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What is a chant?
This is an intriguing question, as
chant encompasses such a stunningly wide array of musical expression. From the Latin word cantare, meaning "to sing,"
chant can weave beautiful melodies that send the heart soaring, as we hear in some of the recent recordings of Celtic chanting.
Some chant melodies have been carefully preserved over centuries, perhaps painstakingly transcribed by quill pen on parchment
by a tonsured monk, and are always sung in precisely the same tonal sequence.
In contrast, the Orthodox Jewish
davennen [the traditional Jewish form of chanted prayer], while adhering to specific conventions regarding melodies, is somewhat
more improvisational, treating the traditional melodies like jazz "riffs," altering rhythms to fit the changing
text into the melody, and subtly adding musical embellishment. Relying on traditional melody completely gives way to the creative
Spirit, as Pentecostals bring forth spontaneous outpourings of sacred sound in their practice of speaking in tongues. Other
forms eschew melody altogether. For example, Tibetan Buddhist monastic chant often drones on only one fundamental tone; or
in the case of some Sufi zhikrs, the repetitive text is chanted on a half-spoken tone of indistinct pitch.
Much chant
is rhythmic, from the pounding heartbeat of Native American drums, to the polyrhythmic chants of West Africa, to the incredibly
complex rhythmic patterns of the Balinese Monkey Chant. On the other extreme, chant may consist of long sustained notes with
no rhythm at all, as in the traditional toning of the well known Sanskrit sacred syllable "OM."
We sometimes
chant extensive recitations of traditional texts such as the Buddhist Heart Sutra, the Hindu Gurugita, and the Lutheran Worship
Service, but chant is also the pure vibration of wordless tones and overtones. Chant may be the a capella voices of monks
singing Gregorian chant, while other chanters are accompanied by drums and rattles, flutes and whistles, harmoniums and tambouras,
bells, bowls, harps, and the unique timbre of the countless other instruments indigenous to every culture.
Chants
serve many purposes: telling stories such as the mythic tale of Lord Rama and Sita in the great Indian epic the Ramayama,
casting out disease in the healing chants of the Siberian shaman, instructing young family members in the proper patterns
for fine Kashmiri carpets, or inducing trance in Haitian voodoun. Chant is used to quiet the mind, open the heart, uplift
the spirit, and mourn the dead.
Having tasted the incredible richness of the world of chant, we see that dictionary
definitions are either incorrect--"a simple liturgical song in which a string of syllables or words is sung to each tone,"
or absurd--"any monotonous song." For our purposes, let us define chant as: the worship and celebration of the sacred
through melodically simple vocalization.
Chant is singing our prayers. Chant is vocal meditation. Chant is the breath
made audible in tone. Chant is "discovering Spirit in sound."
Chant alone and find your
spiritual center. Chant with others and find community. Chant and radiate peace. Chant and open yourself to God. Can chant
do all this? It can. Chant is not merely incantation fostering self-hypnosis but an effective tool of spiritual growth. Every
religion has a chant tradition rooted in its doctrine and worship. Gass, a scholar of religious music and the founder of Spring
Hill Music, and Brehony, a Jungian psychotherapist, lead us on an exploration of the forms of chant used in several religious
traditions and discuss their physical and psychological effects. Eclectic and ecumenical, their approach encourages one to
experiment widely, all the while recognizing and respecting the tensions and competition among religious beliefs. Readable
and informative, Chanting will reward both casual readers and those seeking a more in-depth understanding of this aspect of
religious music.
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