Tag: 1650 Psalter

Grave Sweet Melody

Grave Sweet Melody arrives in the Grange Store just as millions of Americans prepare to celebrate a national day of Thanksgiving. Let us be reminded of David’s words in Psalm 92:

To render thanks unto the Lord
it is a comely thing,
And to thy name, O thou most High,
due praise aloud to sing.

Thy loving-kindness to show forth
when shines the morning light;
And to declare thy faithfulness
with pleasure ev’ry night.

On a ten-stringed instrument,
upon the psaltery,
And on the harp with solemn sound,
and grave sweet melody.

May our hearts be forever full of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, who is ever kind and faithful to his people.

THE PSALMES OF DAVID IN English Meeter, set forth by FRANCIS Rous, 1643

THE PSALMES OF DAVID IN English Meeter, set forth by FRANCIS Rous

He excellent uses of the Psalmes are manifold, yea universall; for they are good for all spirituall uses and advantages. They have in them Instruction, to increase our knowledge; Spirituall Fervour, to inflame our zeale; Consolation, to refresh and revive our fainting soules; Praiers, to fetch blessings from God; and Praises, to returne to God for his blessings. Yea, the very afflictions of the Saints therein expressed (even their outward sufferings, and inward dejections and desertions) are no small consolations to us. For, by them wee see that fiery Tryalls are no strange matters to Saints, and Saints wee may bee amid all these fiery Tryalls. But [Page] withall, if wee marke the issue of th […]se Tryalls (often set forth in these Psalmes) then wee cannot but see strong and vehement incouragements of Faith, and of that praier of Faith, which saveth the sick, even those that are sick at h […]art: yea, sick at the very soule. For how often doe wee see a sick soule to begin a Psalme, even in the belly of Hell, and yet end it in Heaven? So that a Saints soul being as it were in Hell, yet is neare unto Heaven, if it can be earnest with God in these melo­dious Praiers of Faith. For God, being thus called on, turnes in to the soule; and when God comes into a soule, hee makes a Heaven there, though a Hell were there before. And then naturally (I speak of a godly nature) do arise in the soule high Jubilations and Extasies, and not these onely, but glorious Thanksgivings to God; to whom alone must be ascribed the bringing of light out of darknesse: [Page] and that voice of joy and gladnesse, which the Saints doe heare even at the same time, when their bones are broken with humiliation.

Briefly, the Psalmes are characters and representations of the thoughts, meditations, and affections of a sanctified soule, throughout all the changes of her pilgrimage; so that a good man can be in no kind of estate, but he shall find his owne estate in a Psalme: and in a Psalme, he may find thoughts and expressions which doe well agree with that estate, and make it good unto him.

Nine Psalter Reviews by Logan West

The following Psalter Reviews have been added to the Articles Online page. Thanks to Logan for these insightful reviews!

1650 Psalter A Review by Logan West
Comprehensive Psalter A Review by Logan West
Psalms for Singing 21st Century A Review by Logan West
Scottish Psalmody A Review by Logan West
Sing Psalms A Review by Logan West
The Psalter of 1912 A Review by Logan West
Book of Psalms for Singing A Review by Logan West
Book of Psalms for Worship A Review by Logan West
Complete Book of Psalms for Singing A Review by Logan West
Collected Reviews A Review by Logan West

Volume 8 of “Worthy to Be Praised” is now available

Volume 8 of the Worthy to be Praised series is now available:

Of the twelve tunes featured, many are old favourites such as Stracathro, Crimond and Martyrs while some, like Shere and St James, may be an inspiration to learn new tunes for praise.

Volume 1 is back in stock now too, and there are new sample singings on the home page as well as discounts for CD bundles.

“It is our prayer that listening to the CDs will not only improve our family and congregational singing, but also prove a blessing as we hear the precious words of the psalms sung clearly and with expression”

From the Website for Worthy to Be Praised:

“Sing the Psalms with Worthy to be Praised

In this site we wish to share with you our enthusiasm for Psalm Singing and to tell you about the Worthy to be Praised  series of Psalmody CDs.  While many Psalmody CDs exist, these are unique, having one disc of beautiful Psalm Singing and one disc to teach the  harmonies for these tunes.

The discs, which have a distinctively Scottish flavour, are attractively produced and make ideal gifts.  With appeal to all ages, they have been used successfully in home education and in Church Psalmody Classes for both children and adults.

The words are all from the 1650 Scottish Metrical Version of the Psalms, which can be obtained by clicking on this link.  From Volume 4 onwards, Disc 1 also contains four extra tracks with Scottish Gaelic Psalm Singing and one extra track of children’s voices.

The Worthy to be Praised CDs are produced by the Psalmody Committee of the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing).  All proceeds from sales on this website will be transferred to the church to cover the costs of production and finance future recordings.

The CDs are also now available at Blythswood Bookshops (Portree and Dingwall),  Stornoway Religious Bookshop, FP Bookroom (Glasgow) and CLC Bookshop (Inverness).”

Looking for 1650 Psalter in a lower key…

I got the following message recently, anyone know of some recordings like this?

“I have been trying for some time now to obtain a copy of the Psalms from the 1650 Psalter sung by a all male voice choir. Or, alternatively, a mixed choir where the voices are much lower than on most CDs. Basically, the Psalm singing, especially of choirs, that I have heard in the past all seems to me to be extremely high pitched for my ears, so I have been looking for an alternative, but have not been able to find one yet.”

“But in the new translation of the Psalmes, resolving to keep punctually to the original text, without any addition, we and they were content to omit that [doxology] whereupon we saw both the Popish and Prelatical parties did so much dote…”

Robert Baillie (1602-1662)

“Also about the Conclusion of the Psalmes [Psalter], we had no debate with them; without scruple, Independents and all sang it [the doxology], so far as I know, where it was printed at the end of two or three psalms. But in the new translation of the Psalmes [the eventual 1650 Psalter], resolving to keep punctually to the original text, without any addition, we and they were content to omit that [doxology] whereupon we saw both the Popish and Prelatical parties did so much dote, as to put it to the end of the most of their lessons, and all their psalms.” Robert Baille, April 25, 1645, Letters of Robert Baillie, Vol II, p 259.

Robert Baillie stated this after the Westminster Assembly decided to remove an uninspired Doxology from what would become the authorized 1650 Psalter. Baillie admits that most men sang it without any scruple, but then he makes it clear why they eventually removed it from the Psalter…it was not an inspired part of the original text.

 This was the doxology in question:

To Father, Son and Holy Ghost
The God whom we adore
Be glory as it was, is now
And shall be evermore.

 David Silversides uses this quote by Baillie to make the following point:

“Later Scottish Covenanters, like Brown of Wamphray and McWard (contending with Bishop Burnett) opposed the sung doxology, not because they deemed its content doctrinally unsound, but because of the regulative principle of worship and the absence of Scriptural warrant to add anything to the 150 Psalms given by God. From the deliberate exclusion of the doxology we learn that the Westminster Confession means by the “singing of psalms” (in ch.xxi, para. v) simply the use of the Biblical Psalms.”

The paper by David Silversides is found here