Singing multiplies the hope and meaning of Christmas
by the Archbishop of York:
The Archbishop shares his Christmas message in today’s Daily Telegraph. The article follows in full
When church buildings were able to reopen earlier this year and we came back to worship in person, to begin with singing was not allowed. I don’t think I was the only one who was left a bit nonplussed by some of the Government’s guidelines at the time. In the summer, as England made their way to the final of the Euros, thousands sang lustily in the stands at Wembley Stadium, but small, socially distanced congregations on Sunday were instructed to remain silent.
St Augustine is supposed to have said that he who sings prays twice. Scholars can find no record of this, but it’s a fascinating thought. Now that we are allowed to sing again, I’ve been thinking about the power of singing, how I’ve missed it, and how it intensifies speech and prayer. I’m thinking primarily of singing in worship, but I can’t help also thinking of Strauss’ Four Last Songs or Leonard Cohen‘s final album.
When we sing, we pray twice because, first of all, we pay greater attention to the words. We shape and taste each syllable within the ebb and flow of melody and meter. When there is harmony too, each word is broadened out. You hear and experience layers and even subterranean strata of meaning. I’m thinking of the resonant, deep, bass in Rachmaninov’s Vespers. We hear it in our gut as well as through our ears. In unison with other voices, we pray 100 times and yet become one voice.
One of the highlights of my Christmas used to be my mother singing in the Scratch Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall each year. Covid has got in the way of that. But it was a fabulous experience: hundreds gathered for the single purpose of singing Handel’s wonderful music.
Music changes us. It amplifies and expands our praise. It brings joy to our praying. Moreover, singing is good for you! Earlier this year, Opera North published ten reasons why. Here’s a few of them. Singing releases serotonin and dopamine, the “happy chemicals” that boost your mood. It increases lung capacity. And good deep breathing is one of the better and cheaper ways of beating stress. Oliver Rundell, chorus master at Opera North, says: “Tune out the rest of the world. Enjoy the physical sensation of breathing in and creating a note with your body.” Perhaps that is why we pray twice when we sing. Our whole body is involved.
On Christmas night, the Angels sang.
Watch: The Church of England’s release of a new setting of Christina Rossetti’s poem ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’, composed by Rebecca Dale and sung by St Martin’s Voices
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