EVERY PSALM FOR EASY SINGING:
A Translation for Singing Arranged in
Daily Portions. Verse Only Edition
By Chris W. H. Griffiths
Pearl Publications. 243 pages. £8.99
ISBN 978 1 901 397 062
If you want to obey the Biblical command to sing psalms (Eph.5:19; Col. 3:16), this could be a very useful addition to your tool kit.
Griffiths gives us the entire Psalter in the same metre (10.10.10.10), divided into 365 portions. He tells us that he has tried to stick as closely as possible to the Biblical text, avoiding originality or innovation, and being guided by the translators of the Reformation period and respected expositors of a previous age. An appendix lists the main translations and commentaries consulted.
Another appendix suggests 12 tunes which are grouped according to mood (prayerful, restful and didactic; cheerful and rejoicing; confident and strong; sorrowful and plaintive), and scores are provided. The Pearl Publications website also has audio files. See http://pearlpublications.co.uk
The Biblical verse numbers are included within the text of these Psalms, making it easy to compare other translations. Any translation involves compromises. Occasionally the word choice or order here may seem a little odd or stilted. And as each stanza of each Psalm has four lines, sometimes the sense shifts within a stanza or carries over into half of the next in a slightly strange way. But until we learn to chant the Psalms in Hebrew, such things may be unavoidable. It would be great to know the Psalms by heart, as early bishops were required to do, but defamiliarisation can also be valuable. Anything which keeps us alert while reading or singing the Psalms could be an advantage!
The perfect can sometimes be the enemy of the good. We could have long discussions about what makes for the best translations of a Psalm, and even amongst metrical versions we could deliberate endlessly about words and music. These Psalms allow even the unmusical (like me) to get on and sing versions of the Psalms pretty quickly and easily. This way of doing it would be infinitely better than other ways of not doing it! If we have the time and energy, we could always experiment with finding the music we think most fitting to each Psalm, or with other versions, but these resources make simple Psalm singing eminently achievable without a wide range of expensive music edition hymn books or great instrumental skill. In this, they represent a brilliant gift.
Take up and sing!
