Event Title
Chanting the Psalms in the 21st-Century
Location
Bunch Library Multimedia Hall
Start Date
3-4-2019 4:00 PM
End Date
3-4-2019 4:15 PM
Publication Date
4-3-2019
Description
Many churches in a variety of congregations are experiencing a renewed sense of the importance of singing the Psalms in Christian worship. However, Psalm-singing in non-mainline Protestant traditions almost exclusively consists of psalm-hymns, poetic paraphrases that can often stray far from the original texts. In liturgical traditions, chanting of the Psalms is common, but the available methods are either so difficult they are only performed by skilled choirs, or have been so greatly simplified for congregational singing that there is little room for musicality. My research has led me to develop a new form of congregational psalm chant that is easily learned and performable by congregations of any worship style. Its intent is to provide a way for congregations to chant the Psalms without altering the texts, in such a way that invites full corporate participation while being musically interesting enough for sustain used over time.
Recommended Citation
Madeira, David, "Chanting the Psalms in the 21st-Century" (2019). enLightening Talks. 6.
https://repository.belmont.edu/enlightening/Spring_2019/multimedia_hall_spring_2019/6
Madeira - Chanting Psalms Slides
madeira_chanting_psalms.wav (77673 kB)
Madeira - Chanting Psalms Audio
Chanting the Psalms in the 21st-Century
Bunch Library Multimedia Hall
Many churches in a variety of congregations are experiencing a renewed sense of the importance of singing the Psalms in Christian worship. However, Psalm-singing in non-mainline Protestant traditions almost exclusively consists of psalm-hymns, poetic paraphrases that can often stray far from the original texts. In liturgical traditions, chanting of the Psalms is common, but the available methods are either so difficult they are only performed by skilled choirs, or have been so greatly simplified for congregational singing that there is little room for musicality. My research has led me to develop a new form of congregational psalm chant that is easily learned and performable by congregations of any worship style. Its intent is to provide a way for congregations to chant the Psalms without altering the texts, in such a way that invites full corporate participation while being musically interesting enough for sustain used over time.
