‘Reasons to sing’: singing, spirituality, and the search for meaning

In 1588 as England continued to ride the wake of the Reformation and faced the Spanish Armada, composer William Byrd fought his own artistic battle: to persuade a country in which the value of music was increasingly questioned the benefit of learning to sing. In that year he wrote his ‘Reasons to sing’, in which he outlined the benefits of singing for spiritual and physical wellbeing. While ‘the exercise of singing is delightful to Nature, and good to preserve the health of man’, the ultimate use of the ‘voice of man’ is for spiritual matters: ‘omnis spiritus laudet Dominum’ / Let every spirit praise the Lord. He ends with the couplet: ‘Since singing is so good a thing, I wish all men would learn to sing’.

Even in today’s more secular landscape, singing, including that of sacred music, plays a central role in how people choose to recreate their whole selves and connect with others. 42.6 million Americans and 2.14 million British people regularly sing in choirs. Song is universally occurring in human culture. Some even argue that singing co-evolved with language in the evolution of the human brain. It is clear, especially to those who have experienced meaning in this practice, whether at a football game, church, or in the shower, that singing and human identity are deeply entwined.

Often described as a feeling of being connected to something ‘bigger than myself’, singing as a form of meaning-making has a ‘spiritual’ dimension that is embodied and practiced. ‘Reasons to Sing’: Singing, spirituality, and the search for meaning.

This conference at the University of Birmingham (UK), examines the experience of singing and song and its connection to spirituality and/or meaning making throughout human history. Why does singing give life meaning for so many people? What is the quality of the relationship between singing and the human spirit (loosely defined)? How does it manifest in our behaviours and practices? 

Call for papers is now closed

Registration

Registration is now open via the 'Register for this event' button at the top right of this webpage. 

As part of the conference we are hosting a concert: Ex Cathedra: can beauty save the world? on 17 September from 19:00, at St George's Church, Edgbaston.

If you’d like to purchase tickets for the Ex‑Cathedra conference concert but are not registering for the conference, or would like to attend as a guest of a conference delegate (e.g. friends or family), please follow this link to register. Customers may also enquire via the box office telephone number (0121 414 4414); phone lines are open from 10:00 to 12:00 noon.

This conference is supported by the John Templeton Foundation as a part of “Can Beauty Save the World?: Aesthetic Engagement Among The Spiritual But Not Religious”.

The University of Birmingham's UK-based sub-grant explores singing as a 'spiritual' practice, both of the past and today led by Dr Katie Bank, School of History and Cultures.