As we enter more deeply into the seasonal pattern of our Sunday worship during Lent, you may have noticed a more quiet and prayerful beginning to our service. Using a musical style of meditative singing from the Taize Community in France, we are calling out to God in the words of Psalm 103:
Bless the Lord, my soul; and bless God’s holy name.
Bless the Lord, my soul, who leads me into life.
This particular style of singing draws on traditions from early Christian and medieval chants. In the style of Taize, these short songs are repeated again and again. This repetition of a few words expresses “a basic reality of faith, quickly grasped by the mind. As the words are sung over many times, this reality gradually penetrates the whole being. Meditative singing thus becomes a way of listening to God.”
As I was taught, in the style of Taize, it is best to lose yourself in the repetition of the refrain and by meditating on the words of the text (so that you are not counting the number of times the refrain is repeated!). Taize is at its best when different vocal and instrumental textures are added: verses from a soloist (depending on the refrain), descants and accompaniments from a variety of instruments.
Like any of the spiritual disciplines (prayer, fasting, meditation), this kind of meditative singing takes practice and time with which to become comfortable. As always, I commend your willingness to try new things and invite you into this new, authentic style of meditative and prayerful singing at Zion.
Singing with You,
Cantor Kurt R. Schmidt
