Tibetan Buddhist Chant

Tibetan Buddhist Chant is the ritual vocal music of Tibetan Buddhism, performed by monastic choirs in the monasteries of Tibet and the Himalayan exile communities of India and Nepal. Its best-known form is the chordal chant of the *Gyuto* and *Gyume* tantric colleges, in which each monk sustains a fundamental pitch while amplifying a single overtone, producing the effect of one voice singing a chord. Chant is delivered in Tibetan from memorised liturgies, in unison or slow heterophony, punctuated by long trumpets, oboes, drums and cymbals, and serves tantric ritual, empowerments and the recitation of sutras and praises.