This paper was originally presented as a serial in the quarterly journal Arts Dialogue in 1996.
Naive art is based on the direct interaction of the artist with the materials used to create.
The naive artist can achieve banality or greatness, but the way in which this has been done must be articulated by another. Conscious art is mediated by an understanding of rules that allows for results to be predicted, replicated, and improved. When a new set of parameters comes into play, however, existing rules may not meet the needs of this situation. In the first part of this discussion, I will consider the relationship of music to the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar as a place and as a gathering of people. In the second, I will discuss more detailed aspects of the selection and setting of texts.