There is no simple answer to the question "what is a chant?" What a chant is will depend
on where you are in the world and whom you are with. On the football terrace a chant
may be "the scum are going nowhere" shouted at the top of your lungs in time with everyone else. In a Buddhist monastery it may be a few syllables sung on one long low resonant note, not necessarily sounded in time with those around you. In a cathedral Gregorian chant rises in complex melody sung in pure tones and perfect unison. In wild
open spaces, chant echoes across the landscape to the beat of drums and the shrill
tones of flutes and whistles.

Chant embraces such an astounding variety of musical expression its impossible to give
one simple definition. However there are two elements common to all chant. The word "chant" comes from the Latin "cantare" which means, "to sing". Although - as we have already discovered - this is too narrow a definition of chant, we can say that all chant involves the human voice - vocalisation. We can also say with certainty that all chant is functional music - it is purposeful. Chant is used to promote healing, connect with the sacred, aid trance, mourn the dead and enable groups to work in time together or draw
on hidden reserves of energy. It can be used to quiet the mind or excite the body. The
uses to which it is put are as varied as the vocal techniques used but chant is music with
a job to do.

The kinds of chant used by the NCC are varied but are predominantly simple easily remembered words or sounds repeatedly sung to simple melodic phrases. On any given night we might use chants from South America, the Hebrides, North America, the world
of medieval Christian pilgrimage, the modern pagan community or experiment with a
chant we've made ourselves. The NCC is a place of exploration and experimentation. It
is not a choir or a unified spiritual group. Some people come just for the pleasure of
singing, whatever their level of musical expertise, some attend as a weekly act of
spiritual devotion, some come because they are interested in meeting with other like-minded people. All come and return again and again because they find something in chanting with others that enriches their life