Spirituality Studies 9-2 Fall 2023 43 Carmen Ramírez-Hurtado, Victoria Cavia-Naya Activity Duration (in minutes) Explanation 1. Singing (a verse or a sentence taken from an antiphon, psalm, etc.) 10 This is done in an imitative fashion, where the guide sings a phrase, and the group repeats it, much like the way Psalms are recited or sung in the liturgy (call and response) 2. Guided meditation 10 Focused on breathing, as explained above 3. Silence 15 Now individuals pay attention to their breathing by themselves 4. Sung improvisation on vowels or short word with spiritual resonances: Amen, Alleluia, Kyrie 10 Depending on the musical training of the participants, it could be more elaborate, featuring long melismas, as explained above in the medieval style. This practice is carried out in open shifts, with the free participation of attendees 5. Silence 15 Focused now on deep listening 6. Final chant 10 A Gregorian composition widely recognized, or reminiscent of early polyphonic organum, where half of the group sustains a note while some singers in the other half engage in free improvisation upon it Table 1. Proposal for Practical Session of Contemplative Singing 6 Conclusion We can give an open answer to our main question as to whether the sung voice could be a vehicle for contemplation, the kind of singing involved, and under what conditions. By way of reply, we have designed what we have called deconstructed Gregorian chant. The steps therein have been drawn up alongside explanations of how it should be practiced, among other musical contemplative issues (silence and deep listening). Another important requirement is the need for unity in the concept and practice of contemplation as wholeness in life, as we stated in Section 2, and to avoid the frequent aim among musicians of achieving success in the performance or of being productive. The result achieved with the deconstructed Gregorian concept is novel and perhaps even risky. But the fact that it even proposes a way of putting it into practice as a tool for spiritual contemplation through the sung voice is a sign of the viability of the results, albeit logically, in an open and adaptable way, according to the cultural and social characteristics of communities and individuals. Deconstruction implies that it has been removed from a specific religious practice; it is not performed within any liturgy, so it could be appropriate for people of any cultural background. To create this new model, it was deemed necessary to delve into the philosophical, anthropological, phenomenological, and musical roots of sung voice, and connect them with contemplation, while also using other paths that are inherent in contemplative singing. It has been unavoidable to travel a wide and at the same time deep path to build this foundation, so that each of these lines could certainly constitute an independent research theme itself. This methodological and conceptual framework may be both a strength and a limitation. Nevertheless, it leaves the way open for further work. Therefore, the new lines of research that open up from this could deepen each of the foundational points, in order to expand the deconstructed Gregorian model (in theory or practice) or could even be extrapolated to other cultural (for example, Muslim or Jewish) traditions, to deconstruct their traditional chants.
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