The tragedy of protestant liturgy: a cri de coeur

Too many Christians sit through the liturgy each sunday, going for weeks without singing a metrical psalm from, say, the Genevan or Scottish Psalters; one of the German chorales by Martin Luther, Paul Gerhardt or Johan Crüger; one of the English hymns of Isaac Watts or the Wesleys; one of John Mason Neale’s translations of the ancient Greek and Latin hymns; or even one of the more recent contributions of Fred Pratt Green or Erik Routley. These same Christians can go for years – even decades – and never hear the music of Palestrina, Tallis, Gibbons, Bach or Vaughan Williams in the course of a church service. Kyrie eleison!