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Chanting the Psalms: A Practical Guide with Instructional CD
Chanting the psalms, or psalmody, is an ancient practice of vital importance in the Christian spiritual tradition. Today many think of it as a discipline that belongs only in monasteries—but psalmody is a spiritual treasure that is available to anyone who prays. You don’t need to be musical or a monk to do it, and it can be enjoyed in church liturgical worship, in groups, or even individually as part of a personal rule of prayer. Cynthia Bourgeault brings the practice into the twenty-first century, providing a history of Christian psalmody as well as an appreciation of its place in contemplative practice today. And she teaches you how to do it as you chant along with her on the accompanying CD in which she demonstrates the basic techniques and easy melodies that anyone can learn. “Even if you can’t read music,” Cynthia says, “or if somewhere along the way you’ve absorbed the message that your voice is no good or you can’t sing on pitch, I’ll still hope to show you that chanting the psalms is accessible to nearly everyone.”
288 pages, Paperback
First published November 14, 2006
15 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
About the author
Cynthia Bourgeault
55 books344 followersModern day mystic, Episcopal priest, writer, and internationally known retreat leader, Cynthia Bourgeault divides her time between solitude at her seaside hermitage in Maine, and a demanding schedule traveling globally to teach and spread the recovery of the Christian contemplative and Wisdom path.
She has been a long-time advocate of the meditative practice of Centering Prayer and has worked closely with fellow teachers and colleagues including Thomas Keating, Bruno Barnhart, and Richard Rohr. Cynthia has actively participated in numerous inter-spiritual dialogues and events with luminaries and leaders such as A.H. Almaas, Kabir Helminski, Swami Atmarupananda, and Rami Shapiro.
Cynthia is a member of the GPIW (Global Peace Initiative for Women) Contemplative Council and recipient of the 2014 Contemplative Voices award from Shalem Institute. She is a founding Director of both The Contemplative Society and the Aspen Wisdom School. She continues to contribute to The Contemplative Society in her role as Principal Teacher and advisor.
Cynthia is the author of eight books: The Holy Trinity and the Law of Three, The Meaning of Mary Magdalene, The Wisdom Jesus, Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening, Mystical Hope, The Wisdom Way of Knowing, Chanting the Psalms, and Love is Stronger than Death. She has also authored or contributed to numerous articles on the Christian Wisdom path in publications such as Parabola Magazine, Gnosis Magazine, and Sewanee Theological Review.
Cynthia Bourgeault is currently one of the core faculty members at The Living School for Action and Contemplation.
from http://www.contemplative.org/cynthia-...
She has been a long-time advocate of the meditative practice of Centering Prayer and has worked closely with fellow teachers and colleagues including Thomas Keating, Bruno Barnhart, and Richard Rohr. Cynthia has actively participated in numerous inter-spiritual dialogues and events with luminaries and leaders such as A.H. Almaas, Kabir Helminski, Swami Atmarupananda, and Rami Shapiro.
Cynthia is a member of the GPIW (Global Peace Initiative for Women) Contemplative Council and recipient of the 2014 Contemplative Voices award from Shalem Institute. She is a founding Director of both The Contemplative Society and the Aspen Wisdom School. She continues to contribute to The Contemplative Society in her role as Principal Teacher and advisor.
Cynthia is the author of eight books: The Holy Trinity and the Law of Three, The Meaning of Mary Magdalene, The Wisdom Jesus, Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening, Mystical Hope, The Wisdom Way of Knowing, Chanting the Psalms, and Love is Stronger than Death. She has also authored or contributed to numerous articles on the Christian Wisdom path in publications such as Parabola Magazine, Gnosis Magazine, and Sewanee Theological Review.
Cynthia Bourgeault is currently one of the core faculty members at The Living School for Action and Contemplation.
from http://www.contemplative.org/cynthia-...
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 16, 2014
I'm fond of Taize chant and acquainted with other styles too. Bourgeault's book is accessible and instructive for those who are not professional choir singers, but desire to sing the psalms and other short devotional music such as antiphons, Taize songs, and more. The CD that accompanies it is tremendously helpful.
March 3, 2023
From the ancient Celtic psalters to the exquisite illuminated breviaries of the Middle Ages, from the seafaring legends of Saint Brendan to the sculpture and stained glass of the great medieval cathedrals, from the sublime artistry of Gregorian chant to the continuing artistry of Taize and Gouzes chant: peel back the surface of Western sacred art and at the core you'll likely find the psalms. Their innate creativity seems to set other creativity in motion.
In her book The Wisdom Jesus, Cynthia Bourgeault had an intriguing chapter on the contemplative practice of psalmody. In Chanting the Psalms, Bourgeault provides a concise history of psalmody as well as a detailed examination of its practice. The accompanying CD is critical. Unless you are adept at reading music, there's nothing better than listening to an audible portion of a chant being discussed.
Bourgeault is "an Episcopal priest," and, yet, The Plainsong Psalter, the backbone of the Episcopalian practice of psalmody, is never mentioned and is not listed as a "musical resource." She is evidently more enamored of visits to France and touting the latest sensations. Granted, Taize and Songs of the Presence are popular in contemplative practices for a reason, but Bourgeault gives the more pedestrian, workhorse practices exemplified in the Plainsong Psalter less credence.
Bourgeault is forever gushing over her participation in retreats, where her talented friends sit a spell and weave mesmerizing chant harmonies. What about people unable to find retreats replete with a community of like-minded chanters? There's little here as far as real support and understanding. I felt like an outsider reading this book; I never felt her book addresses overcoming challenges and obstacles to adopting the practice of psalmody. Bourgeault assumes everyone has access to retreats, monasteries or talented musician friends.
Despite these shortcomings, I still recommend the work to anyone seeking more information on this practice. It's not for everyone, granted, but it exists. Sure Bourgeault's enthusiasm for the novel and new skews the book's focus, but she provides enough foundation in the practice for someone to take the next step and fill the obvious gaps themselves.
In her book The Wisdom Jesus, Cynthia Bourgeault had an intriguing chapter on the contemplative practice of psalmody. In Chanting the Psalms, Bourgeault provides a concise history of psalmody as well as a detailed examination of its practice. The accompanying CD is critical. Unless you are adept at reading music, there's nothing better than listening to an audible portion of a chant being discussed.
Bourgeault is "an Episcopal priest," and, yet, The Plainsong Psalter, the backbone of the Episcopalian practice of psalmody, is never mentioned and is not listed as a "musical resource." She is evidently more enamored of visits to France and touting the latest sensations. Granted, Taize and Songs of the Presence are popular in contemplative practices for a reason, but Bourgeault gives the more pedestrian, workhorse practices exemplified in the Plainsong Psalter less credence.
Bourgeault is forever gushing over her participation in retreats, where her talented friends sit a spell and weave mesmerizing chant harmonies. What about people unable to find retreats replete with a community of like-minded chanters? There's little here as far as real support and understanding. I felt like an outsider reading this book; I never felt her book addresses overcoming challenges and obstacles to adopting the practice of psalmody. Bourgeault assumes everyone has access to retreats, monasteries or talented musician friends.
Despite these shortcomings, I still recommend the work to anyone seeking more information on this practice. It's not for everyone, granted, but it exists. Sure Bourgeault's enthusiasm for the novel and new skews the book's focus, but she provides enough foundation in the practice for someone to take the next step and fill the obvious gaps themselves.
February 8, 2011
This book is like the little girl from the poem who "had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead, and when she was good, she was very very good. But when she was bad she was horrid." Parts of this book are very very good. But the parts that were bad weren't just bad, they are pretty horrid!
The very very good parts are where the author sticks to what chanting the psalms really involves -- the rich and long history of psalms of ancient Israel, the monastic psalmody, and providing a CD with examples of how to chant various psalms. The CD is very useful as are the sections where Gregorian chant notation is explained. That section alone made reading the book worthwhile, because I now "get" how the psalms are notated and understand the logic in the notation! Oh happy day!!
The author identifies correctly that Christian chant is not like the chanting in other religions. To quote from page 165, "Christian sacred chanting has traditionally been a cataphatic practice. This means that it engages the faculties -- reason, memory, feeling, imagination, and will." Eastern chanting uses mantras to quiet the mind or empty oneself and ones mind and disappear. To quote from page 33 and 34, "In Christian chanting, you have to know and understand the words.... The meaning of the words is always primary to Christian chanting. Contemplative psalmody is a matter of staying close to the text, of being with it and in it."
The sheer strength of Christian psalmody is noted by the author, and discussed in happy detail. The most significant strengths come from the texts themselves, the Psalms of Holy Scripture, and other strengths come from the meticulous and careful way that the chant methodology (for want of a better word) has been kept and maintained over the centuries. Disciplined reading and chanting and meditation on the Holy Scriptures results in a strong Christian spiritual life and untold benefits.
Then surprisingly enough, the author seems to negate those strengths and encourage new ways to chant by suggesting interfaith services using texts or poems from "wisdom leaders" like the Dali Lama. This rather irrational leap of craziness reminded me of a conversation from "Pride and Prejudice". Caroline Bingley and her brother Charles are discussing having a ball at Netherfield. (chapter 11 of "Pride and Prejudice")
"I should like balls infinitely better," she (Caroline) replied, "if they were carried on in a different manner; but there is something insufferably tedious in the usual process of such a meeting. It would surely be much more rational if conversation instead of dancing made the order of the day."
"Much more rational, my dear Caroline (says her brother Charles), I dare say, but it would not be near so much like a ball."
While interfaith chanting based on texts from Buddhists, Native American Indians, or favorite poets might be interesting to some, it would not of course be called Christian any more, nor would it be chanting the Psalms. These are the portions of the book that become horrid. I have to quote from the book, because there is one paragraph that made me laugh out loud because it was so poor, and then become disgusted because of the attempted slight of hand to make Christian psalmody equivalent to new age psycho-babble.
From page 222, "For me, the most intriguing implication of Cousin's work lies in his observation that all of the major world religions have their roots in the first axial period -- in other words, they herald and mirror the dawning of egoic consciousness, with its dual attributes of a personal sense of selfhood and a deep sense of separation. Within the context of these root perceptions, religion's primary function has been to contain, train, and moderate the shadow side of this consciousness while pointing beyond it to a transcendent Oneness that exceeds the limits of the egoic operating system. If, as many feel, humanity now stands at the edge of a universal second axial period, it may be that our present world religions, having served their role as stewards of the egoic, will be transformed into 'new wineskins', disappearing in their present form to be reborn as appropriate vehicles for the manifestation of higher consciousness. InterSpirituality then becomes not so much about inter-religious dialogue and tolerance as about a collective midwifing of the dawning new consciousness."
The new-age psycho-babble gobbledygook in this paragraph is repeated and expounded throughout the book. I read the book because I was interested in chanting the Christian psalms, not because I wanted to trade in my Christianity for pop-schlock InterSpirituality. What is fascinating is that the pillars of strength the author outlines for Christian psalmody would never translate to an interfaith chanting of sacred texts. She admits this in numerous places, but does the "slight of hand" trick and starts writing about new age sacred chanting as though the two are related and one can become the other. Bad logic, and bad theology.
So, as a result, despite that there are some good parts in the book, I can not recommend it at all.
As quoted in the book, Father Theophane, the choirmaster at St. Benedict's Monastery noted about chanting the Christian Psalms, "I like to think that I'm praying in the same words that Christ used." I agree. Too bad the author does not agree!
The very very good parts are where the author sticks to what chanting the psalms really involves -- the rich and long history of psalms of ancient Israel, the monastic psalmody, and providing a CD with examples of how to chant various psalms. The CD is very useful as are the sections where Gregorian chant notation is explained. That section alone made reading the book worthwhile, because I now "get" how the psalms are notated and understand the logic in the notation! Oh happy day!!
The author identifies correctly that Christian chant is not like the chanting in other religions. To quote from page 165, "Christian sacred chanting has traditionally been a cataphatic practice. This means that it engages the faculties -- reason, memory, feeling, imagination, and will." Eastern chanting uses mantras to quiet the mind or empty oneself and ones mind and disappear. To quote from page 33 and 34, "In Christian chanting, you have to know and understand the words.... The meaning of the words is always primary to Christian chanting. Contemplative psalmody is a matter of staying close to the text, of being with it and in it."
The sheer strength of Christian psalmody is noted by the author, and discussed in happy detail. The most significant strengths come from the texts themselves, the Psalms of Holy Scripture, and other strengths come from the meticulous and careful way that the chant methodology (for want of a better word) has been kept and maintained over the centuries. Disciplined reading and chanting and meditation on the Holy Scriptures results in a strong Christian spiritual life and untold benefits.
Then surprisingly enough, the author seems to negate those strengths and encourage new ways to chant by suggesting interfaith services using texts or poems from "wisdom leaders" like the Dali Lama. This rather irrational leap of craziness reminded me of a conversation from "Pride and Prejudice". Caroline Bingley and her brother Charles are discussing having a ball at Netherfield. (chapter 11 of "Pride and Prejudice")
"I should like balls infinitely better," she (Caroline) replied, "if they were carried on in a different manner; but there is something insufferably tedious in the usual process of such a meeting. It would surely be much more rational if conversation instead of dancing made the order of the day."
"Much more rational, my dear Caroline (says her brother Charles), I dare say, but it would not be near so much like a ball."
While interfaith chanting based on texts from Buddhists, Native American Indians, or favorite poets might be interesting to some, it would not of course be called Christian any more, nor would it be chanting the Psalms. These are the portions of the book that become horrid. I have to quote from the book, because there is one paragraph that made me laugh out loud because it was so poor, and then become disgusted because of the attempted slight of hand to make Christian psalmody equivalent to new age psycho-babble.
From page 222, "For me, the most intriguing implication of Cousin's work lies in his observation that all of the major world religions have their roots in the first axial period -- in other words, they herald and mirror the dawning of egoic consciousness, with its dual attributes of a personal sense of selfhood and a deep sense of separation. Within the context of these root perceptions, religion's primary function has been to contain, train, and moderate the shadow side of this consciousness while pointing beyond it to a transcendent Oneness that exceeds the limits of the egoic operating system. If, as many feel, humanity now stands at the edge of a universal second axial period, it may be that our present world religions, having served their role as stewards of the egoic, will be transformed into 'new wineskins', disappearing in their present form to be reborn as appropriate vehicles for the manifestation of higher consciousness. InterSpirituality then becomes not so much about inter-religious dialogue and tolerance as about a collective midwifing of the dawning new consciousness."
The new-age psycho-babble gobbledygook in this paragraph is repeated and expounded throughout the book. I read the book because I was interested in chanting the Christian psalms, not because I wanted to trade in my Christianity for pop-schlock InterSpirituality. What is fascinating is that the pillars of strength the author outlines for Christian psalmody would never translate to an interfaith chanting of sacred texts. She admits this in numerous places, but does the "slight of hand" trick and starts writing about new age sacred chanting as though the two are related and one can become the other. Bad logic, and bad theology.
So, as a result, despite that there are some good parts in the book, I can not recommend it at all.
As quoted in the book, Father Theophane, the choirmaster at St. Benedict's Monastery noted about chanting the Christian Psalms, "I like to think that I'm praying in the same words that Christ used." I agree. Too bad the author does not agree!
November 6, 2010
An excellent book which covers a wide range of musical styles though focus's mainly on a basic type of chanting. She builds up your ability with simple exercises and getting used to doing simple chanting with step up and step down chants. Then progresses to learning to read chant notation which includes learning about gregorian. The final chapters cover alternative styles such as Taize and Iona Chanting. The CD that comes with it is helpful but very basic. For getting a better feel of the chanting I would suggest her audio cd book "Singing the Psalms" which is still available from Amazon. The 1st cd has good examples and the 4th cd at the end is incredible. Though all the cd's cover some of the same ground that this book does it really is an essential companion to this book.
July 14, 2008
This book is incredibly helpful for someone learning to chant. I wanted to learn to chant to enhance my understanding of the psalms and my personal prayer life, Bourgeault's book and Cd have made the process of learning to chant to be an enjoyable experience past the uncomfortable task of approaching a new form of expression. Her book discusses multiple kinds of chant and provides access to listening and practicing them with the CD. Without an instructor to learn to chant with in person, the book and the Cd together are a happy compromise for the time being.
June 27, 2016
As my monastic spiritual quest unfolds God continues to put amazing books in my path. Each leads to another and on and on they go. My Amazon account is grateful to be sure!
Earlier this year when I was looking for books to use with my Lectio Divina and Liturgy of the Hours practices, I started reading Phyllis Tickle's book series The Divine Hours. She spoke about the history of The Hours and how years ago monks (and some still today) would chant the Liturgy vs. speaking it.
A light bulb moment hit and I began looking for a book on chanting. Then voila'! I discovered Cynthia Bourgault's book Chanting the Psalms. The perfect answer to my search.
Not only is this book an incredible history of chanting but it is a beautiful teaching tool of music and worship. The best part is the instructional CD that is included to help you learn the chants.
Don't worry if you're not a musician or a singer. Cynthia has all that covered. She does an awesome job putting us at ease with our uncertainties and inexperience. As a novice with chanting I need lots of practice. But that's where our spiritual growth comes through our practice.
I am so excited about Chanting the Psalms by Cynthia Bourgeault and plan to use it for many years to come. I hope you will consider it as an addition to your prayer and personal worship experience.
Earlier this year when I was looking for books to use with my Lectio Divina and Liturgy of the Hours practices, I started reading Phyllis Tickle's book series The Divine Hours. She spoke about the history of The Hours and how years ago monks (and some still today) would chant the Liturgy vs. speaking it.
A light bulb moment hit and I began looking for a book on chanting. Then voila'! I discovered Cynthia Bourgault's book Chanting the Psalms. The perfect answer to my search.
Not only is this book an incredible history of chanting but it is a beautiful teaching tool of music and worship. The best part is the instructional CD that is included to help you learn the chants.
Don't worry if you're not a musician or a singer. Cynthia has all that covered. She does an awesome job putting us at ease with our uncertainties and inexperience. As a novice with chanting I need lots of practice. But that's where our spiritual growth comes through our practice.
I am so excited about Chanting the Psalms by Cynthia Bourgeault and plan to use it for many years to come. I hope you will consider it as an addition to your prayer and personal worship experience.
August 30, 2016
The first half of this book is truly excellent: fully five stars for good research, clear explanation, and thoughtful exposition. Unfortunately the later parts of the book turn away from the psalms and the author veers into a more vaguely "spiritual" (as opposed to Christian) eastern chant, discussing mantras and interfaith chant, which seemingly had nothing to do with the book she began writing. It is too bad, because the rest was very good. In sum I will recommend the book, even highly, but with strong caveats to watch out for the liberal leanings away from orthodox Christian tradition and towards "interfaith" and eastern chant traditions.
January 28, 2016
This book was a complete surprise. I got it out of the library along with a stack of other books on the Psalms as I'm embarking on a memory project of the Psalms. I like to have some background and foundation when I memorize, so this was part of the stack of books I did research in. I was delighted at the history, background, and effect of the Psalms over the years on those who regularly recite them. Great writing, fascinating topic, and at the end she teaches you - with the help of a CD - how to chant the Psalms. Delightful.
August 5, 2012
I attended a chanting pre-conference workshop with Cynthia Bourgeault and was blessed by my experiences of learning about the hidden wisdom of psalmody and chanting. The book is very practical and come with a CD that she refers to throughout the book so you can clearly understand what she is teaching.
December 15, 2013
This is a very helpful resource both in the text and the CD.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews