It was the evening that would go down in history as the "Singing Revolution". Two million people, men and women, children and old people, joined hands. They formed a human chain that stretched across three countries: from the north coast of Estonia to the south of Lithuania. Then they began to sing, from the evening until late into the night.
The unifying power of singing
It was 1989 and people were singing their old, forbidden folk songs. The Baltic states had been occupied by Russia, then the Soviet Union, for 50 years. But as it turned out, the singing of the Baltic peoples was stronger than the tanks that were sent from Moscow shortly afterwards. The "Singing Revolution" remained peaceful and led to the independence of the three Baltic states in 1990/91.
A few years earlier, there had already been a revolution in the Philippines, which ended with the fall of the Marco regime. Not a single shot is said to have been fired, and once again singing played a special role. Singing has a unifying power that can even be dangerous to the powerful.
At the beginning of meaning and communication
Where does this power come from and how do we utilise it? Singing awakens something in us that is deeply rooted in our existence. If you could look straight back into your own life, you would see that your social life began with music: The beginning of your social life was musical.
Your very first communication, up to six months after your birth, was a kind of pre-linguistic exchange in tones, with harmonies and rhythmic timing. That is "singing", you might spontaneously say. To be more precise, it is a pre-form of singing, even before any differentiation between music and language, but already with musical characteristics.
Harmonic vocalisation
Acoustic studies show that mother and infant always come together in harmonic intervals during their first exchange of vocal sounds, according to the laws of the overtone series. Here you can see the overtones that sound above each fundamental tone and how they form a harmonic series: Octave, fifth, fourth, third ...
This harmonious vocalisation occurs above all in moments in which mother and child playfully regulate their relationship with each other - a kind of "social negotiation" without words. In these moments of tonal harmony, mother and child are also closely attuned to each other in their physical rhythms, for example in the changes in their heart rate. And, almost sensationally, the rhythmic timing of this pre-verbal communication is similar to the timing in a jazz improvisation.
Throughout life until the end
There is much to suggest that this earliest, musical vocalisation in infancy is the beginning of everything: the beginning of meaning and relationship, and a prerequisite for our later communicative and social skills. When we sing in later years, we are in a sense reconnecting with this earliest bond in our lives.
It is therefore not surprising that many studies show how people develop a strong sense of community when singing together, to the point of synchronising their body rhythms. For many, this experience of a sense of belonging that goes beyond their own existence becomes a spiritual experience. Ensembles or groups are particularly suitable places for this experience of connection and meaning. Choirs - where people literally reach out to others while singing, like the Balts in the "Singing Revolution".
Singing is one of the first expressions of life and accompanies our lives long after that. For many old people, singing is also the last thing that brings life back. When everything is long forgotten and all that remains instead of speech are inarticulate sounds, sometimes an old song is enough. Suddenly all sense of loss is gone, the faces of people with senile dementia brighten, they become aware of their surroundings again and sing along until the end.
They are magical moments, like the first vocal sounds of a baby in musical harmony with its mother. Singing together revitalises, creates memories and meaning, connects - and makes you happy. Would you like to bring this magic into your life? Then our tip is: join a choir.
You can find exercises to build up your voice in my online courses. Take a look at the courses I offer: https://singasong-behappy.de/online-gesangsunterricht/
