Psalms
What is the importance of the psalms within the Bible and in Christian scripture? Who or what were they intended for? Why were they written? What forms do they take? Interesting questions to explore while examining the psalms more closely.
The psalms are situated in the third section of the Hebrew Bible, in the Old Testament. The title “psalm” comes from the Hebrew word “Tehillim” meaning “songs of praise” or the Greek “psalmoi” or “psalmos” meaning “instrumental music” or “the words accompanying the music”. Interesting to think that perhaps the music came first and the words were somewhat secondary! The authorship of most of the psalm texts has been ascribed to King David, although modern scholarship shows that they have likely come from several sources.
The psalms are really interesting for their internal divisions and for their categorization. The Book of Psalms can be divided up into five sections – each having it’s own “doxology” – a short benediction or words of praise. They could be divided up into Psalms 1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150. In terms of categories, all the psalms fit into just ten genres: hymns of praise, enthronement psalms, songs of Zion, psalms of lament, songs of trust, sacred history psalms, royal psalms, songs of thanksgiving, wisdom psalms, and liturgies.
Scholars know that the psalms were written originally for singing, and more than a third of the psalms are addressed to the “Director of Music”, so it’s rather appropriate that we sing them, or a part of them, still today. We will focus on the psalms in the June worship services. You will hear read versions with refrains, sung versions, and even instrumental versions. Since the ancient music is lost, the psalms have been a source of inspiration for composers world-wide!
The Psalms are important in Jewish and Christian worship. In the synagogue several psalms are used for daily worship, for Festival days, and for Sabbath worship there is often a Psalm of the Day. Similarly, Christians have organized the psalms into cycles for daily reading/worship or incorporated the psalms into various lectionaries used Sunday by Sunday over a period of three to four years. In the Orthodox church, the psalms are used in both corporate and personal prayers. Similarly, in the Catholic faith, the psalms have held an important place in the daily and Sunday liturgy. Interestingly, the psalms are also important to Rastafarians and to Muslims. The Quran mentions God giving David the psalms, and a few of the psalms are mentioned several times.
Many psalms have been turned into metrical poetry and set to hymn tunes. This was especially popular from the time of the Reformation. The Reformed traditions accomplished this in many ways. The Calvinists primarily only sang psalms, not hymns, so the metrical psalter was of central importance. The first Genevan Psalter was published in 1539. Various English Psalters, including The Scottish Psalter, came into existence right around the same time, around 1549. In the Anglican church, the Coverdale psalter of the 16th century still lies at the heart of daily worship in many Cathedrals. The Anglicans also use a form of choral singing, called Anglican Chant, where the choir, in their four parts, together in harmony recite the psalm to various simply harmonized melodies. In the Catholic tradition, although psalms have been chanted or sung in various ways, the most common method today is the “responsorial” psalm, which is led by a cantor and a response sung by the congregation.
The psalms have continued to inspire musicians. Bach, Brahms, Stravinsky, Bernstein, Dvorak, and Reich have set psalms to music, and many contemporary popular composers have done the same. As a collection, they have such breadth and depth that it is no wonder that clergy, musicians and worshippers have drawn strength and inspiration from them over the centuries.
Intrigued to know more about the psalms? Keep your ears and eyes open for a short course in the next program year, facilitated by Rev. Leigh and Tammy-Jo!
Tammy-Jo Mortensen