Setting the Psalms

John Calvin once said, "As for public prayers, there are two kinds: the ones with words alone, the others with singing." Music is inherently a religious expression. If we see religion as any system of beliefs by which you live, then music is an expression of those beliefs and, in turn, a hefty portion of cultural identity.

Each culture tells a remarkable story with music. They may tell us of a history of angst, a history of war, a history of joy and celebration, a history of derision, a history of families that loved one another, or a history of families divided. Each twanging string, each feisty beat, each rasping voice is telling the story of stories. And whether by reflecting God or by denying Him, each story offers us stark truths that carry on into our day to day lives.

For this undeniable power, music should never be taken for granted. It has the power to cross into each realm of study and discussion. It takes the magnificence of the scientific and mathematical worlds and breeds them closely and seamlessly with the worlds of art and history. Within our very pulse, the essence of music is built into our body's frame. This subject of music in the light of its grandeur and express capacity to glorify God in each realm of study is one that I will return to frequently. But in reality, whether discussed directly or indirectly, that idea is the foundation of everything music has to offer.

For today's scope of focus, we will look at a quick overview of the role of the Psalms in music history and otherwise, particularly as it pertains to Occidental cultures. This outline of psalms in Western music is pulled directly from the book The Gift of Music by Jane Stuart Smith and Betty Carlson. They very clearly illustrate the role of the psalms throughout music history. For their purposes, this initial outline is the perfect context for telling the cultural impacts and life stories of those who defined music as we know it.

Before A.D. 200, the history of music, as we can understand it, is dubious at best. Musical notation didn't really come together in a standardized form until later. However Hebrew tradition keenly valued music regardless of the presence of notation. What we do know concerning the music of God's chosen people is that it was mainly vocal, it utilized antiphonal singing (antiphony is the use of call and response in music), and some instrumental accompaniment.

The book of Psalms is foundational to every piece of music we have in Western music. The word "psalm" comes from psalmoi which is Greek for "twanging of harp strings". In Hebrew, the word is tehillium or "songs of praise".

The psalms themselves are mostly written by David. His unique story and the remarkable journey of his life has formed into the inspiration every musician feeds off of, regardless of their opinions on Scripture, the church, or God. The reason for this transcendence throughout the ages cannot be accredited to David or any of the other authors, although each author has a lot to offer. The reality is that once again, God uses His children to tell His story. God uses us, in our weakness and the frailty of our situations, to illustrate His glory and bring us to a peace that surpasses understanding.

David's story is the telling of every story ever told. The one who is smallest and most presumable to fail rises up and defeats the odds.  The glory of this unlikely hero then vanishes as the world surmounts him. Yet still, as the shattered glory resounds in painful echoes of memories and loneliness, the little hero holds on until the light of the dawn. There, victory meets our hero once again, and the unjust reap the consequences of their hate, disloyalty, and pride.

Without going into too much detail, David's story should be well conceived before jumping directly into the use of the psalms in music history. David's story is best understood through the context given by Samuel in I Samuel 16:7, "Man does not see what the LORD sees, for man sees what is visible, but the LORD sees the heart." David was the youngest of his family. He was the least considered in the line of his brothers. As a little shepherd boy, he learned to appreciate the small things and protect them with a fierceness. He hardened his hands defending his flock against the attacks of bears and lions. As the Israelite people came into a time of war with the Philistines, David witnessed his eldest brothers go to war only to be struck by a state of fear, alongside the rest of the nation at mention of one particular mammoth Philistine, Goliath. David could not bear the taunts of this Philistine coming against "the armies of the living God" and decidedly took on the challenge to face this giant. Despite the worry and concern of all the authority figures in David's life, David met Goliath in battle geared in nothing more than his sling, five smooth stones, and his God. Of course, this well-known tale ends with the victory of David and all of Israel. Goliath was slain. And the world came to know David and his God.

Now the real weight of the psalms comes from the time after this period of David's victory. David became a dependable and fierce warrior in battle. The country would sing his praises above that of their own king, King Saul. They sang, "Saul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands." King Saul went from loving David to cursing his existence. David went through one of the most austere yet common of life cycles in which those who loved him and praised his name turned to hate, violence, and destruction. Anyone he may have been able to call friend in the past was no longer a dependable ally. He had no one and nothing. The King wanted him dead. In our time and vantage point in Western culture, our understanding of this reality is limited at best. The concept that a major leader would not only have such childish jealous overcome both the ability to see that David deserved his gratitude and the ability to see the country's great need for David, but also that the leader would have no accountability to keep him from demanding David's death. The notion of having to flee our own country and loved ones because a violent leader wanted us wiped off the face of the earth is one that we can only come close to understanding by observing the stories of countless victims born into a wicked dictatorship. This burden was David's lot, and the facade of love shown unto him after he first saved the nation only served to deepen the great wound of isolation, fear, and injustice.

Eventually, David was given the opportunity to exact revenge on the wicked King. Yet even at that opportunity, David chose mercy and grace. David trusted in God more than he feared Saul, more than he feared Goliath, more than he feared the wild beasts who attempted to steal away that which he had a responsibility to guarder. Saul's wicked heart overcame him entirely, and he took his own life. David regained the love of his people, his status as a leader, and his good name. He became king--a king who would falter grievously on multiple occasions, but a king who knew the living God and would return helpless in repentance to His mercy seat.

In his lifetime, David faced the heart of mankind's greatest follies yet was known as a "man after God's own heart." Songs of praise welled up from within him, and now they lead us to the same mercy seat of the living God. Inherently, the give and take created in music that speaks directly to our souls is born from the angst and relief of genuine praise. The book of Psalms is a beautiful piece of poetry with impeccable imagery and brilliant juxtapositions--contrasting fear and mercy, hate and love, pride and humility, sin and righteousness, mankind and God. Each psalm praises God, either in thanking God for His provision or in trusting God with pleas for His provision. For these reasons and many more, the psalms are ideal subject matter for any artist.

With this context for the psalms, we can return to the outline of the psalms in Occidental culture depicted in The Gift of Music. For the purpose of achieving some historical plane of reference, I'll utilize the direction of the psalms painted in the introduction alongside a general timeline up through the Renaissance. However, a timeline depicting the Psalms throughout the ages can carry straight on through to the 20th century, so we will be returning to this discussion.

Ancient History  4500 to 1100 B.C.                                 Biblical Psalms

Classic 1100 B.C. to A.D. 500                              History of Western Music begins
Christ is crucified c. A.D. 33                              with clear notation c. A.D. 200

                                                                                The 8 Modes of music are in 
                                                                              development during this time.

Medieval 500 to A.D. 1400                                          Ambrosian and Gregorian Chants
                                                                                    Byzantine, Romanesque, Gothic                       

1. Ambrose, bishop of Milan (339-397)

• Gloria IV (Ambrosian, Cantus ad libitum) 
• Emphasized biblical Christianity
• Introduced antiphonal psalmody and hymns to Western music/ Ambrosian chant still sung today in Milan
•  Augustine (354-430) followed Ambrose
• Story goes that as Ambrose baptized Augustine, the two improvised Te Deum Laudamus (We Praise Thee, O God) in alternate verse. It was a practice of the Early Church to create hymns when inspired. Te Deum is believed to be written about that time (late 4th c.), one of the few texts composed then.

2. Pope Gregory I (reigned 590-604) 

• Gregorian Chant: Monastic Choir of the Abbey of St. Pierre de Solesmes, 1930 
•  Brought many musical reforms into the church
• Responsible for arranging systematic modes
• Gregorian chants were named for him
• Only men sang in chant services
• Gregorian chants have an impersonal, mystical quality--a powerful expression of Romanesque Art
• Three-fourths of Gregorian chants are made up of entire psalms or selected verses
• Gregorian chants are the source and inspiration of a large portion of all sacred Western music up to the 16th c.
  
  

Renaissance 1450 to 1600                                           Luther Chorales, Genevan Psalter
                                                                                   Reformation
                                                                                   Counter-Reformation

 3. Martin Luther (1483-1546)

• A Mighty Fortress is Our God (audio with visual interpretation of creation)   Please keep in mind that his original sounded much different than the sample provided here.
  
• Included music as a vital part of worship in the form of congregational chorale singing (all voices included)
• A time of musical Renaissance in German-speaking lands
• Chorale was a representation of Scripture
• Luther was an accomplished amateur and wrote chorales that spread Reformation throughout Europe.
• His most well-known work is "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" 
• He called the Psalter "a Bible in miniature"
• At discouraging news, was known to say, "Come, let's sing the 46th psalm"
• He once said, "He who despises music, as do all the fanatics, does not please me. Music is a gift of God, not a gift of men [...] After theology I accord to music the highest place and greatest honor."
 

 4. John Calvin (1509-1564)

• Genevan Psalter, Psalm 80 (excerpt) 
• Prohibited singing of texts that were not scriptural (or found in the Bible) 
• Various translations of Psalms set to music
• No elaborate music
• Genevan Psalter in a compilation of simple 4-part settings that are excellent for devotional music
• In preface to Genevan Psalter of 1542, Calvin connects music with prayer (also quoted at the start): "As for public prayers, there are two kinds: the ones with words alone, the others with singing."
 

 

 5. Louis Bourgeois

 

• Les Psaumes Huguenots, interpretation by guitartist Marcelo de la Puebla (no vocals)
•  Includes the Doxology-- doxa is "to praise", ology refers to "the study of"
• French Huguenots sang psalms in court and camp
• "It has been said that the Protestant Reformation exorcized a greater influence upon the historical course of religious music specifically and European music generally than any other movement initiated in the Renaissance."