THE CHANTS

A chant is a simple melody in which several words or syllables are assigned to one pitch. It is a repetitive song in which as many syllables as necessary are assigned to a single tone. To chant is to speak or sing rhythmically, in words or sounds.  
It can also be said to be the singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two main pitches

called reciting tones. Chanting is thought to be one of the first forms of what is now Western music. Battle cries, the shouts of protesters, and even the calls of sports fans can be considered chanting.

Chants are performed to speech rhythm; and originally, chanting was done without instruments and harmony.

 Today, there is a wide variety of different types of chanting, from basic two-note chants to simple melodies, to complex melodies and harmonies. 

 

 

Chanting is a commonly used spiritual practice. Like prayer, chant may be a component of either personal or group practice. Diverse spiritual traditions consider chant a route to spiritual development. Some examples include chant in African, Hawaiian, and Native American, Assyrian and Australian Aboriginal cultures, Gregorian chant, Vedic chant, Qur'an reading, Islamic Dhikr, Baha'i chants, various Buddhist chants, various mantras, Jewish cantillation, and the chanting of psalms and prayers especially in Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, and Anglican churches. Chanting in a church setting is usually associated with Catholicism, but other liturgical traditions such as Anglicanism, Methodism, Lutheranism also employ chanting.

 According to the Methodist Hymn Book, chants have been pointed on the principles of speech rhythm, in so far as the limitations of the Anglican chant will permit; but where this system has not been in use, the following particulars will be of help.

The music chosen comprises the ordinary single section 

 and double section chants found in the modern Psalter.

Each verse, except where bracketed, is divided into halves, separated by a double stop (:), represented in the chant by a double bar line ( || ). The bar lines in the words and music correspond. No punctuation mark is to be observed except in those verses with a long reciting pitch, where the proper pause is indicated by a breath mark ( ^V ) / ( ’ ). A bracket ( [ ) indicates lines or verses intended to be sung to a single section. Where more than two words or syllables occur in any one bar, the correct method of sub – division will be found by reciting the verse.

There are three basic types of chants based on their sources of lyric: psalms, canticles, and ancient hymns. A PSALM is chant that has its lyric directly taken from the Book of Psalms (in the Holy Bible); examples may include ‘Venite, Exultemus Domino’ (Psalm 95) – “O come let us sing unto the Lord…” and ‘Jubulate Deo’ (Psalm 100) – “O be joyful in the Lord all ye lands…”. A CANTICLE also refers to any chant that has its lyric directly taken from any other part of the Holy Bible apart from the Book of Psalm; an example of this may be ‘Magnificat’ (Luke 1 46-55) – “My soul doth magnify the Lord…”. Lastly, AN ANCIENT HYMN refers to all the chants that were not directly written from any part of the Bible, but written from Christian sentiments and experiences; examples may include ‘Te Deum Laudamus’ – “We praise thee o God…” and ‘Benedicite, Omni Opera’ – “O all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord…”

Commonly, most people call every music sung to speech rhythm a canticle, instead of calling it a chant. Chant is a broader/family name for a group of music sung to speech rhythm; and canticle is just one of the types of chants. Before you call a chant a psalm, canticle, or ancient hymn, look out for the source of the text. Standardly, this is always written at the top-middle of the chant. Refer to the Methodist, Anglican and Catholic Hymn Books for samples.