If we are not mistaken there has as yet been no thread devoted to the mystical quality of music, although it has been referred to in passing in several places.

They - the mystical and the spiritual - are by no means identical. Mystical music is a subset of spiritual music is not it? For example the music of Bach is very spiritual but rarely mystical. "Music and the Spiritual" - another subject about which we see too little written - would be better off in its own separate thread then, and perhaps a Member will start one. And spiritual music itself is of course in turn just a subset of of serious music in general.

An important point is that a mystical quality very often arises from the use of harmony, and indeed from specific harmonic combinations and sequences.

We cannot begin to do the subject justice in this initial message; so let us simply list the names of those composers some of whose works contain we think a mystical aspect.

Mozart: slow movement of G minor symphony;
Beethoven: part of the fourth movement of the third symphony; part of the finale of the ninth;
Elgar: several oratorios and symphonies;
Delius: much of his later work, if one listens to it with care;
Scryabine;
Varèse;
Stravinsky;
Roussel: especially the first symphony;
Messiaen: much of his production.

To them should of course be added the early vocal polyphonists, and a good many more twentieth-century men.

Also a few recent names may be found in the table of contents to which this link leads: http://www.musicpsyche.org/mm.html

Although I remain resolutely realistic about his place in the canon of C20th composition, Menotti became a believer in mystic catholicism, and devoted a large-scale work to a consideration of the topic,  THE SAINT OF BLEECKER STREET.  A public (and critics) which found difficulty with the ideas expressed in it dismissed the piece as "naive", which seems to be a rather unconsidered reaction to such a rich and deeply-committed work.   Opilec's mention of Hildegard of Bingen (who certainly has most of the traits of mysticism attributed to her) reminds me that Menotti's "Muero porque no muero?" ("To die, why cannot I die?") sets a text of the renowned mystic St Teresa of Avila.  (One of the very rare works for which Menotti did not write his own text, which must immediately signify something unusual).

Catholic mysticism is prominent in a work I'm conscious of over-mentioning on these boards, Poulenc's DIALOGUES DES CARMELITES. A careful textual reading of the work would see Sister Blanche ("de l'agonie du Christ", as she styles herself on taking the veil) torn between the intellectualisation of faith embodied by her spiritual patron, the Mother Superior - which terrifyingly deserts her at the moment of death - and the "blind faith" of Sister Constance, who at first glance appears to be a simpleton?  Yet at the hour of Blanche's own death, it's the simple faith of Constance (who has already gone to the guillotine herself) which inspires Blanche to do likewise, rather than deny her holy vows.

It seems well worth considering Messiaen in any discussion of mysticism, but I am overly conscious of my inability to do so - I would welcome input from someone well-informed on this topic?   Similarly, discussion of musical mysticism which lies outside the conventions of Christian faith would be fascinating territory to explore, anyone?

I'm conscious of "treading on eggs" here (at a moment when quite a few are being broken elsewhere on these boards to make an omelette), but would it be fair or reasonable to suggest that motivations of "mysticism" have frequently led composers to write music which has been either ignored or vilified for being backward-looking, recondite, or even "naive"?   At the back of my mind here is Sister Constance in The Carmelites, who sees things others do not see ("Blanche will come back - Christ showed it to me, in a dream!"), yet outwardly appear to be "simple"?

I suppose another work on the topic of mysticism (although whether it is itself a "mystical" work is open to question) is KHOVANSCHINA - whose ultimate topic (if we put aside the Act I political machinations which precipitated it) is the self-immolation of a vast wandering army of "charismatic" believers, at the word of their fiery leader?   And what about THE FIERY ANGEL?  Coincidentally or not, neither work enjoyed much success with the public or critics.

Thanks for the link, Sydney: it was a refreshing post on Varese and I was particularly intrigued by the reference to The Son of the Stars. Satie's earlier Le fils des etoiles relates to the same author. I'm interested to know your reaction to Satie's work in the 1890s and also would welcome more information about the following, especially given your list of examples.