Religion Past and Present

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Chant and Song
(916 words)

[German Version]

I. General – II. Religious Singing – III. Church Singing

I. General

By a preference for certain frequencies, the human singing voice has a physiological basis different from that of the speaking voice (Fischer, 86–102). If we want a definition of song (as the act of singing and as a musical entity), it is the conscious shaping of human utterances by use of the singing voice. The distinction between song and language (speaking) also involves the different emphasis given to such basic parame…

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Schipperges, Thomas and Riehm, Heinrich, “Chant and Song”, in: Religion Past and Present. Consulted online on 29 November 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1877-5888_rpp_COM_08497>
First published online: 2011
First print edition: ISBN: 9789004146662, 2006-2013



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