The service of the ancient Christian church usually began with
reading or with the singing of psalms. We are not to understand this as
if their psalmody was performed in one course of many psalms together,
without intermission, but rather, with some respite, and a mixture of
other parts of divine service, to make the whole more agreeable and
delightful. As to the persons concerned in singing the Psalms publicly
in the church, they may be considered in four different respects,
according to the different ways of psalmody; for sometimes the Psalms
were sung by one person alone; and sometimes the whole assembly joined
together, men, women, and children: this was the most ancient and
general practice. At other times the Psalms were sung alternately; the
congregation dividing themselves into two parts, and singing verse for
verse. Beside all these, there was yet a fourth way of singing, pretty
common in the fourth century, which was, when a single person began the
verse, and the people joined with him in the close.
Psalmody was always esteemed a considerable part of devotion, and upon
that account was usually performed in the standing posture. As to the
voice or pronunciation, used in singing, it was of two sorts, the plain
song, and the more artificial; the plain song was only a gentle
inflexion, or turn of the voice, not very different from the chanting in
our cathedrals; the artificial song seems to have been a regular musical
composition, like our anthems. It was no objection against the psalmody
of the church, that she sometimes made use of psalms and hymns of human
composition, beside those of the inspired writers. St. Augustine himself
made a psalm of many parts, in imitation of the hundred and nineteenth,
to preserve his people from the errors of the Donatists. St. Hilary and
St. Ambrose likewise made many hymns, which were sung in their
respective churches. But two corruptions crept into the psalmody, which
the fathers declaim against with great zeal. The first was, the
introducing secular music, or an imitation of the light airs of the
theatre, in the devotions of the church. The other was, the regarding
more the sweetness of the composition than the sense and meaning;
thereby pleasing the ear, without raising the affections of the soul.
The use of musical instruments in singing of psalms, seems to be as
ancient as psalmody itself. The first psalm we read of was sung to a
timbrel, namely, that which Moses and Miriam sung after the deliverance
of the children of Israel from Egypt; and afterward, at Jerusalem, when
the temple was built, musical instruments were constantly used at their
public services. And this has been the common practice in all ages of
the church. When the use of organs was first introduced, is not
certainly known; but we find, that about A. D. 660, Constantine
Copronymus, emperor of Constantinople, sent a present of an organ to
King Pepin of France.
Clement Marot, groom of the bed chamber to Francis I., king of France,
was the first who engaged in translating the Psalms into metre. He
versified the first fifty at the instigation of Vatablus, Hebrew
professor at Paris; and afterward, upon his return to Geneva, he made an
acquaintance with Beza, who versified the rest, and had tunes set to
them; and thus they began to be sung in private houses, and afterward
were brought into the churches of the French and other countries. In
imitation of this version, Sternhold, one of the grooms of the privy
chamber to our King Edward VI., undertook a translation of the Psalms
into metre. He went through but thirty-seven of them, the rest being
soon after finished by Hopkins and others. This translation was at first
discountenanced by many of the clergy, who looked upon it as done in
opposition to the practice of chanting the Psalms in the cathedrals.
Early in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, metrical psalmody was introduced
into this country. The new morning prayer began at St. Antholin’s,
London, when a psalm was sung in the Geneva fashion, all the
congregation, men, women, and boys singing together. Bishop Jewel says,
that “the singing of psalms, begun in one church in London, did quickly
spread itself, not only through the city, but in the neighbouring
places; sometimes at Paul’s Cross six thousand people singing together.”
A curious controversy on this subject arose among the Dissenters in the
end of the seventeenth century. Whether singing in public worship had
been partially discontinued during the times of persecution to avoid
informers, or whether the miserable manner in which it was performed
gave persons a distaste to it, so it appears, that in 1691, Mr. Benjamin
Keach published a tract entitled, “The Breach Repaired in God’s Worship:
or, Psalms, Hymns, &c, proved to be a Holy Ordinance of Jesus Christ.”
To us it may appear strange that such a point should be disputed; but
Mr. Keach was obliged to labour earnestly, and with a great deal of
prudence and caution, to obtain the consent of his people to sing a hymn
at the conclusion of the Lord’s Supper. After six years more, they
agreed to sing on the thanksgiving days; but it required still fourteen
years more before he could persuade them to sing every Lord’s day; and
then it was only after the last prayer, that those who chose it might
withdraw without joining in it! Nor did even this satisfy these
scrupulous consciences; for, after all, a separation took place, and the
inharmonious seceders formed a new church in May’s Pond, where it was
above twenty years longer before singing the praises of God could be
endured. It is difficult at this period to believe it; but Mr. Ivimey
quotes Mr. Crosby, as saying, that Mr. Keach’s was the first church in
which psalm singing was introduced. This remark, however, must probably
be confined to the Baptist churches. The Presbyterians, it seems, were
not quite so unmusical; for the Directory of the Westminster divines
distinctly stated, that “it is the duty of Christians to praise God
publicly by singing of Psalms together in the congregation.” And beside
the old Scotch Psalms, Dr. John Patrick, of the Charter house, made a
version which was in very general use among Dissenters, Presbyterians,
and Independents, before it was superseded by the far superior
compositions of Dr. Watts. These Psalms, however, like those of the
English and Scotch establishment, were drawled out in notes of equal
length, without accent or variety. Even the introduction of the
triple-time tunes, probably about the time of Dr. Watts’s psalms, gave
also great offence to some people, because it marked the accent of the
measure. Old Mr. Thomas Bradbury used to call this time “a long leg and
a short one.” The beautiful compositions of Dr. Watts, Mr. C. Wesley,
and others, have produced a considerable revolution in modern psalmody.
Better versions of the Psalms, and many excellent collections of hymns,
are now in use, and may be considered as highly important gifts bestowed
upon the modern church of God.
reading or with the singing of psalms. We are not to understand this as
if their psalmody was performed in one course of many psalms together,
without intermission, but rather, with some respite, and a mixture of
other parts of divine service, to make the whole more agreeable and
delightful. As to the persons concerned in singing the Psalms publicly
in the church, they may be considered in four different respects,
according to the different ways of psalmody; for sometimes the Psalms
were sung by one person alone; and sometimes the whole assembly joined
together, men, women, and children: this was the most ancient and
general practice. At other times the Psalms were sung alternately; the
congregation dividing themselves into two parts, and singing verse for
verse. Beside all these, there was yet a fourth way of singing, pretty
common in the fourth century, which was, when a single person began the
verse, and the people joined with him in the close.
Psalmody was always esteemed a considerable part of devotion, and upon
that account was usually performed in the standing posture. As to the
voice or pronunciation, used in singing, it was of two sorts, the plain
song, and the more artificial; the plain song was only a gentle
inflexion, or turn of the voice, not very different from the chanting in
our cathedrals; the artificial song seems to have been a regular musical
composition, like our anthems. It was no objection against the psalmody
of the church, that she sometimes made use of psalms and hymns of human
composition, beside those of the inspired writers. St. Augustine himself
made a psalm of many parts, in imitation of the hundred and nineteenth,
to preserve his people from the errors of the Donatists. St. Hilary and
St. Ambrose likewise made many hymns, which were sung in their
respective churches. But two corruptions crept into the psalmody, which
the fathers declaim against with great zeal. The first was, the
introducing secular music, or an imitation of the light airs of the
theatre, in the devotions of the church. The other was, the regarding
more the sweetness of the composition than the sense and meaning;
thereby pleasing the ear, without raising the affections of the soul.
The use of musical instruments in singing of psalms, seems to be as
ancient as psalmody itself. The first psalm we read of was sung to a
timbrel, namely, that which Moses and Miriam sung after the deliverance
of the children of Israel from Egypt; and afterward, at Jerusalem, when
the temple was built, musical instruments were constantly used at their
public services. And this has been the common practice in all ages of
the church. When the use of organs was first introduced, is not
certainly known; but we find, that about A. D. 660, Constantine
Copronymus, emperor of Constantinople, sent a present of an organ to
King Pepin of France.
Clement Marot, groom of the bed chamber to Francis I., king of France,
was the first who engaged in translating the Psalms into metre. He
versified the first fifty at the instigation of Vatablus, Hebrew
professor at Paris; and afterward, upon his return to Geneva, he made an
acquaintance with Beza, who versified the rest, and had tunes set to
them; and thus they began to be sung in private houses, and afterward
were brought into the churches of the French and other countries. In
imitation of this version, Sternhold, one of the grooms of the privy
chamber to our King Edward VI., undertook a translation of the Psalms
into metre. He went through but thirty-seven of them, the rest being
soon after finished by Hopkins and others. This translation was at first
discountenanced by many of the clergy, who looked upon it as done in
opposition to the practice of chanting the Psalms in the cathedrals.
Early in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, metrical psalmody was introduced
into this country. The new morning prayer began at St. Antholin’s,
London, when a psalm was sung in the Geneva fashion, all the
congregation, men, women, and boys singing together. Bishop Jewel says,
that “the singing of psalms, begun in one church in London, did quickly
spread itself, not only through the city, but in the neighbouring
places; sometimes at Paul’s Cross six thousand people singing together.”
A curious controversy on this subject arose among the Dissenters in the
end of the seventeenth century. Whether singing in public worship had
been partially discontinued during the times of persecution to avoid
informers, or whether the miserable manner in which it was performed
gave persons a distaste to it, so it appears, that in 1691, Mr. Benjamin
Keach published a tract entitled, “The Breach Repaired in God’s Worship:
or, Psalms, Hymns, &c, proved to be a Holy Ordinance of Jesus Christ.”
To us it may appear strange that such a point should be disputed; but
Mr. Keach was obliged to labour earnestly, and with a great deal of
prudence and caution, to obtain the consent of his people to sing a hymn
at the conclusion of the Lord’s Supper. After six years more, they
agreed to sing on the thanksgiving days; but it required still fourteen
years more before he could persuade them to sing every Lord’s day; and
then it was only after the last prayer, that those who chose it might
withdraw without joining in it! Nor did even this satisfy these
scrupulous consciences; for, after all, a separation took place, and the
inharmonious seceders formed a new church in May’s Pond, where it was
above twenty years longer before singing the praises of God could be
endured. It is difficult at this period to believe it; but Mr. Ivimey
quotes Mr. Crosby, as saying, that Mr. Keach’s was the first church in
which psalm singing was introduced. This remark, however, must probably
be confined to the Baptist churches. The Presbyterians, it seems, were
not quite so unmusical; for the Directory of the Westminster divines
distinctly stated, that “it is the duty of Christians to praise God
publicly by singing of Psalms together in the congregation.” And beside
the old Scotch Psalms, Dr. John Patrick, of the Charter house, made a
version which was in very general use among Dissenters, Presbyterians,
and Independents, before it was superseded by the far superior
compositions of Dr. Watts. These Psalms, however, like those of the
English and Scotch establishment, were drawled out in notes of equal
length, without accent or variety. Even the introduction of the
triple-time tunes, probably about the time of Dr. Watts’s psalms, gave
also great offence to some people, because it marked the accent of the
measure. Old Mr. Thomas Bradbury used to call this time “a long leg and
a short one.” The beautiful compositions of Dr. Watts, Mr. C. Wesley,
and others, have produced a considerable revolution in modern psalmody.
Better versions of the Psalms, and many excellent collections of hymns,
are now in use, and may be considered as highly important gifts bestowed
upon the modern church of God.