Burst Out Singing! The Joy and Art of Singing: - Part 2 (Inspiration, Meditation & the Marriage of Music & Text)

In Part 1, I explored some of the historical, musical and physical elements of singing, and the physical and emotional benefits of it.

Now, in Part 2, I shall explore the spiritual (or psychological) elements and benefits of singing, through inspiration, meditation and the marriage of music and text.

Inspiration

Our choral concert - “Burst out Singing” - has been described by our artistic director (Timm Adams) as inspirational. We use this word a lot, especially to describe music, writing, and art, but what precisely does “inspirational” mean? And how does it apply to singing? The word “inspiration” has several definitions. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the two primary definitions of “inspiration” are:

1. a divine influence or action on a person, believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation.” (My italics).
2. the act of drawing in; specifically: the drawing of air into the lungs.

Let's start with the first definition. To be inspired is to be filled with a “divine influence; a sacred revelation”. Without having to be religious, most of us have experienced those times when we have been transported by music, taken to a place outside ourselves, or moved in a way that we can't even rationally define. It can certainly be shown that through singing, (especially of certain powerfully moving songs), we can “receive” and “communicate” this sacred revelation, whatever it might be. It doesn't even have to be some precise idea, it is often a sub-conscious revelation that we feel instinctively: – a shift of attitude or mood, perhaps. We can experience this both in the act of listening to a song, and in the act of singing to an audience. Also, I remember hearing a sermon once (back in the days when I used to attend church occasionally), talking about the word “inspire”; that if you break the word down, you get “in spirit”: - i.e. to be filled with spirit.

I've always liked this idea of being “filled” with spirit, and it is especially interesting if you look at the second definition of “inspiration”. The word also comes from the verb, “inspire” - to draw breath, to fill up your lungs with air. How appropriate a verb this is for us singers! Breathing and filling our lungs with air is what all humans do, of course – nothing special there. But singers have to master and control this breathing action. We have to train our lungs to hold more air than the average person draws in, and we have to train our lungs to let it out very slowly, over a long period of time, to control the phrases of our songs. I feel there's a nice connection between the physical aspect of breathing and the spiritual aspect of being “filled” with something divine, something sacred. As we sing, perhaps we become vessels or mediums of communication, between the “source” or spirit (or God) and the audience. We draw in air, and as we let it out, we impart our breath, our air and our “inspiration” to others, through song.

Meditation

As a life-long singer, vocal coach and also meditation practitioner, I've always compared singing to meditation. I expect its link is obvious to most. We all know (or think we know) what meditation means. However, several years ago, I taught a series of meditation classes at a yoga center, and was surprised by the number of people I met who didn't really know exactly what meditation was, or assumed it was some esoteric thing that they were not capable of. Okay, so bear with me while I take a look at the dictionary definition of “meditation”, and ask what it means precisely and how it relates to singing. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the two primary definitions of “meditation” are:

1. a discourse intended to express its author's reflections or to guide others in contemplation.
2. the act or process of meditating.

Again, I found these definitions to be most fascinating, especially when applying them to singing. The first meaning fits singing perfectly! Many songs (in fact most of the songs on our “Burst out Singing” program) are designed to express the composer's “reflections” and to guide others ( i.e. the audience), in “contemplation”. Each song is about something: – be it love, spring, freedom, war, peace, healing, nature, birds, overcoming death, etc. Each song reflects, not only through the words, but through the music, the composer's ideas, reflections, thoughts and emotions about the subject. In performing the song, we singers commit ourselves to learning the composer's intentions and we do our best to interpret and impart them to the audience. In listening to a performance of the song, the audience hears and is guided into a meditation on, or contemplation of the composer's ideas or message.

Now for the second definition - “the act of process of meditating”. OK, we have to delve further. So what precisely does “meditate” mean? Once again, there are several definitions, but I like this one, from the Merriam-Webster dictionary:

1. to engage in mental exercise (as concentration on one's breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness. (My italics).

Ah ha, we are seeing the word “spiritual” coming up again! Meditation is a mental exercise, but it can lead to something beyond purely mental, intellectual or “cerebral”. It can lead to a “heightened level of spiritual awareness” - in other words elevation of the spirit, or enlightenment. (Not saying it does this every time, but that is usually the goal anyway!)

And look at what it says in parentheses: - “concentration on one's breathing or repetition of a mantra”. Both of these things are fundamental elements of singing. Breathing in singing (as I said above) is not just a reflexive action, but a carefully controlled technique, requiring mindful concentration, the counting of beats, and diaphragm control. The counting of beats while singing is a technique that is akin to the counting of the breath in meditation. It is an act of meditation. It may sound boring (to the non-singer), but it is in fact very soothing, calming and enables the mind to expand and just be in the present moment. And meditation is often defined as “the art of being in the present moment”.

Also, the repetition of a mantra has obvious parallels in singing. Most songs repeat certain key phrases, such as in a “chorus”. Many songs repeat certain lines or words over and over, to emphasize their meaning, and to penetrate the listener's mind with their ideas, feelings and message. Not all meditation has to involve repeating mantras of course, and not all songs have to be like mantras, but there are definite similarities. Again, repetition of words may sound boring at first, but it can be a soothing technique, and one that, if done properly, can enable the mind to expand and grasp deeper meanings.

As a composer of choral music myself, I'm very aware that when conveying words through song to a LIVE audience, you need to repeat the important words, because they might not be heard properly the first time. Or they might not be grasped or remembered. So, whether we have written the words ourselves or whether we are setting someone else's poem (or prose or biblical text), we composers use repetition primarily for that purpose: – to make sure the words are being heard. Which brings me to the 3rd section of this article...

The Marriage of Music and Text

What would singing be without words? Just instrumental music! (And there's nothing wrong with “just” instrumental music of course! As a pianist and flautist, I have devoted many years of my life to performing instrumental music, through solos, orchestras, bands and other instrumental ensembles). Music without words is just as important, of course, but it is more abstract. It leaves much open to interpretation. It can convey images, stories and emotions, but it is open ended – some would say freer – not constricted by precise words and meanings. It paints an impression, an abstract image.

Song however, is a unique art form. It is grounded in words. It is more like painting a precise landscape or portrait, with all the details there to show an in-depth picture. It also relies on just one instrument: – the voice.

The voice is a unique instrument because it can not only produce sounds and tones, but it can also enunciate words and tell vivid stories or impart precise messages. This inevitably adds extra depth and richness to the art of song. Creating a song involves not only a composer who is an expert at creating musical forms, harmonies and melodies, but also a poet or writer who is an expert at creating expressive, meaningful lyrics. Sometimes the composer and poet can be the same person, sometimes the music and lyrics are written by two separate people; a collaboration that can occur with the two artists working together, or not. The two artists don't in fact have to be together at all: – they could be on different sides of the world, or even separated by generations or eras! Many choral composers choose texts by poets who have been long dead. How magic it is, then, that the words of these dead poets can be brought alive again, and communicated to new living audiences, through the composer's music!

Some “songs” may not have actual words, such as the first song of our program – Leonard Bernstein's “Warm Up” which has instead bell-like and scat sounds, e.g. “Du-bing, du-bang, du-bong” etc. This is a different kind of song: - a deliberate imitation of instrumental or percussive sounds. Some songs use a mixture of vocal percussion, instrumental imitations and words. What I'm focusing on are the songs that primarily use texts and blend together the words with the music in a harmonious “marriage”.

Which comes first? The words or the music? That is a good chicken-or-egg question! The answer is: - it depends. In choral music (in my experience) most songs start with the text. As a composer, you seek a text that you want to set to music, whether it be a secular poem or prose, or a religious (often biblical) text. And you then take each phrase and design a melody to fit it. Using the structure of the poem, you create a structure for your music. You use chords and harmonies (as I described in Part 1) to convey the emotions of the words, you use rhythms and phrasings to illustrate the meanings, to tell the story, to paint the picture.

I know some songs that start with the music first, and then have the words fitted into the melody, but this is more unusual. An example of this is actually in our program - “Thank you”, by Robert Cohen. Parts of this song have had words inserted into them, after the melody was written, because Cohen has customized this song to fit our chosen mentors, whom we wish to thank.

Another good example is the famous Beatles song - “Yesterday” (which started out as a melody that apparently came to Paul McCartney in a dream!) As legend has it, he wrote the melody down first, and, until he had thought of some good lyrics, he filled in the syllables with these funny words: “Scrambled eggs Have an omelet with some muenster cheese. Put your dishes in the washbin please So I can clean the scrambled eggs.”

But whether the crafting of words and music is done together or separately; whether the composer and lyricist have worked together or are separated by time and space, the over all effect of a song can be a powerful one, which can inspire and elevate us, both as singers and listeners. Songs can have far reaching effects, combining physical, emotional AND spiritual (or psychological) benefits. The combination of all these elements within a song can inspire us, elevate us, provide a catharsis for grieving, a method of healing, or recipe for joy, hope and happiness.