{"id":31,"date":"2022-11-08T22:00:54","date_gmt":"2022-11-08T22:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/chapter\/chanting-in-churches\/"},"modified":"2023-01-25T20:52:33","modified_gmt":"2023-01-25T20:52:33","slug":"chanting-in-churches","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/chapter\/chanting-in-churches\/","title":{"raw":"Chanting in Churches","rendered":"Chanting in Churches"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"chanting-in-churches\">\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--learning-objectives\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">In this chapter you will<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>learn about chanting in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christianity<\/li>\r\n \t<li>discover why the custom may have arisen to chant the Bible rather than simply read it<\/li>\r\n \t<li>explore how you can use chanting as a first step toward making vocal music yourself<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<p class=\"import-pf\">Rather than only reading about chanting, it will enhance your learning if you actually do it. Don\u2019t worry if you have never done anything like this before. Feel free to consult a tutorial and aim for something authentic from a particular tradition, or just place pitch on your speaking of words from some biblical text. In other words, don\u2019t just say the words; sing them. Do it all on the same note to begin with. Then try changing up the ending to make it more interesting. If you are nervous, do this where no one else can hear you. The point is not to do it in some way that is evaluated as correct but simply to do it. Just as there are things that you cannot learn about driving without getting behind the wheel of a car, there are things that you cannot learn about music without actually making music.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-p\" style=\"text-indent: 36pt;\">When it comes to the official approach to chanting in one major stream of Christianity, Roman Catholicism, you can find many <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId118\" href=\"https:\/\/www.standrewsrome.org\/chant1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">tutorials<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> online, like on YouTube, that explain what to do and how to do it.[footnote]The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ccwatershed.org\/2013\/05\/27\/how-chant-readings-mass-sing-gospel-lessons\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">website of Corpus Christi Watershed<\/a> shared a video along with additional tutorial materials and other information that may be useful and of interest.[\/footnote] If you take the time to explore what is available online, you will hear and see differences among them. They reflect a wide array of chanting traditions, some of which you may have heard of, and others of which may be unfamiliar to you. Many people have heard of <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId119\" href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/art\/plainsong-music\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">plainsong<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> or Gregorian chant, for instance\u2014a historic part of the Catholic tradition characterized by unaccompanied singing in unison. More than one <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId120\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ccwatershed.org\/gregorian\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">website<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> is dedicated to explaining how musical phrases were notated in that tradition before the modern system of writing music developed. Another site does the same for the Byzantine chant, which is the tradition in Eastern Orthodox churches, explaining its <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId121\" href=\"https:\/\/music.stanthonysmonastery.org\/HistoryM.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">history<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> and its <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId122\" href=\"https:\/\/music.stanthonysmonastery.org\/NotationB.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">system of notation<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>. There is significant diversity of styles across different denominations and different regions, to which we cannot do justice here. Nevertheless, the very act of chanting Scripture reflects a shared heritage. As we trace this back further still, it is important not to let the treatment of chanting in Judaism and Christianity in two chapters obscure the fact that the very practice of chanting Scripture is something shared in common, even if styles of chanting differ between Judaism and Christianity as well as within each of those traditions depending on location and culture. As mentioned in previous chapters, Christianity emerged out of Judaism. While Christianity often took things in a distinctive direction as it grew into a separate world religion, it is important to recognize the shared roots and origins in addition to the differences.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-p\" style=\"text-indent: 36pt;\">Why did people start chanting the Scriptures instead of merely reading them? There are undoubtedly a number of reasons. One is that some of the Bible, especially the Psalms, started as song and then took on the status of Scripture. In other words, some of Scripture was sung before it was written. If some of Scripture could be sung, why not the rest? Treating the text in this special way highlighted its significance. You might say it put a \u201chalo of sound\u201d around the words, much as a halo was traditionally added to a saint in paintings. Singing also helps project the sound, and as gatherings of worshipers became larger and larger, it became more difficult and, at the same time, more important to be heard. One thing that many people do not realize is that <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId123\" href=\"https:\/\/healthymagazine.com\/singing-lessons-can-improve-public-speaking\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">the same skills you need to sing<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> are the ones you need to <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId124\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timetoshinepodcast.com\/6-brilliant-ted-talks-improve-speaking-voice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">speak publicly<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>. Using your voice properly in both ways has a lot in common. Varying pitch is important (you\u2019ve undoubtedly heard someone speak in monotone). Supporting your speech with deep breaths and good support from the diaphragm matters in both. Using the resonance in one\u2019s head rather than pressure on the vocal cords to generate a powerful sound is crucial in both as well. You may have had a teacher who spoke in a singsong voice. They had learned to use their voice in a way that was more interesting and intelligible to the listener and less tiring for the speaker.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-p\" style=\"text-indent: 36pt;\">I mention this because many who read this book have little or no interest in singing. But most people need to use their voices for work purposes daily and can suffer fatigue or worse as a result of not using their voice properly. Speaking, singing, chanting, or doing anything else with one\u2019s voice is a learned skill. Some people may have bodies that resonate in ways that generate sounds that are highly appreciated, but they still learned to use their voices well. In some cases, people started learning this skill so early that by the time anyone heard them, they assumed it was \u201cnatural talent.\u201d Not everyone sounds the same, but making sound with your voice is important to us all, and making music\u2014even if only at a very basic level\u2014is better than not doing so at all. Being a little bit healthy is better than being completely unhealthy. Being a little bit informed is (in most cases) better than being completely uninformed. Don\u2019t just read this book about music. When moments arise when it is natural to do so, sing along!<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-p\" style=\"text-indent: 36pt;\">Before moving on, it would be unfortunate if we left readers with the impression that ancient music that engaged with the Bible only chanted the words of biblical texts. Far from it. An important example is Hildegard of Bingen, and you may want to jump to chapter 23 now before proceeding further.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--key-takeaways\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">For Further Reading<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n<p class=\"import-sbul hanging-indent\" style=\"margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 36pt;\">DeBona, Guerric, and Eileen Schuller, \u201cThe Bible and Liturgy.\u201d In <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><em class=\"import-i\">The Jerome Biblical Commentary<\/em><\/span>, edited by Donald Senior, John J. Collins, Barbara Reid, and Gina Hens-Piazza. London: T &amp; T Clark, 2021. <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId125\" href=\"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.5040\/9781350182875.092\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.5040\/9781350182875.092<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-sbul hanging-indent\" style=\"margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 36pt;\">Oancea, Constantin. \u201cThe Trees in the Middle of Paradise (Gn 2:9) during the Great Lent: Orthodox Hymnography as Biblical Interpretation.\u201d <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><em class=\"import-i\">HTS<\/em><\/span> 77, no. 4 (2021): 1\u20137. <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId126\" href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.4102\/hts.v77i4.6699\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.4102\/hts.v77i4.6699<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-sbul hanging-indent\" style=\"margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 36pt;\">Siddons, Kyle. \u201cUtilizing North American Art Song Settings of Psalm Texts in Worship Service.\u201d PhD diss., University of North Texas, 2014.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-sbul hanging-indent\" style=\"margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 36pt;\">Yatskaya, Svetlana. \u201cMusic and Liturgy in Early Christianity.\u201d MA thesis, UNISA, 2001.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<div><\/div>\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div class=\"chanting-in-churches\">\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--learning-objectives\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">In this chapter you will<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<ul>\n<li>learn about chanting in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christianity<\/li>\n<li>discover why the custom may have arisen to chant the Bible rather than simply read it<\/li>\n<li>explore how you can use chanting as a first step toward making vocal music yourself<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"import-pf\">Rather than only reading about chanting, it will enhance your learning if you actually do it. Don\u2019t worry if you have never done anything like this before. Feel free to consult a tutorial and aim for something authentic from a particular tradition, or just place pitch on your speaking of words from some biblical text. In other words, don\u2019t just say the words; sing them. Do it all on the same note to begin with. Then try changing up the ending to make it more interesting. If you are nervous, do this where no one else can hear you. The point is not to do it in some way that is evaluated as correct but simply to do it. Just as there are things that you cannot learn about driving without getting behind the wheel of a car, there are things that you cannot learn about music without actually making music.<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-p\" style=\"text-indent: 36pt;\">When it comes to the official approach to chanting in one major stream of Christianity, Roman Catholicism, you can find many <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId118\" href=\"https:\/\/www.standrewsrome.org\/chant1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">tutorials<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> online, like on YouTube, that explain what to do and how to do it.<a class=\"footnote\" title=\"The website of Corpus Christi Watershed shared a video along with additional tutorial materials and other information that may be useful and of interest.\" id=\"return-footnote-31-1\" href=\"#footnote-31-1\" aria-label=\"Footnote 1\"><sup class=\"footnote\">[1]<\/sup><\/a> If you take the time to explore what is available online, you will hear and see differences among them. They reflect a wide array of chanting traditions, some of which you may have heard of, and others of which may be unfamiliar to you. Many people have heard of <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId119\" href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/art\/plainsong-music\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">plainsong<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> or Gregorian chant, for instance\u2014a historic part of the Catholic tradition characterized by unaccompanied singing in unison. More than one <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId120\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ccwatershed.org\/gregorian\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">website<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> is dedicated to explaining how musical phrases were notated in that tradition before the modern system of writing music developed. Another site does the same for the Byzantine chant, which is the tradition in Eastern Orthodox churches, explaining its <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId121\" href=\"https:\/\/music.stanthonysmonastery.org\/HistoryM.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">history<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> and its <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId122\" href=\"https:\/\/music.stanthonysmonastery.org\/NotationB.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">system of notation<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>. There is significant diversity of styles across different denominations and different regions, to which we cannot do justice here. Nevertheless, the very act of chanting Scripture reflects a shared heritage. As we trace this back further still, it is important not to let the treatment of chanting in Judaism and Christianity in two chapters obscure the fact that the very practice of chanting Scripture is something shared in common, even if styles of chanting differ between Judaism and Christianity as well as within each of those traditions depending on location and culture. As mentioned in previous chapters, Christianity emerged out of Judaism. While Christianity often took things in a distinctive direction as it grew into a separate world religion, it is important to recognize the shared roots and origins in addition to the differences.<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-p\" style=\"text-indent: 36pt;\">Why did people start chanting the Scriptures instead of merely reading them? There are undoubtedly a number of reasons. One is that some of the Bible, especially the Psalms, started as song and then took on the status of Scripture. In other words, some of Scripture was sung before it was written. If some of Scripture could be sung, why not the rest? Treating the text in this special way highlighted its significance. You might say it put a \u201chalo of sound\u201d around the words, much as a halo was traditionally added to a saint in paintings. Singing also helps project the sound, and as gatherings of worshipers became larger and larger, it became more difficult and, at the same time, more important to be heard. One thing that many people do not realize is that <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId123\" href=\"https:\/\/healthymagazine.com\/singing-lessons-can-improve-public-speaking\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">the same skills you need to sing<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> are the ones you need to <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId124\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timetoshinepodcast.com\/6-brilliant-ted-talks-improve-speaking-voice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">speak publicly<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>. Using your voice properly in both ways has a lot in common. Varying pitch is important (you\u2019ve undoubtedly heard someone speak in monotone). Supporting your speech with deep breaths and good support from the diaphragm matters in both. Using the resonance in one\u2019s head rather than pressure on the vocal cords to generate a powerful sound is crucial in both as well. You may have had a teacher who spoke in a singsong voice. They had learned to use their voice in a way that was more interesting and intelligible to the listener and less tiring for the speaker.<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-p\" style=\"text-indent: 36pt;\">I mention this because many who read this book have little or no interest in singing. But most people need to use their voices for work purposes daily and can suffer fatigue or worse as a result of not using their voice properly. Speaking, singing, chanting, or doing anything else with one\u2019s voice is a learned skill. Some people may have bodies that resonate in ways that generate sounds that are highly appreciated, but they still learned to use their voices well. In some cases, people started learning this skill so early that by the time anyone heard them, they assumed it was \u201cnatural talent.\u201d Not everyone sounds the same, but making sound with your voice is important to us all, and making music\u2014even if only at a very basic level\u2014is better than not doing so at all. Being a little bit healthy is better than being completely unhealthy. Being a little bit informed is (in most cases) better than being completely uninformed. Don\u2019t just read this book about music. When moments arise when it is natural to do so, sing along!<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-p\" style=\"text-indent: 36pt;\">Before moving on, it would be unfortunate if we left readers with the impression that ancient music that engaged with the Bible only chanted the words of biblical texts. Far from it. An important example is Hildegard of Bingen, and you may want to jump to chapter 23 now before proceeding further.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--key-takeaways\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">For Further Reading<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<p class=\"import-sbul hanging-indent\" style=\"margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 36pt;\">DeBona, Guerric, and Eileen Schuller, \u201cThe Bible and Liturgy.\u201d In <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><em class=\"import-i\">The Jerome Biblical Commentary<\/em><\/span>, edited by Donald Senior, John J. Collins, Barbara Reid, and Gina Hens-Piazza. London: T &amp; T Clark, 2021. <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId125\" href=\"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.5040\/9781350182875.092\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.5040\/9781350182875.092<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-sbul hanging-indent\" style=\"margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 36pt;\">Oancea, Constantin. \u201cThe Trees in the Middle of Paradise (Gn 2:9) during the Great Lent: Orthodox Hymnography as Biblical Interpretation.\u201d <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><em class=\"import-i\">HTS<\/em><\/span> 77, no. 4 (2021): 1\u20137. <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId126\" href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.4102\/hts.v77i4.6699\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.4102\/hts.v77i4.6699<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-sbul hanging-indent\" style=\"margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 36pt;\">Siddons, Kyle. \u201cUtilizing North American Art Song Settings of Psalm Texts in Worship Service.\u201d PhD diss., University of North Texas, 2014.<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-sbul hanging-indent\" style=\"margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 36pt;\">Yatskaya, Svetlana. \u201cMusic and Liturgy in Early Christianity.\u201d MA thesis, UNISA, 2001.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr class=\"before-footnotes clear\" \/><div class=\"footnotes\"><ol><li id=\"footnote-31-1\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ccwatershed.org\/2013\/05\/27\/how-chant-readings-mass-sing-gospel-lessons\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">website of Corpus Christi Watershed<\/a> shared a video along with additional tutorial materials and other information that may be useful and of interest. <a href=\"#return-footnote-31-1\" class=\"return-footnote\" aria-label=\"Return to footnote 1\">&crarr;<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":3,"menu_order":3,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"part":3,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/31"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/31\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":859,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/31\/revisions\/859"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/3"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/31\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=31"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=31"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=31"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}