Psalmsingers Home

Welcome to the Psalmsingers website!

“…the Psalms are designed to awaken and shape our emotions in line with the instruction they give…when you read and sing the Psalms the way they are intended to be read and sung…your emotions and your mind are shaped by these psalms…The Psalms are inspired by God. They are not merely the word of man, but they are also the word of God. What that means is that God guided what was written and arranged so that the Psalms teach the truth and, when properly understood, they give the right direction to the emotions.” (John Piper)

The Psalms also help us learn to talk to ourselves, rather than just listen to ourselves (to all those thoughts in our head). As Ed Welch counsels in Talking to our Souls “…there are a handful of psalms in which the psalmists speak to themselves…There are times when we must learn to speak to ourselves.”

Christians have been singing more from the Psalms in recent years. May the resources you find on this website enable you to sing more of the Psalms for your encouragement and to the glory of God our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer.

This website was constructed to primarily share about the 1650 version of the Psalter which is know as The Psalms of David in Metre. Many have been singing from the red Scottish and Irish split-leaf psalters that contain the words of The Psalms of David in Metre along with tunes appropriate for each psalm. We include references to other Psalters on this website along with some historical background.

The Scottish Psalmody

A Psalter is a book containing the metrical form of the words to the 150 Psalms. Many refer to a book which also contains tunes and harmonies as “Psalmody”, a type of hymnbook. This website uses “Psalter” for both formats. The Scottish and Irish split-leaf psalters were out of print when the Supplement was published in 2012. Thankfully, however, a reprinting of Scottish psalter version The Scottish Psalmody was published around 2017 by the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) and is available in the USA and UK.

As an introduction to singing the Psalms, here is Psalm 23 from the 1650 Psalter sung to the tune Crimond, provided by Connor Quigley at SoundCloud: Crimond for Psalm 23

"The Psalms of David in Metre" (Black Psalter)
The Psalms of David in Metre (Black Psalter)

The Psalms of David in Metre – A Supplement is offered through this site. It was published to assist you in the singing of Psalms. The Supplement (instruction book) was prepared to provide tunes and practical instruction when using the The Psalms of David in Metre (often called the Black Psalter).

If you are aware of a resource not listed, please let us know…  For example, recently (8/2022) we learned of a psalter published sometime within the last decade. It’s encouraging to see this as one evidence of how God is reviving His church. This is a great product which is reminiscent of the 1650 Psalter (The Scottish Psalmody). This newer psalter uses more modern wording and although it’s not split-leaf, does offer various tune options per psalm. As their website states, “Julie and Timothy Tennent have faithfully set the biblical text into poetical form…not writing new poetry about the text, but following the exact text of the psalm as closely as possible.”  It’s referred to by some as the Seedbed Psalter, however the official title is A Metrical Psalter. More information can be found at seedbed.com. Their website is a rich resource! Highly recommended!                                    

2 thoughts on “Psalmsingers Home

  1. 7/26/21 I’m seeking to determine if the following resource is still available. This is linked above at http://www.sing-the-psalms.webs.com/resources.htm….
    The description says “Learning to Sing the Psalms (with accompanying CD) Sol-fa  Part 1: Psalmody and Good Practice – deals with the contents and distinctiveness of the Scottish Psalter, the place of Singing in public worship, the role of the Precentor and the minister.  Includes:  basics of good singing, choosing the right tune, addressing problems in congregational singing and training for the Precentor.” — ESulzmann
    If anyone is aware of a way to obtain it, would you please let psalmsingers.com know? Thank you!

    • 7/27/21 Reply from “Worthy to be Praised” for anyone interested in their resource. FYI they are also on FB.
      “we still offer “Learning to Sing the Psalms (with accompanying CD) Sol-fa”. Please email psalmody@fccontinuing.org to arrange your purchase.” — Worthy to be Praised

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