Singing the Rite to Belong: Ritual, Music, and the New Irish

by Helen Phelan

Overview

This book explores the way in which singing can foster experiences of belonging through ritual performance. Based on more than two decades of ethnographic, pedagogical and musical research, it is set against the backdrop of "the new Ireland" of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Charting Ireland's growing multiculturalism, changing patterns of migration, the diminished influence of Catholicism, and synergies between indigenous and global forms of cultural expression, it explores rights and rites of belonging in contemporary Ireland. Helen Phelan examines a range of religious, educational, civic and community-based rituals including religious rituals of new migrant communities in "borrowed" rituals spaces; baptismal rituals in the context of the Irish citizenship referendum; rituals that mythologize the core values of an educational institution; a ritual laboratory for students of singing; and community-based festivals and performances. Her investigation peels back the physiological, emotional and cultural layers of singing to illuminate how it functions as a potential agent of belonging. Each chapter engages theoretically with one of five core characteristic of singing (resonance, somatics, performance, temporality, and tacitness) in the context of particular performed rituals. Phelan offers a persuasive proposal for ritually-framed singing as a valuable and potent tool in the creation of inclusive, creative and integrated communities of belonging.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190672232
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	05/01/2017
Series:	Oxford Ritual Studies Series
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Helen Phelan is Professor of Arts Practice at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick. A singer and ritual studies scholar, she is an Irish Research Council recipient for her work on singing and sustained social integration with new migrant communities in Ireland over the last two decades. Her singing interests span medieval chant to contemporary ritual vocal song while her publications are primarily in the areas of ritual studies, music education philosophy and arts practice research.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Becoming a Ritual Singer
Singing and Belonging
Book Structure
Laus Perennis

Religious Rituals

Chapter One
Borrowed Belonging: Singing and "Resounding" in the Wrong Ritual Space
Introduction
Migration and the New Irish
The Limerick Experience
The Russian Orthodox Community in the Augustinian Church, Limerick
The New Revelation Pentecostal Church in St. Michael's Church of Ireland, Limerick
Resonance as a Key Element of Sung Belonging
Spheres of Resonance
A Pilgrim People
Pilgrimage and Music
Sonic authority
Conclusion

Chapter Two
Repertoires of Belonging: Embodying "Bothness" through Musical Repertoires
Introduction
St. John's Catholic Cathedral and St. Augustine's Church, Limerick
Embodying "Bothness"
Somatics as a Key Element of Sung Belonging
Singing and Ideology
Gregorian Chant and the Modern Liturgical Movement
A Modern and Medieval "Enchantment"
The Pastoral Turn
The Irish Story
Conclusion

II Educational Rituals

Chapter Three
Finding Your Own Voice: Mythologizing and Ritualizing Belonging at the Irish World Academy
Introduction
The Irish World Academy
The Quest for "Imbas"
The Ritual Pit
Performance as a Key Element of Sung Belonging
Performing the Academy
Conclusion

Chapter Four
Singing Belonging in the Ritual Lab
Introduction
Entering the Ritual Lab
Ritual Leaps of Faith
Ritual Lab and Singing
Ritual Criticism, Memory and Ethical Soundings
Temporality as a Key Element of Sung Belonging
Ritual, Time and Space
Conclusion

III Civic and Community-Based Rituals

Chapter Five
Singing Hospitality in Community-based Ritual
Introduction
Anáil Dé / The Breath of God
Tacitness as a Key Element of Sung Belonging
Comhcheol Women's Community Choir
World Carnival
Conclusion

Chapter Six
Singing the Rite to Belong: Baptismal Rituals and the Irish Citizenship Referendum
Introduction
Backdrop to the Citizenship Referendum
The Limerick Story
Baptizing, Singing and Belonging
Somatic Community
Sonic Community
Conclusion

Conclusion
The Power of Singing
Singing the Rite to Belong
The Weakness of Singing the Rite to Belong

Editorial Reviews

"the breath of this work ensures its significance to ritual studies, ethnography, philosophy, religion, vocal pedagogy and cultural studies. I commend this work for its originality in focus and opening a dialogue for the need for greater inclusion in modern Ireland." — Susan Motherway, Ethnomusicology Ireland

"Phelan integrates a depth and breadth of knowledge in ritual studies, ethnography, philosophy, religion, music education, acoustics, and the singing voice to create a compelling argument about the profound effect that performed singing rituals have in the development of communities of belonging Phelan's writing is of value to scholars of religion, ritual, music, and ethnic studies as well as anyone interested in the exploration of multicultural community building."—Matthew Schloneger, Reading Religion

"This is an important and timely contribution to our understanding of the place of singing in people's lives. Although focused on the context of ritual, it speaks to the human power of singing for all individuals and groups, including singing's facility as a social glue to create a sense of collective identity and belonging. Helen Phelan is an outstanding scholar and we are in her debt for this wonderful text."—Graham Welch, Professor of Music Education, University College, London

"Phelan constructs a dazzling portal into the world of ritual singing, and the web of meaning making that it generates. Rooted in experiences with musical migrants in 21st century Ireland, this mix of ethnography and critical reflection particularly focuses on how ritual singing facilitates a sense of belonging. The breadth of dialogue partners—from Ephrem the Syrian to Derrida, somatics to Wittgenstein—renders this a fascinating and informative read. Bravo!"—Edward Foley, Duns Scotus Professor of Spirituality and Professor of Liturgy and Music, Catholic Theological Union

"In Singing the Rite to Belong, Helen Phelan uses her deeply experiential understanding and impeccable scholarship to argue for the unique role of song to invite and celebrate community. Song in ritual, she proposes, offers the promise of incorporation without demanding annihilation of unique gifts, yearnings, and culture. Her compelling descriptions of rituals, chant, and choirs and the people who breathe them into being and her innovative applications of theoretical insights from phenomenology, ritual, and resonance will be appreciated equally by scholars and by those who welcome strangers into new lands."—Anya Peterson Royce, Chancellor's Professor of Anthropology and Comparative Literature, Indiana University-Bloomington

"While the relationship between singing and belonging seems intuitive to any of us who make music in community settings, Helen Phelan convincingly demonstrates that much more is taking place than we might expect. Phelan brings together knowledge of ritual studies, experience in ethnographic research, and a passion for singing in a rich work of insight. She is able to do what few performers can — reflect objectively on the act of singing and the inherent bridge between singing, breathing, and belonging."—Professor Michael Hawn, University Distinguished Professor of Church Music, Southern Methodist University

From the Publisher