen as separate deities, one governing night and the other morning, they were later recognized as manifestations of the same planet, Venus, influenced by Babylonian astronomy. This shift integrated their identities, affirming Venus's dual aspects in Greek lore, associated with Aphrodite (Venus in Roman myth) and themes of love and divinity. Venus, as Hesperus and Phosphorus, embodies cosmic duality, straddling day and night, light and darkness, an emblematic motif in esoteric traditions.
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This realization reflects the influence of Babylonian astronomy, which identified Venus as a singular entity with dual aspects. The Greeks, who initially saw the Morning Star and Evening Star as separate objects, eventually adopted the Babylonian understanding that they were the same planet. Over time, Venus became linked to Aphrodite and her Roman counterpart, symbolizing the planet's association with love and divinity. As both Hesperus and Phosphorus, Venus represents a cosmic duality, appearing at the boundary between day and night, light and darkness, a symbol that holds deep meaning in esoteric traditions.
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Alexander Scriabin (1872–1915) was a visionary Russian composer who aimed to connect sound with metaphysics. Known for his orchestral and piano works, he developed a unique harmonic language early on, using unconventional chords that became known as the Mystic Chord or Prometheus Chord. This complex chord, built on intervals of fourths, offers an inverted take on Pythagorean principles, producing a sound that is haunting, dissonant, and transcendentally beautiful.
By using this chord, Scriabin moved beyond traditional tonality and functional harmony, crafting musical landscapes rich in new textures and deep emotional expression. His compositions transcend ordinary music, serving as a medium for mystical exploration. He famously declared, “I am God,” expressing his belief that an artist’s creative power can surpass earthly limits and access divine consciousness.
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A student of Nietzsche’s concept of the Übermensch and an avid reader of Helena Blavatsky’s Theosophy, Scriabin was profoundly influenced by esoteric philosophy. While living in Brussels, he immersed himself in the works of Jean Delville, Plato, and Aristotle, blending these philosophical ideas with his artistic vision. His Ninth Sonata, titled “The Black Mass,” exemplifies his exploration of dark and spiritual realms through music.
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One of Scriabin’s most ambitious projects was his planned Magnum Opus, Mysterium, a week-long multimedia performance combining music, scent, dance, and light, intended to be held at the base of the Himalayan mountains. He envisioned this event as a transformative experience that would dissolve sensory boundaries and transport the audience into divine ecstasy. Although he died before bringing this vision to life, Scriabin’s legacy endures as a pioneer of synesthesia and multimedia art.​