Gospel Psalms: The 150 Psalms for Singing
A compact, complete Psalter designed to help sing more Psalms and sing the whole Psalter.
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Click here for index of Psalms with MP3 tunes.
Gospel Psalms: The 150 Psalms for Singing
Gospel Psalms is a compact, complete psalter designed to encourage more psalm singing and full psalm singing in the worship of the church.
Produced jointly by Lakewood Presbyterian Church (PCA) of Dallas, Texas, and Naphtali Press, Gospel Psalms grew out of a desire to sing the Psalms more regularly—not merely a familiar Psalm here and there, but the whole Psalter. The result is a small 256-page Psalter with music (SATB) for every Psalm, that easily sits with the Bible and other aids used in worship, designed especially for congregations that want to incorporate more Psalm singing into their worship and to give the entire Psalter a place in the church’s song.
150 Psalms, 149 Tunes
Rather than treating the Psalms primarily as collections of excerpts, Gospel Psalms assigns a single tune to each complete Psalm—including Psalm 119. Longer Psalms can be divided for singing at different points in worship. Psalm 42 and Psalm 43 share Genevan 42, reflecting the long-standing view that they may originally have formed a single composition.
The 149 tunes come from a wide variety of sources: older psalters, European and American folk traditions, the American singing-school tradition, the Genevan Psalter, modern composers, and hymn and psalm tunes that have largely fallen out of use. Among them is Patrick Doyle’s Non Nobis from Henry V, used for Psalm 115 (used with permission).
The tunes have been selected to suit the words in mood and spirit and to be singable and memorable for ordinary congregations. The melodies have generally been set at a range comfortable for congregational singing, with particular attention to the male voice.
Metrical Psalms with the Word of God in View
The Psalms in Gospel Psalms are metrical translations, seeking to preserve the meaning and wording of the Hebrew while accommodating the demands of poetry—meter, rhyme, and musical expression.
The standard English translations, with particular respect for the Authorized Version, have served as guides. The translators have sought to avoid unnecessary omissions and additions to the biblical text. Where an addition was necessary for the meter or poetry, it follows the traditional practice of the Authorized Version by being placed in italics.
Where translation and poetic considerations conflict, translation takes precedence. A dagger (†) identifies places where a significant question of translation exists and a particular reading has been adopted. The volume also includes an explanation of the dagger markings.
The work has benefited substantially from earlier metrical psalters in the public domain, particularly the 1871 Psalter. In many places, these older versions have provided the foundation for the present text, while elsewhere the Psalms have been newly translated and versified.
The Psalms as the Word of Christ
The Psalms are not merely songs about religious experience. They are the inspired Word of God, given to teach, reprove, correct, and instruct God’s people. They speak of Christ and the work accomplished by Him, and they are themselves called “the word of Christ.”
In singing the Psalms, therefore, the church sings the very words God has given her. The voice of the psalmist becomes, ultimately, the voice of Christ: His obedience, suffering, triumph, kingdom, and glory are heard throughout the Psalter. As we sing, we are taught to think and speak according to the mind of Christ.
This conviction is at the heart of Gospel Psalms and gives the volume its name.
Helpful Indices
In addition to all 150 Psalms, the volume includes:
- Select Psalms by Subject
- First Lines
- Alphabetical Index of Tunes
- Numerical Index of Tunes
- Alphabetical Index of Composers and Sources
- Psalms Cited in the New Testament
- Psalms by Attribution
- Explanation of Dagger Markings
Gospel Psalms is offered especially for congregations, families, and individual Christians who want to sing more Psalms, sing the whole Psalter, and make the Psalms a regular part of the church’s song.