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Chanting: Discovering Spirit in Sound
The ancient art of chanting has long been embraced by the world's great religious traditions as a path to healing and enlightenment, but only recently has Western science begun to recognize its therapeutic effects on the body and mind. Chanting provides a fascinating introduction to this powerful and increasingly popular practice and shows you how to use chant in your own life as a powerful tool for relaxation, body-mind healing, and spiritual self-discovery. Drawing on Robert Gass's own experience as one of the world's best-known leaders of contemporary chant, as well as the wisdom of sound healers from around the world, Chanting explores the science of how sound affects both our bodies and our consciousness and takes us on an engaging tour of chant as it is used in Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Islamic, African, Shamanic, Goddess, and Native American traditions. Chanting provides simple exercises and more than twenty musical scores to help you develop a personalized chanting practice that can fuel everyday activities with purpose and meaning.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 18, 2010
In the first four chapters of this book, Gass shares his experience of the powerful musical and spiritual medium of chanting. He explains how he was drawn to chant while on a yoga retreat as an adult, although he has since realized that from a very early age, music was a way to intimately connect with God: “I was transported into another realm where colors were brighter, where pulses of energy created a continually changing tapestry of patterns, being woven and rewoven, a realm where I was no longer desperately alone, and where I felt alive and connected to something larger than myself.” (p. 3) For Gass, chant encompasses many different aspects of such musical experiences; he states that it combines elements found in sing-alongs, rock concerts, worship services, and meditation.
His journey into the world of chant has not only brought him a sense of peace and spiritual fulfillment, it has also allowed him to touch the lives of others through his recordings, writings, and workshops. He relays stories of the varied individuals he has encountered who have been deeply affected by chant: “I have used chanting to help groups as diverse as corporate executives and laborers, people dying from AIDS and physicians, the rich and the homeless, born-again Christians and New-Agers, and Arab and Israeli schoolchildren.” (p. 9)
Gass states that chant has the ability to tell stories (anamnesis), cast out disease (apotropaia), instruct (didactic), and induce a state of trance (exstasis). When one chants, breathing becomes deeper, slower, and more rhythmic, sound vibrations resonate throughout the physical body, and one is able to promote relaxation, release stressful elements, think more clearly, tune in to all of the senses, and generally feel healthier. Chant’s power is, in part, due to the power of sound. Like everything, sound can have both positive and negative qualities and effects, but when it is utilized to its fullness, it has the power to move mountains. Gass describes it as a bridge between the spiritual and material realms.
Through chant, Gass has witnessed amazing moments of healing, such as in children with cancer. In a documented study, he indicated that children who chanted boosted their immune systems while there was no change in those who did not chant. He says that there are five elemental powers used in chant: anchoring, entrainment, breath, sonic effects, and intent. Each of these elements are part of the consciousness when one is chanting, resulting in an overall experience.
While chant may be an intimate connection with the Spirit, it may also be a communal experience, binding humanity in a common expression. Chant is a common thread among religions and cultures. Gass explores Hindu, Christian, African, Buddhist, Islamic/Sufi, Jewish, Shamanic, and Earth and Goddess chant. The styles may vary, but the intent appears to be the same: “Chant is used to quiet the mind, open the heart, uplift the Spirit, and mourn the dead.” (p. 11)
His journey into the world of chant has not only brought him a sense of peace and spiritual fulfillment, it has also allowed him to touch the lives of others through his recordings, writings, and workshops. He relays stories of the varied individuals he has encountered who have been deeply affected by chant: “I have used chanting to help groups as diverse as corporate executives and laborers, people dying from AIDS and physicians, the rich and the homeless, born-again Christians and New-Agers, and Arab and Israeli schoolchildren.” (p. 9)
Gass states that chant has the ability to tell stories (anamnesis), cast out disease (apotropaia), instruct (didactic), and induce a state of trance (exstasis). When one chants, breathing becomes deeper, slower, and more rhythmic, sound vibrations resonate throughout the physical body, and one is able to promote relaxation, release stressful elements, think more clearly, tune in to all of the senses, and generally feel healthier. Chant’s power is, in part, due to the power of sound. Like everything, sound can have both positive and negative qualities and effects, but when it is utilized to its fullness, it has the power to move mountains. Gass describes it as a bridge between the spiritual and material realms.
Through chant, Gass has witnessed amazing moments of healing, such as in children with cancer. In a documented study, he indicated that children who chanted boosted their immune systems while there was no change in those who did not chant. He says that there are five elemental powers used in chant: anchoring, entrainment, breath, sonic effects, and intent. Each of these elements are part of the consciousness when one is chanting, resulting in an overall experience.
While chant may be an intimate connection with the Spirit, it may also be a communal experience, binding humanity in a common expression. Chant is a common thread among religions and cultures. Gass explores Hindu, Christian, African, Buddhist, Islamic/Sufi, Jewish, Shamanic, and Earth and Goddess chant. The styles may vary, but the intent appears to be the same: “Chant is used to quiet the mind, open the heart, uplift the Spirit, and mourn the dead.” (p. 11)
April 6, 2026
A BOOK EXPLAINING WHAT CHANT IS, AND HOW TO PRACTICE IT
Robert Gass (born 1948) is a leadership coach and organizational consultant, seminar leader and rock musician.
Don Campbell (author of ‘The Mozart Effect’) wrote in the Foreword to this 1999 book, “The past decade has witnessed Gregorian chant becoming a best-selling phenomenon in Europe and America. Robert Gass’s recordings of chant have inspired hundreds of thousands of listeners and helped revive the power of the repeated musical prayer. Why? Because chant unifies. It brings people together in thought, intention, knowledge, and love. Chant is more than a repetitious song---it is an extraordinary way to integrate breath, heartbeat, emotion, and purpose. Chant reaches across spiritual, political, and social boundaries… It has long served to bring spiritual communities together, to bring workers into synchronized physical movement, and to cheer football players into action. This long overdue and important book helps us to see how we can use our voices, spirits, and bodies to foster greater harmony in our communities and families… The simple and practical exercises included here, along with the imaginative descriptions of chant as a living presence of faith, hope, and joy, give us the keys to unlock or bodies, minds, and hearts.”
Gass begins the book by recalling, “In1967, I became a professional rock musician. Rock concerts in those days were tribal events---true Dionysian rituals… Throbbing from the stage, the music aroused the energy of the audience. Their excitement reverberated back to the stage… I felt myself amplified as if possessed by their collective passions… At its height there was no performer, and no audience. There was only the music… Nevertheless, a few years in the professional music world proved to be enough. The scene was packed with glamour, sex, and drugs, but I found myself sitting in hotel rooms after the gigs reading Zen Buddhism and Krishnamurti. The more ‘successful’ we became, the less I experienced the heartful, tribal communion that was what I really loved about rock and roll. I left the band, deciding that I was done with being a ‘professional musician.’” (Pg. 4-5)
He continues, “People sometimes ask me, ‘How did you get into chant?’ Looking back on our lives, we can sometimes see patterns that were not so obvious while we lived them. Long before I consciously set foot on the spiritual path, it was as if I had been in training to do sacred music… I had learned how to use the power of music to touch heart and soul, to invite participation and build a sense of communion among people---whether leading folk songs around the campfire, conducting classical chorales, jamming at tribal rock concerts, or chanting at political rallies.” (Pg. 5)
He reports, “My wife Judith and I attended a ten-day yoga retreat led by Swami Satchidananda… Although we had taken some yoga classes and had begun reading spiritual books, this was our first real immersion into the spiritual path. Within the first few days, I was profoundly taken with the feeling that I had come home. And while I eagerly took to both the yoga and meditation, it was, not surprisingly, the chanting that made the strongest impression… I felt like I had been chanting all my life. And I had. Within days of my return, I was leading others in singing ‘Om Shanti’ and began to write my first ‘spiritual’ songs.” (Pg. 6-7)
He says, “It is my hope that this book will serve you as a useful and friendly guide to an ancient and sacred practice of chanting… In writing a book on ‘discovering Spirit in Sound,’ I have faced the dual challenges of having to write about Spirit, the true experience of which is beyond words, and writing about chant, whose real power is revealed only in the making and hearing of it. This book, therefore, relies on stories, for stories make the abstract and intangible come to life. It is filled with the experiences of people like yourself who have brought Spirit through sound into daily life through chanting.” (Pg. 18-19)
He explains, “It all begins with the breath… In Western traditions, the words for ‘breath’ and ‘soul’ are intimately related. The Greek word ‘psyche’ (meaning ‘soul’) comes from the same root as ‘psychein,’ which means ‘to breathe.’ In Hebrew, the word for breath, ‘ruach,’ means ‘Spirit,’ while in Latin, the words for ‘soul’ (anima) and ‘Spirit’ (animus) both derive from the word for wind’ (anemos). Vocal sound is essentially audible breath, and in the sacred sounds of chanting, we begin---and end---with the breath.” (Pg. 53)
He notes, “Although Islamic tradition in general frowns upon instrumental music as a sensual distraction from a devout life, there exists a rich tradition of chanting Qur’an and intoning prayers… And throughout the domain of Islam---on people’s lips, over the radio, and in the mosques---the words of God are chanted everywhere. While orthodox Muslims have an uneasy relationship to music, most Sufis, the mystical branch of Islam, embrace it.” (Pg. 87-88)
He explains, “Chant is passionate. Even when it gets soft and refined, chants want our fullness, our power, our heart, our guts. Singing a song we love, with joy and gusto, is perfect preparation for ‘giving what we got’ through chant. You don’t need a lot of vocal technique to chant. Chanting is said to be ‘the breath made audible,’ and learning how to breathe well is the first step in learning to chant.” (Pg. 117-118)
This book will be of keen interest to those learning about chant.
Robert Gass (born 1948) is a leadership coach and organizational consultant, seminar leader and rock musician.
Don Campbell (author of ‘The Mozart Effect’) wrote in the Foreword to this 1999 book, “The past decade has witnessed Gregorian chant becoming a best-selling phenomenon in Europe and America. Robert Gass’s recordings of chant have inspired hundreds of thousands of listeners and helped revive the power of the repeated musical prayer. Why? Because chant unifies. It brings people together in thought, intention, knowledge, and love. Chant is more than a repetitious song---it is an extraordinary way to integrate breath, heartbeat, emotion, and purpose. Chant reaches across spiritual, political, and social boundaries… It has long served to bring spiritual communities together, to bring workers into synchronized physical movement, and to cheer football players into action. This long overdue and important book helps us to see how we can use our voices, spirits, and bodies to foster greater harmony in our communities and families… The simple and practical exercises included here, along with the imaginative descriptions of chant as a living presence of faith, hope, and joy, give us the keys to unlock or bodies, minds, and hearts.”
Gass begins the book by recalling, “In1967, I became a professional rock musician. Rock concerts in those days were tribal events---true Dionysian rituals… Throbbing from the stage, the music aroused the energy of the audience. Their excitement reverberated back to the stage… I felt myself amplified as if possessed by their collective passions… At its height there was no performer, and no audience. There was only the music… Nevertheless, a few years in the professional music world proved to be enough. The scene was packed with glamour, sex, and drugs, but I found myself sitting in hotel rooms after the gigs reading Zen Buddhism and Krishnamurti. The more ‘successful’ we became, the less I experienced the heartful, tribal communion that was what I really loved about rock and roll. I left the band, deciding that I was done with being a ‘professional musician.’” (Pg. 4-5)
He continues, “People sometimes ask me, ‘How did you get into chant?’ Looking back on our lives, we can sometimes see patterns that were not so obvious while we lived them. Long before I consciously set foot on the spiritual path, it was as if I had been in training to do sacred music… I had learned how to use the power of music to touch heart and soul, to invite participation and build a sense of communion among people---whether leading folk songs around the campfire, conducting classical chorales, jamming at tribal rock concerts, or chanting at political rallies.” (Pg. 5)
He reports, “My wife Judith and I attended a ten-day yoga retreat led by Swami Satchidananda… Although we had taken some yoga classes and had begun reading spiritual books, this was our first real immersion into the spiritual path. Within the first few days, I was profoundly taken with the feeling that I had come home. And while I eagerly took to both the yoga and meditation, it was, not surprisingly, the chanting that made the strongest impression… I felt like I had been chanting all my life. And I had. Within days of my return, I was leading others in singing ‘Om Shanti’ and began to write my first ‘spiritual’ songs.” (Pg. 6-7)
He says, “It is my hope that this book will serve you as a useful and friendly guide to an ancient and sacred practice of chanting… In writing a book on ‘discovering Spirit in Sound,’ I have faced the dual challenges of having to write about Spirit, the true experience of which is beyond words, and writing about chant, whose real power is revealed only in the making and hearing of it. This book, therefore, relies on stories, for stories make the abstract and intangible come to life. It is filled with the experiences of people like yourself who have brought Spirit through sound into daily life through chanting.” (Pg. 18-19)
He explains, “It all begins with the breath… In Western traditions, the words for ‘breath’ and ‘soul’ are intimately related. The Greek word ‘psyche’ (meaning ‘soul’) comes from the same root as ‘psychein,’ which means ‘to breathe.’ In Hebrew, the word for breath, ‘ruach,’ means ‘Spirit,’ while in Latin, the words for ‘soul’ (anima) and ‘Spirit’ (animus) both derive from the word for wind’ (anemos). Vocal sound is essentially audible breath, and in the sacred sounds of chanting, we begin---and end---with the breath.” (Pg. 53)
He notes, “Although Islamic tradition in general frowns upon instrumental music as a sensual distraction from a devout life, there exists a rich tradition of chanting Qur’an and intoning prayers… And throughout the domain of Islam---on people’s lips, over the radio, and in the mosques---the words of God are chanted everywhere. While orthodox Muslims have an uneasy relationship to music, most Sufis, the mystical branch of Islam, embrace it.” (Pg. 87-88)
He explains, “Chant is passionate. Even when it gets soft and refined, chants want our fullness, our power, our heart, our guts. Singing a song we love, with joy and gusto, is perfect preparation for ‘giving what we got’ through chant. You don’t need a lot of vocal technique to chant. Chanting is said to be ‘the breath made audible,’ and learning how to breathe well is the first step in learning to chant.” (Pg. 117-118)
This book will be of keen interest to those learning about chant.
October 22, 2013
I read this book a while ago so I don't remember all the details - but I do remember that I loved it...definitely enough to want to read it again!
September 29, 2025
I’ve have been meaning to read this since I finished The Beautiful Mystery— which was a fiction murder mystery set at a Benedictine church with monks trained in Gregorian chant.
Song permeates every culture and faith and I’ve always felt like music is the closest I feel to the sacred. This book is straightforward but strings sound as a beautiful common thread across humanity and history — and i’m always happy to learn some niche history.
Song permeates every culture and faith and I’ve always felt like music is the closest I feel to the sacred. This book is straightforward but strings sound as a beautiful common thread across humanity and history — and i’m always happy to learn some niche history.
September 29, 2019
Nice idea, but badly executed.
I didn’t get very far in this book, even though the topic excites me. There are a lot of claims in it that are not backed up with any sources or research.
It might work as a light read for those who are into esotericism.
I didn’t get very far in this book, even though the topic excites me. There are a lot of claims in it that are not backed up with any sources or research.
It might work as a light read for those who are into esotericism.
June 25, 2019
Interesting read, but I think I enjoyed the Accompanying CD more than anything. Track 3 simply spoke to me
September 30, 2024
What is there really to say about chant? If you've tried it, you know how wonderful it can be. If you haven't tried it, this book might convince you to do so. One of the best things about this book is how it highlights the universality of chant. Every religious tradition also has its tradition of chant. I wish it would have spent more time discussing chant outside of religion, however. It might have also been better served with some more statistical data about how people who chant are happier, if they are. There is also something a bit sinister about chant too, which this book does not address. In the end it is more of a starting point than a thorough description. There are also a lot of interesting resources at the back for further reading, though some of them may be a bit outdated by now.
July 26, 2020
Robert Gass's Chanting takes the mystery out of the mystical practice of spiritual chanting and singing and makes a case for modern versions of this communal practice as a way to uplift the soul, find inner peace, and experience harmony and deep healing. He describes the different ways in which most spiritual and religious traditions have always had some form of ritual communal singing, from the Gregorian chants of Christian monks to the call and response songs used in the Hindu religion. This book was written over 20 years ago when Gass was a leading force in the development of more modern versions of these and other age old practices. My husband and I have led and participated for years in these current day "devotional singing" or Bhakti yoga groups, which all owe a lot to the work of Robert Gass in promoting and carrying on this wonderful spiritual tradition. The book also includes some of the old chants and songs from a variety of cultures, as well as original songs by the author. Chanting: Discovering Spirit in Sound contains a lot of useful information and plenty of inspiration for anyone wanting to enter the beautiful spiritual realm of sacred song and chant.
October 12, 2016
Was hoping for more of a chanting book a la Sanskrit chanting, but this is more of an overview, a history of chanting.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews