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This website was created for a three-hour workshop I gave on Theravada Buddhist chant, spread over three days during the "Performing Theravada" conference organized by Prof. Eviatar Shulman on June 19–21, 2022. I have lightly modified it here for a wider audience.
Trent Walker
University of Michigan
Original workshop description:
In this workshop, we’ll listen, chant, and reflect together on the relationship between the sonic qualities of Theravada chanting practices, their ritual context, and the interpretative possibilities they create for the texts recited.
Session 1: Rhythm
What makes Theravada chant tick? In this initial session, we’ll consider how different local traditions for the pronunciation and recitation of Pali conform with or disrupt distinctions between short and long syllables. The resulting divergence in rhythmic patterns offers ample space for comparative study. How do changes in tempo, meter, and rhythm affect the performance and reception of Pali texts?
Session 2: Pitch
How do Theravada chanting practices relate to concepts of pitch, tone, scale, and harmony? For the second session, we’ll explore the variety of ways Pali texts are expressed through pitch, even in the simplest, most monotone chanting styles practiced in particular Theravada cultures. Listening to recordings and chanting as a group, we’ll also explore the role of modes, overtones, chords, and tone clusters in Theravada chant. What aesthetic principles govern the choice of notes?
Session 3: Melody
Why are some forms of Theravada chant especially complex and musically expressive? For the final session, we’ll focus on the melodic dimensions of select forms of Pali and vernacular chanting traditions across South and Southeast Asia. We will learn excerpts of these melodies and apply them to different texts, reflecting on the connections between musical and textual features. What do these melodic chants teach us about the performance of Theravada Buddhism writ large?
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