Tag Archives: Psalms

In chapter 9, “Reading Simple Psalm Notation” and chapter 11, “Reading Gregorian Notation,” Cynthia Bourgeault’s Chanting the Psalms begins to expand our repertoire of psalm tones and (hopefully) our ability to make some sense out of what we may see … Continue reading →

Continuing our blog through Cynthia Bourgeault’s Chanting the Psalms, we now come to the more practically oriented second part of the book. Chapter 7, “Finding Your Voice” addresses a major obstacle some face in adding psalmody to their program of … Continue reading →

In “Psalters and Sourcebooks,” the sixth chapter of Chanting the Psalms, Cynthia Bourgeault gives a summary of some of the resources available for people who are serious about psalmody. Of course, the obvious place to start is with the Bible … Continue reading →

In chapter 6 of Chanting the Psalms, Cynthia Bourgeault discusses the traditional four senses of Scripture and their connection with sacred psalmody. Titled “The Psalms as Soul Music,” this chapter argues that the constant “ingestion” of the Psalms in the … Continue reading →

What is a believer to do with the “shadow material” in the Psalms? I’m referring to those passages that lash out in anger, asking God to destroy one’s enemies—often described in graphic cruelty. The notorious lines from Psalm 137:8-9 are … Continue reading →

The third chapter of Cynthia Bourgeault’s Chanting the Psalms is titled, “Psalmody as Christian Yoga.” The emphasis of this chapter is on four fundamental elements that comprise Christian chant, but she begins by noting the spiritual power that seems to … Continue reading →

David Koyzis, the Byzantine-Rite Calvinist, wrote a piece on “The Decline of Psalms in the Liturgy” last week while I was on the road. He has done a good deal of work on the metrical psalmody of the Reformed tradition, … Continue reading →

If there is a clear deficiency in Cynthia Bourgeault’s Chanting the Psalms, it lies in the gap between chapter 1, “The Psalms of Ancient Israel,” and chapter 2, “Early Monastic Psalmody.” In short, she has nothing to say about the … Continue reading →

Cynthia Bourgeault’s Chanting the Psalms is arranged in three parts. Part One, “The Hidden Wisdom of Psalmody,” explores something of the history and rationale of psalm-chanting, with particular emphasis on the Western monastic tradition within Christianity. Part Two, “Chanting the … Continue reading →

In some ways I’m a contemplative trapped in a husband and father’s body. I am deeply enriched by contemplative practices such as lectio divina, centering prayer, and the like, but fight a constant battle to work them into the natural … Continue reading →