This quote, posted by Maggie, comes from
An Introduction to Gregorian Chant by Richard L. Crocker. In it, the author describes the effect of "recto tono", or a reciting pitch, on the human listener.
"When a solo voice intones a prayer, or a reading from Scripture, on a reciting pitch, the intonation on a single pitch can result in extreme resonance. The natural ability of the human voice to speak directly to our inner hearing is maximized with intonation and the resonance that it brings. This has a special application in Christian worship: when expressed by a strong clear solo voice, with the resonance reinforced by cathedral reverberation, this kind of intonation can penetrate the listener's heart, seeming to convey the truth of the words of doctrine."While a solo voice on a reciting pitch has the power to penetrate the listener's understanding, the sound of a chorus does not so much penetrate as envelop, gathering up the listener into a larger unity. The sound of the whole congregation intoning in unison is like no other musical experience. Unison singing by everyone is not just a 'symbol' of being together, it is an archebype, a primary experience of being together, one of which other experiences may be symbols.
"When psalms are sung this way in a reverberant acoustic space such as a cathedral, the reciting pitch builds up a very great resonance -- especially if the singers find the reciting pitch specific to that building, the particular pitch that resonates most strongly in it. As the sound continues minute after minute, it permeates the whole space and everyone in it. The walls reverberate, the building itself seems to reproduce the tone. Certain medieval churches have this effect to a remarkable degree, and recordings have been made that show an extreme development of the overtones produced by such resonance."
[Via Random Light]
