Update: The Psalm Project

Earlier this year I was privileged to hear The Psalm Project when they came to Redeemer during their North American tour. They have now released their third Dutch-language album, Ik roep tot U (I call to you). Here are excerpts:


We have reason to hope they'll release an English-language version of this album in the not too distant future.

An update to the update: I have been informed that an English album may follow in the spring of 2013 followed by another North American tour in September. Prachtig!

Psalms 50 and 93

Our church is taking a breather from the pastor's sermon series on the Psalms, as we had a guest preacher yesterday. But Ernst Stolz continues his clockwork postings of the Psalms with the fiftieth:


And in honour of yesterday's celebration of the Sunday of Christ the King, we hear Psalm 93 as posted by the indomitable ijsselm (short perhaps for Ijsselmeer?).

Psalm 49: You can't take it with you

Once again our pastor, Dr. Ervine, and Dutch musician Ernst Stolz appear to be co-ordinating their treatment of the Psalms. Ervine's sermon, You Can't Take it With You!, is based on Psalm 49. Once again, hours after it was preached, Stolz posted his own performance of the psalm:

Then sings my Seoul: Psalm 104

The youtube user calling himself huang867 has posted a video of his congregation singing Genevan Psalm 104:


I myself have been working on and off on a versification of this psalm for a few years now. I have made it only as far as verse 15, although I have composed a harmonization for the melody. When I have finished a complete text, I will, of course, post it on my website.

Psalm 48: the city of our God

Ernst Stolz and Central Presbyterian Church in Hamilton seem to be making their way through the Psalms at exactly the same pace. Our pastor, Dr. Clyde Ervine, preached on Psalm 48: The Holy City. Hours later, Stolz posted his performance of the Genevan tune for that same psalm:

The Psalm Project: Psalm 67

The Psalm Project has posted another performance, this time of Psalm 67, a harvest psalm appropriate to this time of year. Although they do sing in English, this one is in the Dutch language.

Stolz: Psalm 47

Stolz's postings of the Psalms continue with Psalm 47. This is one of my favourite of the Genevan melodies.


Although this is a lovely rendition, it seems to me that this psalm needs to be performed or sung at a brisker and more energetic pace, given its subject matter. I rather like this enthusiastic performance below:


Coincidentally, Psalm 47 was the Old Testament reading at our church this past sunday. My wife was the lector, and the choir sang this wonderful rendition by Ralph Vaughan Williams, which was followed by an inspiring sermon by the Rev. Dr. Clyde Ervine. You had to be there.

Ein' feste Burg: Reformation

Two days ago I posted Ernst Stolz's rendition of Genevan Psalm 46. Today, as we observe the anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation, it is appropriate to post Martin Luther's christological version of Psalm 46, Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott, known in English as A Mighty Fortress Is our God:


Here is a compelling musical elaboration of the same melody, Intrada: Ein feste Burg, arranged by English composer Ray Farr and performed by the Brassband Willebroek of Belgium.

The Psalms: voice of the martyrs

Peter Leithart publishes his thoughts on the bloodshed in Nigeria, as Boko Haram continues its persecution of the church in that troubled land: Voice of the martyrs. The Psalms play a crucial role here:

In many churches, prayers for vindication and judgment are considered barbaric and sub-Christian. Things would look different, I expect, if Boko Haram were breathing down our necks. We would be eager to call on a defender. And things look different in the Psalms, the prayer book of the church. Pleas for judgment are not confined to a handful of fanatical “imprecatory” Psalms. On the contrary, few appeals are more pervasive and prominent in the Psalter than the cry for just vengeance.

It is implicit in Psalm 2: “Do homage to the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way.” It is in Psalm 3: “Arise, Yahweh; save me, O my God! For You have smitten my enemies on the cheek; you have shattered the teeth of the wicked.” And in Psalm 5: “Hold them guilty, O God, by their own devices let them fall.” And Psalm 6: “All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed; they shall turn back, they shall suddenly be ashamed.” It is even more explicit in Psalm 7: “Vindicate me, O Yahweh, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me . . . [My enemy’s] mischief will return upon his own head; and his violence will descend upon his own pate.” And Psalm 9: “You rebuke the nations; You have destroyed the wicked . . . The enemy has come to an end in perpetual ruins.” In Psalm 10, David prays for a new exodus: “Arise, O Yahweh; O God, lift up Your hand. Do not forget the afflicted. . . . Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer, seek out his wickedness until You find none.”

There are 140 Psalms left, and we already know that this is a hymnal full of war Psalms, cries of the afflicted, petitions for vindication and deliverance. These are the prayers shrewdly designed for a martyr church. The Psalter articulates the voice of the martyrs.

From one of the comments below Leithart's post:

Anyone who does the Roman Catholic liturgical hour of the Office of Readings knows well the Psalms of supplication and lamentation. They provide the trunk of the Office on which the sacred texts of the Readings depend. Thank you for calling attention to them as an integral part of the Christian heritage.

Reading through the Psalms on a daily basis is a good way to remember the martyrs and to pray for our persecuted brethren around the globe.

Stolz: Psalm 46

Is it coincidental that our good friend Ernst Stolz has recorded Psalm 46 only two days before we observe the 495th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation? It does appear to be, given that this was the next psalm in the numerical order in which he has been performing them. In any event, this tune is one of my personal favourites, and Stolz's rendition is very nice indeed.

Gaël Liardon - Ouverture et fugue sur le psaume 47

Imagine Bach composing a fugue based on Genevan Psalm 47, and this is what it might sound like:


Incidentally, this video and yesterday's were drawn to my attention by Lucas Freire.

Ensemble Sweelinck de Genève: Pseaume 1

Sweelinck in Hungary: Psalm 24

Judging from the youtube postings, one would think that the whole population of Hungary is divided into hundreds of thousands of choral groups. This is the Óbudai Kamarakórus, conducted by Erdős Ákos:

'To every generation': Psalm 145

This past monday the Redeemer Faculty Association hosted a retirement gathering for Dr. Jacob Ellens, who came to the university as a history professor the same year I did: 1987. During the 25 years we served together, I came to love and respect Ellens as a Christian man of utmost integrity and compassion. He brought to his work a strong sense of the communion of the saints and especially of our debt as Reformed Christians to the early centuries of the church. Ellens' profound catholic sensibility caused him to appreciate the larger christian liturgical tradition as well. Accordingly, Ellens was most supportive of my work with the Psalms, even though it took me well outside my field of formal competence.

During the gathering I was privileged to sing the first two stanzas of Psalm 145, according to my own versified text and arrangement of the melody, accompanied by my esteemed French colleague, Dr. Thea VanTil Rusthoven. Here are the first two stanzas:

My God and King, I'll tell abroad your fame,
and I will ever bless your holy name.
From day to day I'll bless your majesty,
and praise your name through all eternity.
Great is the LORD and worthy of our praises;
great is his name, surpassing earthly places.
Your works are told to every generation,
your mighty acts throughout the whole creation.

Upon the splendour of your majesty
and on your works I'll ponder ceaselessly.
Your mighty wonders we will celebrate,
and I will tell abroad your marvels great.
They'll celebrate your goodness overflowing,
and sing aloud your righteousness all-knowing.
The LORD is merciful and very gracious,
slow to be angry, full of loving kindness.

Stolz: Psalm 44

Stolz: Psalm 43

Psalms 42 and 43 were almost certainly a single psalm in the Hebrew. Nevertheless, they are canonically distinct, as reflected in virtually every translation of the Bible and, of course, the Genevan Psalter. Ernst Stolz continues his steady march through the Psalms with Psalm 43:

Stolz: Psalm 42

This is, of course, one of the best known of the Genevan tunes in the English-speaking world:

Stolz: Psalms 40 and 41

'No comment' department

Stolz: Psalms 31 through 39

Ernst Stolz appears to have turned off the embedding function on his videos, so I will have to content myself with linking to his performances of Psalms 31 through 39 and let you play them for yourselves. It has been almost exactly a year since he began posting these. At this rate one can assume that, if he maintains the same pace, he will make his way through the entire Genevan Psalter in not quite three years. Perhaps by then he will consider releasing a recording of the entire collection, which would be a valuable contribution towards making it better known outside of those places where it is still sung.