Crystal ball June 14 et seq.

The Crystal Ball post in February pointed out that there is an evolving psalm selection plan spreadsheet on Dropbox (ask for access if you wish).

The current snapshot, for which singers are invited, looks something like this (subject always to worship plan decisions by RevR or other leader of the day):

• 1 June    Psalm 68 with a round: Sing to God, O kingdoms.
• 8 June    Psalm 104 was beautifully sung to PFAS104D. Your blogmaster was away.
• 15 June   Psalm 8 could be sung to TiS no 4, perhaps with a simplified plainsong approach. A more lively tune such as that in The Emergent Psalter would be better; and a Linnea Good setting will be the winner. To be led by two women with guitar.
• 22 June   Keith leads a Winter Solstice service, for which an appropriate response tracing the arc of the northern sun has been written: Gladden my heart for from this darkness I will lift my soul. Mixed voices needed.
• 29 June   Psalm 13 and How long O Lord? by male voices. This is a setting in folk/gospel style of an enjoyable swinging song by Canadian singer-songwriter Steve Bell, who is mentioned on the Styles page. Used by permission.
• 6 July       We could return to the tune sung on 1 June to good effect while it is still fresh in our memories. A suitable verse from Psalm 45 would form the antiphon. Ladies and youth leaders are you starters again?
• 13 July     That longest psalm 119, the psalm of the law, turns up again, so in the interests of continuity we repeat the antiphon by Isaac Everett that we used when this one last appeared in February two weeks in a row.
• 20 July    Psalm 139. Tune to be decided – we have not done a Gregorian chant for quite a while?
• 27 July    The crystal ball is getting cloudy, but in the glass darkly we note that Psalm 105 comes up both this week and two weeks later on 10 August. Tantalisingly, there is a nice 5-part setting of this psalm by Orlando de Lassus; if enough experienced singers are available the plot is to use a snippet of this piece on 27 July and trot out the full work on the later occasion. Watch this space!
• 3 August  Psalm 17, tune to be decided.
• 10 August  Psalm 105 again, hopefully Confitemini Dominum, a Latin setting by Lassus as discussed above for 27 July –  a blast from the Renaissance years.

After that the mist reigns supreme, except that we have virtually ignored one of the early pillars, the Genevan Psalter published during the 1550s; we should pop one in before too long on an occasion calling for the relatively straight-laced.

Your devoted webmaster will be overseas from the last Sunday in August for a month. Volunteers most welcome.