The Genevan Psalter

Christians have been singing the Psalms for two millennia, following the example of their Jewish forebears. There have been many ways to sing the Psalms, including byzantine, ambrosian and gregorian chant. In the 16th century the Reformers composed metrical psalms which could be sung more easily by entire congregations. Thus the liturgy was put back in the hands (or lips) of the people, who could now join their voices in songs of praise, thanksgiving, lamentation and imprecation. One of the most enduring of the 16th century psalters is the Genevan Psalter, which was compiled over a period of decades and finally completed in 1562.



I myself became fascinated by this Psalter in the mid-1980s, undertaking to versify as many as possible of the biblical Psalms so they could be sung to the Genevan tunes. Psalm-singing went into eclipse in most protestant churches during the 18th century, but it is making a comeback at the beginning of a new century.