Congregational Chanting of Psalms?

[TexanRose]

I gather that congregational chanting of psalms is rare.

I've looked around for recordings of the psalms being chanted, and could only find recordings of choirs or soloists chanting, not congregations. When done by choirs, the chanting was usually accompanied by an organ, or done responsively rather than all in unison.

Here's one of the better examples--Psalm 121 (but not from the KJV--not sure what version), Anglican chant, a capella, sung by a choir, responsive singing.
YouTube - Saint Paul Cathedral Choir: Psalm 121

I know that the Book of Psalms for Singing has a few chants (not sure about the newer Book of Psalms for Worship). I attended an RPCNA congregation that sang Psalm 19D (Anglican chant) a few times, and I thought it worked out fairly well, though the congregation seemed a little hesitant (probably because it was a new thing).

I guess I'm wondering if chanting is really a viable way for congregations to sing the psalms. (I would like to think that it is.)

Have any of you chanted the psalms in public worship? If so, how did it go?

Also, do you know where I could find recordings of the psalms being chanted by a congregation? Preferably unaccompanied?

Thanks for your assistance/feedback.

 

[TexanRose]

I'm specifically interested in the usefulness of chanting for languages that don't have a metrical psalter in their language, but do have a Bible. Could a typical congregation learn to chant directly from the prose Psalms?

 

[travstar]

Since Hebrew poetry's structure was based on parallelism, not meter or rhyme, I'd say believers have been blessed in learning the Psalms sans metrical symmetry since they were originally written, and can certainly learn them from a style that doesn't rhyme or flow. Chanting, especially responsive chanting, is rare in this country because, for the most part, we know how to read, but it is certainly a viable way for congregations to sing these words and learn them.

 

[au5t1n]

I LOVE this website. It has all 150 psalms being chanted in the KJV by one man. I have learned a few. Very helpful for both singing and memorization.

Psalm Tones

 

[Philip]

Have any of you chanted the psalms in public worship? If so, how did it go?

I attended a traditional CofE Parish church evensong service one Sunday where both choir and congregation chanted---it was possibly the hardest kind of singing I've ever had to do---I would imagine that's just because I wasn't used to it. Then too, Anglican Chant has a peculiar structure and rhythm.

 

[MLCOPE2]

Our Pastor has said in the past that he would prefer chanting as it avoids some of the "dilemma's" that setting the psalter to metre presents. I'm good either way.

 

[Philip]

Our Pastor has said in the past that he would prefer chanting as it avoids some of the "dilemma's" that setting the psalter to metre presents.

It's interesting that in Anglican chant, the psalter is in meter, but it's a meter that preserves the wording and phraseology. I heard a very interesting lecture at the Oxford C.S. Lewis Society by one of Lewis's former students on Lewis's involvement in updating Coverdale's psalter for use in worship, and how linguistics, literature, theology, and musicology were all under consideration in the update.

 

[Jack K]

I'm specifically interested in the usefulness of chanting for languages that don't have a metrical psalter in their language, but do have a Bible. Could a typical congregation learn to chant directly from the prose Psalms?

The chanting in the video you linked to is more musical than I expected... but here's an example that may interest you.

The Navajo Indian culture I grew up among has a Navajo Bible. They also have a tonal language. This means that traditional hymns set to music and translated into Navajo don't sound right. And I don't know of anyone who's even tried to set pslams to music in Navajo, even though the early evangelists among those people were Reformed.

Some of us white folk have suggested Navajo Christians could chant their hymns and/or psalms, since singing music really doesn't work well with their language. But the Navajo Christians have largely resisted because they associate chanting with the pagan religion they've come out of. They've become convinced that singing music is a Christian way to worship while chanting is pagan.

I don't think that's inherently true, but the cultural considerations may be such that chanting is indeed a bad idea for them. Anyway, that's one story from one culture.

 

[au5t1n]

That's very interesting, Jack.