Rivers of Sacred Sound
Chant
©2019
Monographs
XX,
176 Pages
Series:
Music and Spirituality, Volume 10
Summary
Rivers of Sacred Sound traces the flow of influences from East to West, from
BC to AD and from wordless jubilations to the setting of texts. It takes the
discussion about western chant beyond a European perspective.
The text of this book, preceded by an introduction, is presented in seven
chapters and covers a period of approximately five thousand years. There are
many references all over the world to praising the divine with sound. Thus
the starting point is the praise song, a fundamental impulse in mankind. The
Rg-Veda requests that our loudest-sounding hymn be accepted, as food most
delightful to the Gods. The Psalms request us to make a joyful noise unto God
and to sing forth the honour of His name. Spontaneous songs became ritual
events. In an aural culture what was the role of gesture and what is its role
now? There are many doors to open in pursuing these and other questions.
This book opens some of them.
BC to AD and from wordless jubilations to the setting of texts. It takes the
discussion about western chant beyond a European perspective.
The text of this book, preceded by an introduction, is presented in seven
chapters and covers a period of approximately five thousand years. There are
many references all over the world to praising the divine with sound. Thus
the starting point is the praise song, a fundamental impulse in mankind. The
Rg-Veda requests that our loudest-sounding hymn be accepted, as food most
delightful to the Gods. The Psalms request us to make a joyful noise unto God
and to sing forth the honour of His name. Spontaneous songs became ritual
events. In an aural culture what was the role of gesture and what is its role
now? There are many doors to open in pursuing these and other questions.
This book opens some of them.
Excerpt
Table Of Contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- About the author
- About the book
- This eBook can be cited
- Contents
- List of Figures
- List of Musical Examples
- Preface
- Notation and Script
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Chapter 1. Historical Background
- Chapter 2. Language
- Chapter 3. Scale and Mode
- Chapter 4. Recitation, Psalmody and Silence
- Chapter 5. Alaṅkāras and Neumes
- Chapter 6. Rhythm in Chant
- Chapter 7. The Hand: Mudrās and Cheironomy
- Epilogue
- Glossary
- Bibliography
- Index
- Series Index
Why are there so many references all over the world to praising the divine with sound? Why is the tradition of chant a sacred one? Could it be that praise songs and ritual are at the heart of life and have been, since the beginning of human existence?
Details
- Pages
- XX, 176
- Publication Year
- 2019
- ISBN (PDF)
- 9781788744409
- ISBN (ePUB)
- 9781788744416
- ISBN (MOBI)
- 9781788744423
- ISBN (Softcover)
- 9781788744393
- DOI
- 10.3726/b13528
- Language
- English
- Publication date
- 2019 (September)
- Keywords
- Chant from BC to AD Does chant have a common language? connection between ancient systems of chant and European chant forms?
- Published
- Oxford, Bern, Berlin, Bruxelles, New York, Wien, 2019. XX, 176 pp., 9 fig. b/w
