As Year C closes, this post looks at the opening of Year A, Advent and through Epiphany to the start of Lent. At South Woden, since we draw on limited resources, our musical attention for the set psalm each Sunday will have to pass over many tempting settings to focus on the options suggested below: … Continue reading Crystal Ball: Advent and into 2020
150 Psalms
Regular readers of this blog will ask: "So what? We know there are 150." This is more than accounting. It is the title of an ambitious program called '150 Psalms', performances by top vocal ensembles of song settings of these ancient poems. The program has already been to Brussels, New York and Utrecht. From one … Continue reading 150 Psalms
Psalm 71, 25 Aug 19
We have been rejoicing in the recent birth of a baby girl called Mica in Berlin, not a direct relative but whose parents are known and dear to us and to our family. The wonder of new life in all its variations and energy and pain resonates in the early verses of Psalm 71: "You … Continue reading Psalm 71, 25 Aug 19
Crystal Ball, Sep-Nov ’19
Crystal ball, by J Waterhouse. Here are some brief suggestions for these few lovely spring months -- or autumn for readers in the far north. Note for South Woden members: with your Cantor and Webmaster absent, suggested choices are drawn largely from the readily available sources of 'Together in Song' and 'Psalms for All Seasons' … Continue reading Crystal Ball, Sep-Nov ’19
Psalm 80, 18 Aug ’19
Psalm 80 by Asaph is a cry for restoration by the ‘Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock’. As strife continues all around, the singer seeks a more peaceable zone, perhaps by the still waters and safe pastures of other familiar psalms. The psalmist invokes the Creator’s strength and justice to intervene and bring safety to … Continue reading Psalm 80, 18 Aug ’19
Psalm 50, 11 Aug 19
Our singers are sometimes confused by my odd short-hand musical notations and cues in cantor's sheets abbreviated to one page for convenience. Psalm 50 in a 9th C. script from France. British Library MS 9046, f24v Imagine coping with this 9th-century manuscript, in Tironian with Latin introductions (illustrated). The British Library viewer notes explain that … Continue reading Psalm 50, 11 Aug 19
Psalm 107, 4 August 2019
Many of the psalms seem to have pithy sayings or random or widely varying ideas. Such statements and logic twists can, at first sight, be rather confusing. Sometimes they meld into a tasty, herbal mix: others just coexist, leaving the reader to ponder. Psalm 107, the first of Book V of the Psalter, has sections … Continue reading Psalm 107, 4 August 2019
Psalm 85, 28 July 2019
An atmosphere of hope and thanksgiving permeates this song from the Korahites, singers in the temple and court. It opens with a reflection on the past forgiveness and favour on the land; it progresses to present revival; and then, in beautifully ringing poetic terms, imagines the future wherein: Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness … Continue reading Psalm 85, 28 July 2019
Psalm 52, 21 July 2019
Psalm 52 can sound vindictive and unforgiving when encountered outside its historical setting. Fortunately, the preamble refers to Doeg and Saul, thereby providing the requisite clues. Doeg, like his boss Saul it seems, was an unsavoury character. Both had it in for David... Read on in a previous entry... The psalmist seeks divine intervention against … Continue reading Psalm 52, 21 July 2019
Psalm 82, 14 July 2019
Psalm 82 is further teaching on the importance of justice in the world, but in an unique scenario. On a single reading, or hearing it sung with no introduction, it's hard to capture the full picture. God is imagined amongst other gods (some translations suggest princes or rulers of the earth) berating them for their … Continue reading Psalm 82, 14 July 2019
