What is good psalm singing?

[DracoM]

Every week or so, experts / practitioners in the Forum talk about 'good psalm-singing'.

So, how about a few thoughts on what constitutes good psalm singing? And why it is so prized.

[Pulcinella]

I'm sure that lots of comments will be made on what I hope will be an interesting thread, but for me the prime emphasis should be on diction/articulation.
I know there are critics of the King's style under Willcocks, but I do like to hear the final 'd's and 't's on words.

As a northern lad, I prefer hard vowels too, rather than the 'lazier' southern versions.
I was in the minster here for evensong yesterday (an incomprehensible part of Psalm 119!) and the singing was unaccompanied: very fine, but.......; all the more odd as there was a splendidly articulated 't' in the middle of a word.

[DracoM]

Slight sideline:
just some across this online:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nETE33DWrg

From 1985. Psalm singing in the relatively dry acoustic of CCCOx, BUT does the acoustic influence DoM's in how they teach psalm singing?

[Bella Kemp]

I am often fascinated when at those rare times we sing psalms in church I get lost but then sort of know where things are going and manage a half dozen notes in perfect succession. One hears the same sort of thing in football crowds (no, not singing psalms alas!) but when suddenly in unison a thousand voices start to sing. How does this happen? Is there any relation to how swarms of starlings swoop and swerve without bumping into each other?

[Spitzflute]

For my money, the LP, "Psalms of consolation and hope' transferred to CD and available as YouTube playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...of+consolation
has never been bettered in terms of diction, sensitivity to the text, musicality and incredible sense of spiritual and intimate worship.
Good old GHG- what a legend.

[jonfan]

For my money, the LP, "Psalms of consolation and hope' transferred to CD and available as YouTube playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...of+consolation
has never been bettered in terms of diction, sensitivity to the text, musicality and incredible sense of spiritual and intimate worship.
Good old GHG- what a legend.

and AN is a worthy disciple, seeing him in action he gets every nuance out of the text with his expressive gestures.
Interpreting the text is all important and the chant and accompaniment should serve that. The organ can colour in dramatic ways but should be in the background in support of the singers and also not sustaining chords but taking breaths with the choir. I enjoy unaccompanied singing and especially moving from one chant to another to distant keys in daring ways. Oxford Psalter my favourite pointing.
Choice of chant should reflect the mood and have an interesting harmonic underlay as well as tune (allegedly Dvorak said at a St Paul’s CE ‘Why are they singing the same bad tune over and over again?’) ie the chant should never become boring no matter how many times it’s repeated.
It’s good to hear on CE that the psalms are nearly always presented with great care and variety that makes one pay attention. Long may that continue.

[DracoM]

Totally agree about GHG and St J's psalm singing. Many thx for link.

[W.Kearns]

I'd suggest that good psalm singing is prized on account of its presentation of the text for reflection - in other words, the choir works with the chant to offer a trenchant account of the Scriptural words. Arguably, it is one of those arts where you have to have direct words-on-the-tongue experience to appreciate the skill it takes. Cathedrals and foundations like St John's have - I surmise - time and scope to teach and develop it, but I wonder how far psalm-singing survives at parish choir level - ?

[Spitzflute]

and AN is a worthy disciple, seeing him in action he gets every nuance out of the text with his expressive gestures.
Interpreting the text is all important and the chant and accompaniment should serve that. The organ can colour in dramatic ways but should be in the background in support of the singers and also not sustaining chords but taking breaths with the choir. I enjoy unaccompanied singing and especially moving from one chant to another to distant keys in daring ways. Oxford Psalter my favourite pointing.
Choice of chant should reflect the mood and have an interesting harmonic underlay as well as tune (allegedly Dvorak said at a St Paul’s CE ‘Why are they singing the same bad tune over and over again?’) ie the chant should never become boring no matter how many times it’s repeated.
It’s good to hear on CE that the psalms are nearly always presented with great care and variety that makes one pay attention. Long may that continue.

More than agree that AN is a worthy successor. His psalmody has reached new heights, and is always a sublime and deeply moving part of their recorded evensongs, and was also the case when I have heard them live under his direction. An enormous richness there. Lucky Cambridge!

[omega consort]

, but I wonder how far psalm-singing survives at parish choir level - ?

Well...…...we sing Psalms at my church (at evensong only), and we sing at Cathedrals - usually a week in the Summer, when we spend a great deal of time over the Psalms appointed for the day. The men always seem to enjoy them, and the trebles also get a great deal out of it. I am sure there are a good number of Parish Church choirs around the country where this continues!

[ardcarp]

I am sure there are a good number of Parish Church choirs around the country where this continues!

I do hope you're right....but (cathedrals and colleges apart) I fear trad Anglican Psalmody is probably on the decline.

[W.Kearns]

Well...…...we sing Psalms at my church (at evensong only), and we sing at Cathedrals - usually a week in the Summer, when we spend a great deal of time over the Psalms appointed for the day. The men always seem to enjoy them, and the trebles also get a great deal out of it. I am sure there are a good number of Parish Church choirs around the country where this continues!

Very warm hearted cheers to you and your choir, Omega Consort, but I cannot help thinking that the activity and commitment that you describe may be a rather wonderful exception to the general pattern of things. Regular Sunday Evensong ceased in my local parish church about eleven or twelve years ago (and was much missed by the regular, if small, congregation.) We are fortunate to have a choir which sings for the Sunday morning Eucharist (no psalmody) three times a month.

[omega consort]

Very warm hearted cheers to you and your choir, Omega Consort, but I cannot help thinking that the activity and commitment that you describe may be a rather wonderful exception to the general pattern of things. Regular Sunday Evensong ceased in my local parish church about eleven or twelve years ago (and was much missed by the regular, if small, congregation.) We are fortunate to have a choir which sings for the Sunday morning Eucharist (no psalmody) three times a month.

That is a shame. Evensong is actually well attended; we only do it once a month and it is fully choral (without a sermon of course!) and so is an "event" (so to speak) worth waiting for. I also think if the director likes Psalms then that cascades downwards through the choir. I always use interesting chants and well-thought pointing and ensure the trebles know what they are singing about!