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GREGORIAN CHANT CALMS CITY WORKERS
The troubled times that we are living through – recession, rising living costs, increasing home repossessions – is driving an ever larger number of stressed executives to seek solace in the centuries old practice of Gregorian chant. New research carried out by neuroscientists shows that there is a proven physiological benefit to chanting that can reduce the symptoms of stress that result from today’s manic working environments. And office workers are turning to this new treatment in their droves, as the effects of the credit crunch put yet more pressure on Britain’s overburdened workers.
Dr. Alan Watkins, Senior Lecturer in Neuroscience at Imperial College London, says “we have recently carried out research that demonstrates that the regular breathing and musical structure of chanting can have a significant and positive physiological impact. Previous studies also demonstrate that such practices have been shown to lower blood pressure, increase levels of the performance hormone DHEA as well as reducing anxiety and depression. The control of the breathing, the feelings of wellbeing that communal singing bring, and the simplicity of the melodies, seem to have a powerful effect on reducing blood pressure and therefore stress.”
Dr. Watkins, who also runs an Executive Coaching company, Cardiac Coherence Ltd, that helps executives perform better in stressful conditions, has found a huge jump in numbers of individuals requesting support over the past six months. “When times are tough, as they have been due to the recent turbulence in the financial markets, people tend to suffer increased levels of stress. We have found that teaching individuals to control their breathing, generate more positive emotional states and connect better with those around them - all key aspects of Gregorian chanting - can significantly improve their mental state, reduce tension, and increase their efficiency in the workplace.”
Interest in Gregorian chant, a form of sung chant that became formalised in the seventh and eighth centuries, has recently skyrocketed, sparked partly by its appearance on computer game Halo. Record giant MCA Music (A Universal Music Group Company), responding to rising public interest in the genre, put out a series of nationwide adverts to find the best practitioners of the art of plainsong, and having been inundated with responses, chose the monks of Stift Heiligenkreuz, Vienna to make an album.
The singers, who became favourites of Pope Benedict XVI when he visited them last year, emailed a Youtube link to A & R supremo Tom Lewis on the deadline for submissions. He was blown away by the richness and coherence of their sound, and knew that these were the monks to make a record. |
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