'With upright heart God tended them, guided them.' (72) This long psalm of Asaph in 72 verses covers many of the high points in the Torah, including the plagues and the exodus, subsequent trials and the calling of King David, great tales also to be found in Psalm 114 and elsewhere. Psalm 78 is a … Continue reading Psalm 78, 1 Oct ’17
Tag: antiphon
Psalm 136
The immediately remarkable feature of this psalm is the antiphon inserted in each verse of the poem, which begins: Give thanks to God who is good : whose steadfast love is eternal. The phrase in the second half (in bold) is added to each verse, presumably in the original text. These repeated antiphons are shown in … Continue reading Psalm 136
Psalm 40
Psalm 40, which comes up in March each year as well as Epiphany in Year A, is a rich and captivating poem, said to be by David. It begins with patience, awe, thanks and song: God set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. God put a new song in … Continue reading Psalm 40
Psalm 147, 3 Jan 16
The last half-dozen songs in the psalter are songs of praise and joy. Each one begins with a Hallelujah or call of praise to God. This one is longer than most. We start at verse 12, although to my mind the selection is best read in the context of the whole psalm. It rings as a little … Continue reading Psalm 147, 3 Jan 16
Psalm 24, 12 July 2015
Lift up your heads O ye gates, and be ye lift up ye everlasting doors and the King of Glory shall come in ... Thus opens this chorus half way through the second half of G F Handel's oratorio The Messiah. Following the structure of the poem, Handel chose to use this text from Psalm … Continue reading Psalm 24, 12 July 2015
Antiphon by Hildegard, 8 March 2015
Hildegard of Bingen (1098 - 1179) shines as a beacon from the past, standing for the validity of a feminine voice and interpretation in a world where men wrote the rules and the history. Unlike many, Hildegard achieved a degree of recognition in her own times, and even more unusually left a significant body of work in thought, … Continue reading Antiphon by Hildegard, 8 March 2015
Psalm 68, 1 June 2014
The merry month of May, with its beautiful autumn leaves and the busy international music festival, departs. Only three weeks to the shortest day of the year when Keith, returning from the wilds of Celtic islands in another hemisphere, will lead a worship service at South Woden at the Winter Solstice. But for this Sunday, it's the first ten … Continue reading Psalm 68, 1 June 2014
Psalm 31, 18 May 14
We are familiar with Psalm 31 from Palm Sunday, although this time we read the first 5 verses and a little more in mid-psalm. This is a rich psalm, if that's not too trite a thing to say about the deep artistry and imagery of all of these songs. It combines feelings of confidence and security together … Continue reading Psalm 31, 18 May 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
Psalms in the South 