Just add a century from No 16 last week. Skipping over a whole hundred psalms! Amazing - and there are 50 more if you do not count that old No 151. Such a rich treasury of imagery, inspiration, prayer, encouragement and song. Psalm 116, like 30 and others, is a paean of thanks for deliverance … Continue reading Psalm 116, 2 and 4 May 14
Month: April 2014
Psalm 16, 27 April 14
Like the twenty-third, this is a psalm of trust and rest in divine presence, the source of goodness and guidance. The description of God as the psalmist's portion and cup evoke familiar imagery in themes that connect not only with Christian ritual but daily life. Less familiar but interesting is the image in verse 6: The boundary lines have … Continue reading Psalm 16, 27 April 14
Psalm 118 again, 20 Apr 14
Allelujah Revisiting psalm 118 on Easter Sunday we recall, but will not sing again, the tune of last week, 'This is the day, we will rejoice'. Indeed a day of rejoicing, festival and hallelujahs. (Like the ones above? No we won't sing those; and you may have noticed the illustration for the Arvo Pärt Berliner Messe … Continue reading Psalm 118 again, 20 Apr 14
Psalm 22, 18 April 14
Good Friday is traditionally and appropriately a minimalist quiet moment of reflection. As we saw last Sunday this psalm text, a harbinger of the dark moments in the story of Jesus, captures the mood perfectly. The setting will be that by Christopher Willcock in Together in Song No 9. Psalm South Singers: there's some nice harmonies in the … Continue reading Psalm 22, 18 April 14
Psalm 31, 13 April 14
You may have noticed that there are actually two psalms listed for Palm Sunday, the liturgies of the palms and that of the passion. A few days ago I posted on palms and Psalm 118 for this Sunday - but there's no rule against a double-dip. So we shall also enjoy Psalm 31, singing a response from Psalms … Continue reading Psalm 31, 13 April 14
Pärt and Psalm 100, 17 April 14
For those interested in sacred songs that you will probably never hear at South Woden, The Oriana Chorale will sing music of some interest at Wesley Uniting Church on Thursday 17th April ('Maundy' or Holy Thursday) at 7:00 pm. Their notice says: The principal work will be Arvo Pärt’s 1990 Berlin Mass. The sections of the Mass … Continue reading Pärt and Psalm 100, 17 April 14
CIMF helpers
May is the month for the Canberra International Music Festival, with an extensive program of musical events. Several of our regular singers will be performing in at least one event (think Brahms, not psalms). Details are available at cimf.org.au. Each year many highly talented and accomplished musicians come to Canberra from far and wide to make … Continue reading CIMF helpers
Psalm 118, 13 Apr 14 – Palms
An educational sign in the new Red Garden of our wonderful National Botanic Gardens tells us they are not sure if palms growing in remote corners of the Kimberley, like those depicted here, were native to Australia or imported with aboriginal people many thousands of years ago. Apparently there's 'some debate' about it. On the other hand, another sign only … Continue reading Psalm 118, 13 Apr 14 – Palms
David and Da’ud
The singing of psalms, as mentioned at the home page, is a longstanding and wide-spread tradition. The psalms, like the Torah or Tawrat, are recognised in many major religions besides Christianity (1): As tehillim they appear, of course, in the Jewish scriptures. In Islamic writings frequent reference may be found to the zabur. The zabur are often referred to … Continue reading David and Da’ud
Psalm 130, 6 Apr 14
This psalm, which we last sang in August 2012, is another song of ascent (psalms 120 to 134). Just for interest, click on the tag for 'ascent' at right, revealing that we have not actually sung many of them. (The tag including psalm 15 just recognises its similar theme.) It's also apparently the sixth of seven penitential psalms: not that it matters … Continue reading Psalm 130, 6 Apr 14
Psalms in the South 