Ramadan day 22

  The word Chant comes from a Latin word that means to sing. When one chants, they sing or speak words or syllables either on one note or a few repetitive notes. Chants have a repetitive quality and are usually sung in unison. They are usually sung in worship, in times to center one’s self, when a group has a goal of unity or to reflect one single idea. To find out more about chants, check out Wikipedia. This site doesn’t always give good information. But, in this instance, the information aligns with what I have learned in music classes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chant

There seems to be an immense power when one group sings the same words on a limited note progression with fervor and concentration. I am not sure, but sometimes, it can feel like the power increases when a large group sings either in very tight harmonies or in unison.   This type of power can be either like an enveloping hug or a frightening mob. I’m sorry Hildegard Von Bingem, I can support your awesomeness as a woman composer, but on a personal level, Gregorian chants have always creeped me out.

There is also a feel of unity in a chant. Everyone knows how and what to do and when to do it. It is like the prayer. Actually, if the prayer could be sung, it would feel even more powerful because everyone would know the right words, the right movements and the right note in which to place the words.  Everyone has a singular goal. And, everyone knows that there is more power in a group as a whole, as opposed to anyone wanting to display their individual vocals. Chants can feel succinct, focused and powerful.

I found a blogger comparing the Islamic chants to the ones used in mass. It is an interesting article, even if he did not know about Erdogan and his akp party’s authoritarianism.  And, I’ll let it slide that he doesn’t know the difference between a Quran reciter and a prayer caller. The person who recites the Quran is muqri’ , tālī, murattil, mujawwid, or most commonly a qari. Yet, the person who calls the prayer is the muesin.My blog post on the seventh day of Ramadan talks more about muesins and the calling of the prayer. There are  some women and children calling the prayer. If you are interested in the Azan, (call to prayer) check it out.  And, I think that the call to prayer would have more of a chant feel if one hundred muesins performed the call at once in perfect unison and on the same note at the same time.  

http://www.chantcafe.com/2012/10/why-we-must-chant/until I started to do a bit of research,

I did not know the long history that the performing of chants had in Islam. And, even though many prayers sound like chants, I did not want to offend anyone by calling it such.  Of course, I knew about the Sufis. But, I thought that chanting was only for them and the practice had not branched out to other Muslim circles.

Understanding Islamic Chants

I have previewed so many songs on this blog. Some, of course, seemed to be more chant-like than others. These I have specifically picked for their chant-like qualities. But, please try out some of the others, especially those choral pieces. You might find something that speaks to you.  Here are some Islamic chants that seem to touch our heart and some are even easy to remember. We find ourselves chanting along. Sometimes, that helps us block out the outer exterior and prepare to pray.      

• Before amercing my children in a full blown chant, here is a song to get us in a chant-like mood. It is called Ceal of the Prophets by Yusuf Islam and Raihan.

• LaBbeyk, alhuma LaBbeyk is a prayer chanted by Talbiya. It is simple enough to get stuck in your head. Yet, its words seem so potent.

• Next is a pulsating Indian chant. The strong beat and Tabla make it kind of South Asian. The song

Is sung in unison and is sure to entrance the listener. It is called every beat of my heart says Allah byRashiq Al Rasul.

• The next selection is by Abdulllah Role. It is called I bow to The Creator. The words are simple and the melody is repetitive.

• Here is an authentic chant performed by the Ragazi Boys Choir. They are performing ZIKR. Zikr is a repetitive prayer.