Chanting 101

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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."