The Psalms Sung - Volume 3

Text: Scottish Psalter (1650)  Recorded at Free North, Inverness,  Free Church of Scotland (Meter: CM) Recording taken from: http://www.psalms.4t.com/page2.html

 1  I joyed when to the house of God,
       Go up, they said to me.
 2  Jerusalem, within thy gates
       our feet shall standing be.

 3  Jerus'lem, as a city, is
       compactly built together:
 4  Unto that place the tribes go up,
       the tribes of God go thither:

    To Isr'el's testimony, there
       to God's name thanks to pay.
 5  For thrones of judgment, ev'n the thrones
       of David's house, there stay.

 6  Pray that Jerusalem may have
       peace and felicity:
    Let them that love thee and thy peace
       have still prosperity.

 7  Therefore I wish that peace may still
       within thy walls remain,
    And ever may thy palaces
       prosperity retain.

 8  Now, for my friends' and brethren's sakes,
       Peace be in thee, I'll say.
 9  And for the house of God our Lord,
       I'll seek thy good alway.

Psalm 122 (Tune: Free Church)

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Text: Scottish Psalter (1650)  Recorded at Dowanvale Free Church of Scotland (Meter: CM)

 1  God's mercies I will ever sing;
         and with my mouth I shall
      Thy faithfulness make to be known
         to generations all.

   2  For mercy shall be built, said I,
         for ever to endure;
      Thy faithfulness, ev'n in the heav'ns,
         thou wilt establish sure.

   3  I with my chosen One have made
         a cov'nant graciously;
      And to my servant, whom I loved,
         to David sworn have I;

   4  That I thy seed establish shall
         for ever to remain,
      And will to generations all
         thy throne build and maintain.

   5  The praises of thy wonders, Lord,
         the heavens shall express;
      And in the congregation
         of saints thy faithfulness.

Psalm 89 v1-6 (Tune: Dunfermline)

Text: Scottish Psalter (1650) Recorded Arbroath FCC Youth Weekend
(Meter: CM)

31  If they my laws break, and do not
         keep my commandements;
  32  I'll visit then their faults with rods,
         their sins with chastisements.

  33  Yet I'll not take my love from him,
         nor false my promise make.
  34  My cov'nant I'll not break, nor change
         what with my mouth I spake.

  35  Once by my holiness I sware,
         to David I'll not lie;
  36  His seed and throne shall, as the sun,
         before me last for aye.

  37  It, like the moon, shall ever be
         established stedfastly;
      And like to that which in the heav'n
         doth witness faithfully.

  38  But thou, displeased, hast cast off,
         thou didst abhor and loathe;
      With him that thine anointed is
         thou hast been very wroth.

Psalm 89 v31-38 (Tune: Winchester)

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Ere ever thou hadst formed the earth,
         and all the world abroad;
      Ev'n thou from everlasting art
         to everlasting God.

   3  Thou dost unto destruction
         man that is mortal turn;
      And unto them thou say'st, Again,
         ye sons of men, return.

   4  Because a thousand years appear
         no more before thy sight
      Than yesterday, when it is past,
         or than a watch by night.

   5  As with an overflowing flood
         thou carry'st them away:
      They like a sleep are, like the grass
         that grows at morn are they.

   6  At morn it flourishes and grows,
         cut down at ev'n doth fade.
   7  For by thine anger we're consumed,
         thy wrath makes us afraid.

From the Scottish Psalter of 1650

Psalm 90 v2-7 (Tune: Huddersfield)

Text: Scottish Psalter (1650)  Recorded at Arbroath FCC Youth weekend(Meter: CM)

1  In Judah's land God is well known,
         his name's in Isr'el great:
   2  In Salem is his tabernacle,
         in Zion is his seat.

   3  There arrows of the bow he brake,
         the shield, the sword, the war.
   4  More glorious thou than hills of prey,
         more excellent art far.

   6  When thy rebuke, O Jacob's God,
         had forth against them past,
      Their horses and their chariots both
         were in a dead sleep cast.

   7  Thou, Lord, ev'n thou art he that should
         be feared; and who is he
      That may stand up before thy sight,
         if once thou angry be?

Psalm 76 (Tune: Martyrs)

Text: Scottish Psalter (1650)  (Meter: CM)

1  How excellent in all the earth,
         Lord, our Lord, is thy name!
      Who hast thy glory far advanced
         above the starry frame.

 3  When I look up unto the heav'ns,
         which thine own fingers framed,
      Unto the moon, and to the stars,
         which were by thee ordained;

   4  Then say I, What is man, that he
         remembered is by thee?
      Or what the son of man, that thou
         so kind to him should'st be?

   5  For thou a little lower hast
         him than the angels made;
      With glory and with dignity
         thou crowned hast his head.

   6  Of thy hands' works thou mad'st him lord,
         all under's feet didst lay;
   7  All sheep and oxen, yea, and beasts
         that in the field do stray;

   8  Fowls of the air, fish of the sea,
         all that pass through the same.
   9  How excellent in all the earth,
         Lord, our Lord, is thy name!

Psalm 8 (Tune: Richmond)

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Text from the Scottish Metrical Psalter of 1650.

9  For he did speak the word, and done
         it was without delay;
      Establishèd it firmly stood,
         whatever he did say.

  10  God doth the counsel bring to naught
         which heathen folk do take;
      And what the people do devise
         of none effect doth make.

  11  O but the counsel of the Lord
         doth stand for ever sure;
      And of his heart the purposes
         from age to age endure.

  12  That nation blessèd is, whose God
         Jehovah is, and those
      A blessèd people are, whom for
         his heritage he chose.

Psalm 33 v9-12 (Tune: Irish)

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Psalm 15 sung acapella from The Scottish Metrical Psalter of 1650. (Meter: CM) Recorded by the Northern Presbytery Choir of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland.

1  Within thy tabernacle, Lord,
         who shall abide with thee?
      And in thy high and holy hill
         who shall a dweller be?

   2  The man that walketh uprightly,
         and worketh righteousness,
      And as he thinketh in his heart,
         so doth he truth express.

   3  Who doth not slander with his tongue,
         nor to his friend doth hurt;
      Nor yet against his neighbor doth
         take up an ill report.

   4  In whose eyes vile men are despised;
         but those that God do fear
      He honoureth; and changeth not,
         though to his hurt he swear.

   5  His coin puts not to usury,
         nor take reward will he
      Against the guiltless. Who doth thus
         shall never movèd be.

Psalm 15 (Tune: Grafenberg)

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Psalm 34 sung acapella from the Scottish Metrical Psalter of 1650.
Singing by Dowanvale Free Church of Scotland.

19  The troubles that afflict the just
         in number many be;
      But yet at length out of them all
         the Lord doth set him free.

  20  He carefully his bones doth keep,
         whatever can befall;
      That not so much as one of them
         can broken be at all.

  21  Ill shall the wicked slay; laid waste
         shall be who hate the just.
  22  The Lord redeems his servants' souls;
         none perish that him trust.

Psalm 34 v19-22 (Tune: Wiltshire)

PSALM 27 sung acapella from Sing Psalm (2003)(Produced by the Free Church of Scotland) Recorded at Dowanvale Free Church.

2 When evildoers threaten me
to take my life away,
My adversaries and my foes
will stumble in that day.

3 Although an army hems me in,
my heart will feel no dread;
Though war against me should arise,
I will lift up my head.

4 One thing I’ll plead before the LORD,
and this I’ll seek always:
That I may come within God’s house
and dwell there all my days—

That on the beauty of the LORD
I constantly may gaze,
And in his house may seek to know
direction in his ways.

Psalm 27 (Tune: Jackson)

https://soundcloud.com/scottishpsalmody

A page for Psalm Tunes & Individual Parts Sung, On Guitar & On Keyboard

"Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms." ~ Psalm 95 v 2.

"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms." ~ James 5 v 13.

"Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works!"
~ 1 Chronicles 16 v 9.

Psalm Tunes From:

*1650 Scottish Psalter
*Sing Psalms
*Irish Psalter
*Original Parts/Tunes & Non Psalter Tunes

*4 PART HARMONY SETs ARE IN ORDERS OF PSALM NUMBER 1-150 TUNE IS USUALLY DONE TO
*INDIVIDUAL PARTS SETS ARE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER OF TUNE NAME.

*Use your Blue/Red Scottish Psalter or Sing Psalms with Sol-fa parts/Staff to follow if you have one as a guide for learning.

4 Parts made up of:

Soprano - the melody tune
Bass - Men's low harmony
Tenor - Men's high harmony
Alto - Woman's Low Harmony

Psalm Metre Info:

The different kind of metres found in the Scottish Psalter are shown below, with the number of syllables in each line of a verse.

Scottish Psalter Metres:

(CM) = Common metre [8,6,8,6] 
(LM) = Long metre [8,8,8,8] - Ps 6(i), 102(ii), 145(ii) 
(SM) = Short metre {6,6,8,6] - (Ps 45(ii), 50(i), 67, 70) 
(CM Repeating) = Common metre repeating tune [8,6,8,6,6] 
(DCM) = Double common metre [over 2 verses] 
[8,6,8,6 Double] 
(6,6,6,6 Metre) - (Ps 143(ii) 
(6,6,6,6 Double metre) - (Ps 143(ii) 
(6,6,6,6,8,8 metre) 
(8,7,8,7 metre) - Ps 136(i)
(10,10,10,10,10 metre)

Others in SIng Psalms & Irish Psalter:
77 77 Metre

How it is recorded:

The recordings are simply over 2 verses, first verse is just the individual part then the tune comes in with the part in the second verse.

Note To Precentors & Harmony Learners:

I hope these resources will be a useful tool for anyone who wants to learn the harmonies set in the Scottish Psalter through either sol-fa or staff.

This will also help precentors become more familiar with the tunes avoiding panicking!

I have been inspired to learn and record the Psalms with the sol-fa harmony parts that go with each tune in the Scottish Psalm Psalters.

RECORDINGS INFO:

Playlist Sets:

*1. 1650 Scottish Psalter A Cappella Psalms - 4 separate recordings of a 4 part harmony - Soprano, Bass, Tenor & Alto.
*2. Sing Psalms A Cappella Psalms - 4 separate recordings of a 4 part harmony - Soprano, Bass, Tenor & Alto.
*3. Acoustic guitar - Psalm tunes with 4 parts

I hope this page helps others to memorise Psalms, learn parts and that it would most importantly be to His praise that I would use the gifts He has given me.

1650 SCOTTISH PSALTER INFO:

The Scottish Metrical version of the Psalms sung a cappella (exclusive psalmody - no instruments) 4 part harmony to metred Scottish Psalter Psalm tunes.

Scottish Psalter Link: 
www.covenantofgrace.com/metrical_psalms.htm

I love to play guitar & keyboard/piano in my spare time also and I thought it would be a good idea to learn the Psalm tunes on guitar & keyboard with the parts as I find it relaxing. I hope it benefits listeners whether just for relaxing or for making the parts clearer.

HOW I RECORD THE PSALMS & GUITAR:

All four parts are recorded in a stereo recording. Most recordings are recorded as follows: Soprano is positioned middle right, Bass middle left, Tenor left ear and Alto right ear. Headphones are recommended as you can hear the parts clearer.

The Psalms Sung - Volume 3

ScottishPsalmody