Spirituality Studies 9-2 Fall 2023 29 Carmen Ramírez-Hurtado, Victoria Cavia-Naya Silent Singing: A Musical Path Through the Voice for Contemplation Received May 16, 2023 Revised August 22, 2023 Accepted September 11, 2023 Contemplation – a century-old and multicultural constant stance – has had a resurgence in the recent decades. In this paper we focus on some of its pillars: specifically, those that can be approached from music and particularly from singing. The latter relates to silence and deep listening, and this triad leads to a special embodied self-awareness. The explanation is based on the origins of the singing voice and on the philosophical foundation that connects the human being with the whole, understood as a form energy and vibration. The repertoire that would be used to apply these affirmations is close to Gregorian chant present in the Western tradition, but updated from a new practical and experientially contemplative approach that seeks spiritual growth as its final objective. Carmen Ramírez-Hurtado, MA, PhD. is Senior Lecturer of Music Education and Full Researcher at the Institute for Peace and Conflict Research at the University of Granada, Spain, where she directs the research program on Music and Peace. She has been a Fellow at the University of Cambridge, New York University, and the University of Glasgow, among others, and has published numerous research papers on music and peace culture. Carmen Ramírez-Hurtado sings alto in several choral groups and practices meditation within the Christian roots. She can be reached at cramih@ugr.es. Victoria Cavia-Naya, MA, PhD. is Senior Lecturer of Musicology at the Faculty of Philosophy and Arts of the University of Valladolid, Spain, where she is also Director of the Aula de Música. She directs the prestigious Research Group (GIR-UVa), Music, Performing Arts and Musical Heritage. Victoria Cavia-Naya has been a researcher at Yale University, Columbia University, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and the Accademia Teatro alla Scala a Milano, among others, and has published numerous works on religious music, contemporary music, and the relationship between music and dance. She can be reached at victoria.cavia@uva.es. ←← God the Father and Choir of Angels, Master of the Bonn Diptych, circa 1480–1490. Carmen Ramírez-Hurtado, Victoria Cavia-Naya Keywords Deep listening, silence, singing, contemplation, Gregorian chant
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