Help with Psalm Chants

Help with Psalm Chants

Over recent months I have come to realize that Anglican chant is not beyond even someone as unmusical as I am. And since this is a way of musically glorifying the actual words of the Psalter without changing them in order to make them fit the demands of a particular metre or rhyme then this is something to attend to with real seriousness.

Most published (audio and book) forms of English Psalm Chants use the Coverdale translation which is found in the Book of Common Prayer. For a modern translation of the Psalms pointed for chanting a great place to go is to the RSCM Common Worship Psalter with Chants (RSCM Press, 2002). It seems to me to be a truly fine piece of work.

Because I am not a very musical sort of fellow I need help remembering and recognizing the chants as printed in the Psalter. For that reason, with help from my Helper, I have made recordings of the 202 chants used in the Psalms section of the RSCM Common Worship Psalter with Chants in order to act as prompts.

The recording quality is poor and in the background, above the hiss of the cheap recording equipment, the sounds of coughing children, barking dogs, buzzing flies and suchlike can be heard. We knocked out the recordings in a week one after the other, 20-30 chants per sitting. No practice, just straight sight-reading (hence the variable speed!). We ran through them one after another and picked them up on a handheld MP3 recorder. This haste and mediocrity bring significant advantages:

- No room for perfectionism. Things do not have to be well done to be useful. Anything, however poor, which moves us on an inch in the matter of chanting Psalms is good news.

- No doubt about purpose: the recordings are musical prompts for unmusical learners like myself rather than anything more pretentious.

- No possibility of thinking that something like this could constitute a commercial threat to anyone.

Further resolved that copyright should not be an issue, I do not provide the music here, nor the words of the Common Worship translation of the Psalms, nor an indication as to which chant goes with which Psalm. (The chants are in the order in which they are found in RSCM Common Worship Psalter but for many Psalms more than one chant is provided.) This being so, to the extent that these prompts are any use at all, they will only be useful alongside the RSCM Common Worship Psalter with Chants (RSCM Press, 2002).

001	021	041	061	081	101	121	141	161	181
002	022	042	062	082	102	122	142	162	182
003	023	043	063	083	103	123	143	163	183
004	024	044	064	084	104	124	144	164	184
005	025	045	065	085	105	125	145	165	185
006	026	046	066	086	106	126	146	166	186
007	027	047	067	087	107	127	147	167	187
008	028	048	068	088	108	128	148	168	188
009	029	049	069	089	109	129	149	169	189
010	030	050	070	090	110	130	150	170	190
011	031	051	071	091	111	131	151	171	191
012	032	052	072	092	112	132	152	172	192
013	033	053	073	093	113	133	153	173	193
014	034	054	074	094	114	134	154	174	194
015	035	055	075	095	115	135	155	175	195
016	036	056	076	096	116	136	156	176	196
017	037	057	077	097	117	137	157	177	197
018	038	058	078	098	118	138	158	178	198
019	039	059	079	099	119	139	159	179	199
020	040	060	080	100	120	140	160	180	200
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SINGLE ZIP FILE OF ALL 202 CHANTS

001	021	041	061	081	101	121	141	161	181
002	022	042	062	082	102	122	142	162	182
003	023	043	063	083	103	123	143	163	183
004	024	044	064	084	104	124	144	164	184
005	025	045	065	085	105	125	145	165	185
006	026	046	066	086	106	126	146	166	186
007	027	047	067	087	107	127	147	167	187
008	028	048	068	088	108	128	148	168	188
009	029	049	069	089	109	129	149	169	189
010	030	050	070	090	110	130	150	170	190
011	031	051	071	091	111	131	151	171	191
012	032	052	072	092	112	132	152	172	192
013	033	053	073	093	113	133	153	173	193
014	034	054	074	094	114	134	154	174	194
015	035	055	075	095	115	135	155	175	195
016	036	056	076	096	116	136	156	176	196
017	037	057	077	097	117	137	157	177	197
018	038	058	078	098	118	138	158	178	198
019	039	059	079	099	119	139	159	179	199
020	040	060	080	100	120	140	160	180	200
									201
									202

001	021	041	061	081	101	121	141	161	181
002	022	042	062	082	102	122	142	162	182
003	023	043	063	083	103	123	143	163	183
004	024	044	064	084	104	124	144	164	184
005	025	045	065	085	105	125	145	165	185
006	026	046	066	086	106	126	146	166	186
007	027	047	067	087	107	127	147	167	187
008	028	048	068	088	108	128	148	168	188
009	029	049	069	089	109	129	149	169	189
010	030	050	070	090	110	130	150	170	190
011	031	051	071	091	111	131	151	171	191
012	032	052	072	092	112	132	152	172	192
013	033	053	073	093	113	133	153	173	193
014	034	054	074	094	114	134	154	174	194
015	035	055	075	095	115	135	155	175	195
016	036	056	076	096	116	136	156	176	196
017	037	057	077	097	117	137	157	177	197
018	038	058	078	098	118	138	158	178	198
019	039	059	079	099	119	139	159	179	199
020	040	060	080	100	120	140	160	180	200
									201
									202

001	021	041	061	081	101	121	141	161	181
002	022	042	062	082	102	122	142	162	182
003	023	043	063	083	103	123	143	163	183
004	024	044	064	084	104	124	144	164	184
005	025	045	065	085	105	125	145	165	185
006	026	046	066	086	106	126	146	166	186
007	027	047	067	087	107	127	147	167	187
008	028	048	068	088	108	128	148	168	188
009	029	049	069	089	109	129	149	169	189
010	030	050	070	090	110	130	150	170	190
011	031	051	071	091	111	131	151	171	191
012	032	052	072	092	112	132	152	172	192
013	033	053	073	093	113	133	153	173	193
014	034	054	074	094	114	134	154	174	194
015	035	055	075	095	115	135	155	175	195
016	036	056	076	096	116	136	156	176	196
017	037	057	077	097	117	137	157	177	197
018	038	058	078	098	118	138	158	178	198
019	039	059	079	099	119	139	159	179	199
020	040	060	080	100	120	140	160	180	200
									201
									202