Coinciding with the publication of the new edition of Cântările Psalmilor, Psalmii Cântați has posted several new recordings of some of the Psalms in this collection on its YouTube channel. Here are a few of these posted recently. Incidentally, the Psalm conference in Oradea is only days away.
Here is Psalm 2:
Along with the copy of Goudimel's arrangements of the Genevan Psalms, I received as well a copy of a new psalter and hymnal, Treasury of Psalms and Hymns, Revised, which has just been published by NoteWorthy Music Services. Michael Owens, who sent me this, is compiler and editor. Like Cantus Christi, which I reviewed two years ago, it is an encyclopaedic collection of liturgical music covering several centuries and incorporating a range of traditions. In fact, it is almost certainly the most extensive and impressive collection I have come across, boasting 1,133 songs! As you might imagine, this makes for an exceedingly heavy volume, one which someone my age or older might find difficult to hold while standing throughout the course of several stanzas.
Nevertheless, what stood out for me in these three memorial services is the extent to which they focussed, not so much on the Queen's life and witness, but on the person of Jesus Christ whom she trusted as her Saviour. To be sure, there was some eulogizing, especially by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, during the funeral.
This week I received in the post a package from my friend Michael Owens containing among other things, a ring-bound copy of The Genevan Psalms, arranged by Claude Goudimel 1565, edited and adapted by Harry van Dop, Revised Mazmur Edition. The Genevan Psalms were originally meant to be sung a cappella by the 16th-century Reformed congregations, but only three years after its completion, Goudimel arranged them for four-part harmony. This collection originated with a similar collection published in Indonesia in 1987, which became popular in the Netherlands, Germany, and Canada.
If you speak or understand one of the western Romance languages, you may be able to make sense of much of this video, introducing this impressive-looking Romanian-language metrical psalter, the product of the collaborative effort of Nicolae Moldoveanu and Traian Dorz. I'd love to receive a copy of this. At the end is an announcement for the upcoming conference devoted to the Psalter to take place in Oradea, Romania, on 30 September and 1 October 2022.
Today a service of remembrance was held at St. Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh, for Her Majesty the Queen. Because St. Giles is a congregation of the Church of Scotland, the service included portions of the Psalms. The worshippers sang the familiar Psalm 100 from the Scottish Psalter of 1650, All People that on Earth Do Dwell. The choir sang the opening sentences from Psalms 51:15 and 40:13/70:1. The presiding minister followed with the votum from Psalm 124:8. The choir then sang Psalm 116 to Anglican chant. Finally, the congregation sang Psalm 23 to CRIMMOND.
A conference devoted to singing the Psalms will take place in Oradea, Romania, on 30 September and 1 October 2022. Here is Jonathan Hunt issuing an invitation in English with Romanian subtitles: Invitație la Conferința despre cântul Psalmilor, de Jonathan Hunt.
Psalmii Cântați has posted another Romanian-language Psalm. This one is the very first, and it's a lovely rendition: Psalmul 1 cântat de Felicia Guriță din CÂNTĂRILE PSALMILOR (N. Moldoveanu & T. Dorz):
