Where Does Psalm Singing Come from and Why Is It Important? (A Psalm Singing Companion)

A Psalm Singing Companion
Written by Hannah Cruse, FPC Director of Music & Creative Arts

The story of Psalm singing is inseparably intertwined with that of congregational singing. That is how strongly music of Christian worship is tied to Psalmody. In 1721, Cotton Mather, minister of Boston's original North Church, raised the issue of the purpose of Psalm singing in worship. He answered that singing the Psalms helps the worshiper commit Scripture to memory and to apply it to Christian living because "there is a natural aptitude in singing to compose and unite the thoughts, to engage and fix the attention." Singing together shapes our belief and then how we live out our belief. Singing together witnesses to the solidarity of the Church across time, space, and circumstance. We also understand from experience that singing together has the mystical power to heighten or reveal emotions that might be hard to communicate otherwise. And then of course, if you’re still unconvinced about the importance of congregational singing, turn to Scripture and history. Singing to God revolves around the Psalms, as you will see.

Psalms in Hebrew Worship

Psalm singing predates Christianity. It is one of our most ancient traditions, hailing from the time of King David (though it is suggested that only around half of the pieces may be written by him). In Temple worship, the congregation would join in singing psalms, usually in unison without harmony, to repeated bits of melody. The singing may have been led by trained singers. Instrumental accompaniment and even dancing complemented this practice. Hebrew instrumentation included percussion, winds, and strings such as the cymbal, shophar (ram’s horn), chalil (pipe or flute), ‘ugab (type of bagpipe), kinnor (lyre), and nebel (harp). Listen to the Yamma Ensemble to hear a reimagining of what Psalm 104 could sound like in this style: 

Psalms in Early Christianity

Early Christians were converted Jews, so they were already accustomed to Psalm singing. The apostle Paul highly commended “speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit” in Ephesians 5:19-21. St. Jerome (~345–420) said that “women and men and old men and youths” could be one in the spirit as in melody in their psalms.

Psalms were usually sung, probably without instruments until around the 7th century in the western church. Instruments were associated with paganism or otherwise deemed unnecessary at the time. The eastern church still to this day prohibits the use of instruments in worship. Early melodies were generally derived from Jewish or Greek cantillation (chanting). Methods for singing the psalms included:

• whole congregation 
• one person alternating with congregation
• divided congregation or two choirs alternating verses antiphonally (answering responsively in turns)
• one person singing verses with the congregation responsively interjecting an alleluia or short phrase (antiphon)

In the western church, antiphons were typically chosen directly from the Psalm text to convey the thought, interpretation, or application of the Psalm for the particular day. Psalms would have been placed between Scripture readings in the liturgy. St. Jerome and St. Augustine (354–430) mention sung Psalms at the offertory and communion times as well. As the Catholic offices (Liturgy of the Hours) were developed, Psalms were sung all throughout the day.

Psalms with Gregorian Chant

The 8th century marked a significant shift, not just for Psalm singing, but all western church music. To assimilate his Frankish kingdom, Charlemagne (768–814) imposed Gregorian chant, named after Pope Gregory I (590–604), effectively squashing regional practices such as Gallican chant. Gregorian chant (what we more properly call Roman chant now) comprises eight tones–speech-like, non-rhythmic melodies–built around a specific binary formula. Each of the tones is built on one of the eight church modes, a mode being a scalar arrangement of whole and half tones. Using the tones, Psalm texts could be paired with different melodies to bring out certain desired moods. Listen to this recording of Psalm 1 from the Liber Usualis (Book of Common Use), noting that this would have been sung originally in Latin:

The complexity of Charlemagne’s new codified chanting system led to the need for schola cantorum (schools for singers) in Rome. The Catholic Church began to move away from congregational singing, resulting in more reliance on trained musicians and more sophisticated polyphonic compositions for choirs throughout the Renaissance.

Psalms during the Reformation

Psalm singing and congregational singing in general found a resurgence during the Reformation, spearheaded by Martin Luther of Germany (1483–1546), Jean Calvin (1509–1564) of France, and Huldrych Zwingli (1484–1531) of Switzerland.

Martin Luther stated, “I plan after the example of the prophets and ancient fathers of the Church to make German psalms for the people, that is to say, spiritual songs, so that the Word of God may dwell among the people by means of song also.” The words were to be “all quite plain and common, such as the common people may understand, yet pure and skilfully handled.” Luther wrote hymn texts based on Scripture, including many Psalms. Perhaps his most famous hymn is Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (A Mighty Fortress Is Our God) which paraphrases Psalm 46, heard here:

Though he never intended for interpretive hymns to replace the chanting of Psalms outright, Psalm singing lessened in popularity. Luther set Scripturally-based texts to adapted medieval plainsong, folk music, and original musical phrases. His monosyllabic melodies, modelled to mimic rhythms of speech, were sung by whole congregations robustly without accompaniment. Memorable tunes, texts in the vernacular, and the advent of the printing press encouraged congregations to sing once again in worship.

Jean Calvin had a very high opinion of music, stating that music is the chief form of spiritual joy that distracts us from the temptations of the flesh. Calvin categorized worshipful music, required “to be spiritual, not frivolous”, into three types:

• “psalms, songs accompanied by musical instruments
• hymns, songs of praise sung without accompaniment
• odes, songs where God gives counsel and command”

Calvin requested that Louis Bourgeois compose melodies for use with French metrical translations of the Psalms. The Genevan Psalter was born between 1539 and 1562 in Switzerland. The Doxology that we sing every week in worship is perhaps the most famous example. Hear another tune from the Psalter sung with Psalm 6 here:

Since the poetic meters varied greatly, the tunes were highly irregular and idiosyncratic but complemented rhythms of speech. Calvin intended for congregations to sing these Psalms in unison or light polyphony (counter melodies sung together) during communion and possibly other places in the liturgy. He generally regarded instruments as inappropriate inside the church. Psalm singing became incredibly popular, with at least 1400 editions of French metrical psalters or those translated to other languages circulating around that time.

Psalms in England

Psalm singing forged a unique path in the Church of England, founded in 1534 by Henry VIII who separated from the Catholic Church. Anglican chant is pointed, meaning that the text is notated to fit the chant. Each verse or phrase is assigned to a simple harmonized melody. Symbols like asterisks and slashes are used to indicate when to change notes. See an example of the sheet music: 

Pipe organ and the explosion of orchestral music in the 18th century pushed congregational Psalm singing to the background during the 18th and 19th centuries. Few congregants could read, so the church relied heavily on choirs. Anglican chant is sung by congregations nowadays, though the practice may be challenging initially. The Kings College choir chants Psalm 130 with organ here:

Psalms were also sung in the Victorian hymn style pioneered by writers like Isaac Watts (1674–1748) and Charles Wesley (1707–1788) who took broad poetic license with the biblical texts. The tunes are metrical, not speech-patterned, and thick with four-part harmony. Most hymns in our hymnal today are in this style. The best-known example may be Our God, Our Help in Ages Past, Psalm 90:

Other composers, like the American William Billings (1746–1800), continued to produce specific musical settings for specific Psalms in which the music was intended to express the meaning of the words through what the Romantics called “text painting.”

Psalms in Modern Times

Psalm singing has gained renewed interest from scholars and musicians alike in the last hundred years. After the upheavals of World War I and II, churches worldwide sensed that congregations needed a more personal connection to God. The Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) promoted, among other reforms, more opportunities for participation in worship. The Catholic Church developed responsorial Psalmody where verses are sung or spoken by a single person or choir and the congregation sings a short phrase in response. 

Gelineau Psalmody was developed in France in the early 1950’s by Jesuit priest Joseph Gelineau. These verses are set to a repeated melodic phrase, like Anglican chant, but with a regular meter; that is, each bar gets the same number of beats even though syllables may vary. Hear Gelineau Psalm 147:

Jacques Berthier (1923–1994) of the French Taizé community wrote many cyclical songs (short melodies meant to be repeated as desired) based on Psalms in the second half of the 20th century as well. Bless the Lord, My Soul is a response to Psalm 104:

When the book of Psalms was incorporated into the Revised Common Lectionary in 1994, denominations that had previously discarded the reading or singing of Psalms in worship started to change their attitude. Now you will hear the presentation of Psalms in formal, informal, traditional, and contemporary worship settings. Wendell Kimbrough, for example, is writing contemporary Psalm-inspired songs, including one that our choir has sung, Oh Give Thanks (Psalm 107):

Practical Psalm Singing

You might consider adding the singing of the Psalms to your arsenal of spiritual practices. It really is quite simple to incorporate a little singing into the reading of Psalms at home. You may find that music elevates the poetry, enveloping your practice in serenity, reverence, and connectedness.

To review, the main types of Psalm singing are:

1. chant (including Hebrew, Roman, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican)
2. responsorial (including Gelineau, Taize, African American Episcopal, etc.)
3. metrical hymnody (including Genevan, Lutheran, Victorian)

You will get to taste a little of all these styles during our sermon series, The Psalms: Our Prayer Book and Hymnal. May the Psalms enrich your spiritual lives as they have done so for all the saints before us.

Try This!

Turn to pages 989-990 in your Glory to God Presbyterian hymnal. Find a Psalm that you would like to work with. Read the Psalm from the Bible first. Then sing or listen to the musical setting as you reflect. You should be able to find recordings for most settings online. Notice how the author’s interpretation of the text alters or affirms your own. Notice how the melody colors your experience of the text and how it feels in your body.

Try This Too!

Find a solitary location to sit. Quietly play a drone (there are many recordings on Youtube) through a speaker. Chant a Psalm text to the pitch, pausing where the poetry commands. This works even better to English translations with rhythmic patterns (such as The Psalms: A New Translation Singing Version). Spend a few minutes in silent reflection to conclude your practice.

A Few Sources

The Psalms in Christian Worship by J. A. Lamb

Singing the Psalms: A Brief History of Psalmody by Richard C. Leonard

Finding Meaning in Our Worship Music by Jacob Gordon