Why Chant?
Chant (from Old French “chanter”) is the rhythmic speaking or the singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes to highly complex musical structures, often including a great deal of repetition of musical sub phrases. Chant may be considered speech, music, or a heightened or stylized form of speech. In the later Middle Ages, some religious chant evolved into song (forming one of the roots of later Western music).
So, what is the essence of chant that so many rituals, rites, and rewards promise? I am not a scholar in this regard, so I will simply speak from my own experience and observations.
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What is Kirtan?
Kirtan has been defined in various ways and can be interpreted differently by each and every person. Kirtan is a call-and-response, participatory sacred sound practice that arose from the devotional Bhakti yoga movement that began in India. Bhakti forms one of the eight essential limbs of the yogic path. In Kirtan, there is a subtle dialogue, or communication between the caller and the response. How the songs unfold depend on the group's wholehearted response. The line between audience and performers blurs. It is not a performance as much as it is a participatory event.
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Community
The community of spiritually ecstatic music is growing, here is by no means an exhaustive list, simply some which I know. Sing!
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