40 Spirituality Studies 9-2 Fall 2023 5 From Theory to Practice: Some Suggestions for Deconstructed Gregorian Chant The time has come to ask what concrete practices of contemplative singing might look like within the framework that we have drawn out here. But it could be applicable for people of any cultural tradition, with the only condition of being able to sing adequately in tune. On the other hand, the facilitator or guide for group practice should be sufficiently prepared both in singing and in contemplation. Also, as pointed out above, it is relevant to underline what contemplative singing is not: singing that is concerned with the outcome, seeking applause from the audience, and focused on the ego; feeling pressured by the need to perform certain musical-vocal productions or conform to specific musical-vocal structures, regardless of the genre, with dates, deadlines, and technical conditioning factors in a framework that may even be clearly competitive. As we pointed out in the introduction, this path lends itself to misunderstandings and can lead in the opposite direction to that which is: seeking to give meaning to life by filling it with activity. Contemplative chanting is, then, one that focuses only on the perception of vibration and breath, which can thus quieten the mind and connect with the absolute that is both within and outside of us, as energy, wholeness, and unity. Although neurological research is beyond the scope of our paper, there has already been some work to scientifically substantiate the neural connection of mystical experiences with chanting, thus shedding new light on the subject. The interpretative models offered by those studies show how the capacities of chanting are concurrent with “neurocognitive functions that are associated with mystical states. Attention and repetition promote disengagement from automatic thoughts, reduced mind wandering, and can diminish a sense of time through semantic satiation, when a phrase temporarily loses its meaning” (Perry et al. 2021, 113). Far Eastern traditions use the voice for these practices, based on how they are conceived anthropologically, such as the chanted mantras of Kundalinī yoga that relate to the opening of the chakras. And, as we shall see, certain kinds of music from the Western tradition can also be recovered to focus on perception and attention, to anchor ourselves in mindfulness of breathing, and to return to simplicity and self-knowledge. The reason is that we have a rich tradition of contemplative chanting, one that has not, however, focused so much on attention, perception, stillness, and peacefulness of the mind as on emphasizing the word or moving the emotions. Specifically, we are referring to Gregorian chant, whose role in Western spirituality has several aspects that we need to deconstruct. On the one hand, it features in monastic environments, where recollection, stillness, and contemplation are pursued, and where its practice alternates with long periods of silence. In this sense, it is in the spiritual DNA of the Western tradition and can be intuitively perceived by people of this and other traditions [14]. Currently Gregorian chant is framed within the liturgy, in concrete rituals (Eucharistic celebrations, canonical hours, sacramentals, etc.) and is used to underscore the word (vocal prayer) or to move the emotions; but it does not always contemplate the underlying unity of the spirit with nature, the corporeality of the spiritual in its totality. Therefore, we focus here on contemplative prayer, personal or communal, but not institutional or liturgical. By maintaining the interest in introducing singing into contemplative activity within the Western tradition, our proposal re-reads aspects of Gregorian chant from a musicological approach that includes some references to the historical context, the analysis of musical parameters and vocal techniques relevant to our purpose and the proposal of contemplative practice. The connection between chanting and the contemplative experience in the Christian tradition can be established historically from the onset of monasticism and continues today. It is worth considering the separation of chanting from the world, postulated in its origins by religious orders whose main purpose aims at the contemplative life itself and, at the same time, considers that chanting is one of the main obligations of monastic life – especially in the celebration of the Eucharist and the recitation of the liturgy of the hours. However, to testify to the individual mystical experiences of those who participate in the composition or performance of Gregorian chant can only be roughly achieved and is beyond the scope of our research. Even so, we can affirm that conciseness, plainness, simplicity reflected technically in the monody, as well as the reduced melodic range and the primarily syllabic settings combined with sparser pneumatic sections, are stylistic characteristics of the plainchant which are perfectly suited to the interests of contemplative prayer. Consequently, we can trace this fit between Gregorian chant and contemplation back to the Middle Ages, when cultivated women who held government positions were concerned with the preservation and instruction of culture, and even devoted
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