Project Psalms

Lovers of psalmody will be glad to know that Project Psalms is undertaking the first comprehensive Psalms recording project in English, using the Scottish Psalter of 1650. Their goal is to produce the most memorable way to learn the Psalms.

For a long time, my personal favorite audio recording from the 1650 Scottish Metrical Psalter has been that 5-volume CD set produced by the Northern Presbytery Choir of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland (available at Crown & Covenant Publications here). However, although it is a beautiful group recording, it does not cover all the Psalms in the Psalter.

For Project Psalms, an individual professional tenor, Neil Mason, is currently recording the entire Psalter, which means all 150 Psalms, which is projected to include 386 song segments over approximately 3 hours (15 audio CDs/4 MP3 CDs), and it is expected to be completed by the end of 2011, Lord willing.

The 1650 Scottish Metrical Psalter is the text being employed, but the tunes are primarily derived from the 1979 Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland split-leaf Psalter edition, and include many that will familiar to most, including, such as the tunes from "Amazing Grace," "Crown Him With Many Crowns" and many other favorites.

The work is ongoing and donations/pre-orders may be made via the Project Psalms website.

The final package from Project Psalms will include:

• A 15 Audio CD set with the first-ever comprehensive recordings of the metrical Psalms (including 2 versions for 13 of the Psalms) as found in the original Scottish Psalter of 1650 (sung unaccompanied by a professional tenor).

• A 4 MP3 CD set with the same recordings but in MP3 format.

• A hard-copy booklet containing the Scottish Psalter of 1650 text and also notes by John Brown of Haddington.

• A hard-copy booklet containing the sheet music for the tunes used throughout the recordings.

• A soft-copy booklet (on the last MP3 CD) with sheet music and the Scottish Psalter of 1650 text in one PDF for easy reading of both the tune and the text together.

Visit the Project Psalms website for more information including pricing and be sure to check out their Facebook page as well. This project is a wonderful contribution to the concert of praise to which we are called by our Heavenly Conductor: "Sing ye to him, sing psalms; proclaim / his wondrous works each one" (SMV).

HT: Edgar Ibarra