3893. Angelic choirs were once praising the Lord and doing so with heartfelt joy. Their praises were heard sometimes as sweet singing, for to one another spirits and angels have resounding voices and they hear one another as well as men hear one another. But no human singing, however heavenly its sweetness and harmony, can compare with that of those angelic choirs. From the variety of sound I perceived that there were many choirs. I was told by the angels present with me that those choirs belonged to the province of the lungs and the functions of these, singing being their role because that is an activity of the lungs, as I was also given to know from experience. They were allowed to control my breathing, which was done so gently and softly and also interiorly that I was scarcely aware of myself breathing at all. I was also told that those assigned to involuntary breathing are distinct and separate from those assigned to voluntary. They said that those assigned to involuntary breathing were present when a person is asleep, for as soon as he is asleep his voluntary breathing stops and the involuntary takes over.