I note that the organist of Birmingham Cathedral has been
expressing the view that Psalm-singing in most churches is just hocus-pocus. Since I fail to comprehend what that means, I refrain from making comment on it. But I have often thought what a pity it is that since the Psalms are almost always sung they have no place in the lectionaries of the Anglican Church and so far as I know are hardly ever read in the services of the average Free Church. That seems to me a great loss. It is true, of course, that the Psalms were originally composed to be sung as hymns, but that does not alter the fact that it is only by being read aloud, with proper emphasis on the splendid passages they contain, that their splendid poetry and stately diction can be given its full force. It is curious, too, that anything sung by a congregation tends to be sung a little mechanically and that the content of a Psalm-9oth, for example, or 148th—is less likely to be fully grasped that way than if it were read impres- sively from the lectern by someone who was first impressed himself by what he was reading. But so far as the ordinary services of the Church of England are concerned the difficulties are, of course, obvious. * * *
Previous page
