A newly identified manuscript of metrical psalms in Manx Gaelic (original) (raw)
Related papers
Transforming tradition: Gaelic psalms in the works of Capercaillie and Runrig
In this paper, a centuries-old religious tradition of song is presented, which is unique in the world in this form. Whereas it might seem unfamiliar and strange to inexperienced hearers, for the participants themselves the Gaelic psalm singing on the Outer Hebrides is a deeply moving, emotional and spiritual experience. First I will briefly sketch an overview of the origin(s), historical development and practice of this unique form of the praise of God. Subsequently I will attempt to demonstrate, using theoretical aspects of cultural (musical) hybridization, in what different ways modern artists deal with this historical tradition, subjecting it to a process of transformation and thus not only raising its public profile (on a national and international scale), but also making it accessible to a wider audience. http://norient.com/academic/gaelic-psalms/
Sing a new song: English and Scottish metrical psalmody from 1549‐1640
2011
I call on the Lord Jesus Christ 8.8.8.8. Of mercy yit he passis all LM We suld into remembrance 8.6.8.? Hay let vs sing LM In burgh and land 8.8.8.8. We suld beleue in God abufe CM The grace of God appeiris now LM Of thingis twa I pray the Lord LM Lord Father, God, that gaif me lyfe LM Blis, blissit God, thir giftis gude DLM Blissing goir, wisdome, and hartly thankfulnes 11.
On Flexus, ‘oleh wə-yored, and the Murky World of Psalmody
Arc: The Journal of the School of Religious Studies
The Presbyterian College F rederik Wisse's ChristelijJce Gereformeerde Kerken community sang metrical Psalms. In fact few texts were so frequently memorized and so fervently held sacred as metrical Psalms. Little wonder then that Wisse looked with such a jaundiced eye on feeble attempts within Canadian Presbyterianism to introduce in its public worship the chanting of the Psalms.1 On a number of occasions Wisse has been heard to remark, "I hate chanting." How ironic, then, that one of the essays composed to honour his distinguished teaching career should have as its aim a contribution to the debates surrounding the advent and contemporary use of Psalm chanting. This essay will introduce the reader to Psalm chanting and its alternatives, offer some suggestions as to its origin, and be bold to encourage its use beyond high Anglican worship services. To start aright, let us define our terms. Metrical Psalms are rhymes based more or less closely on the Psalms and set to music. Chanting of Psalms, by contrast, is the more or less melodic intoning of the actual text of the Psalter, whether in Hebrew or in translation. Psalm chanting is the heart of Basal Gregorian chant or Anglican plainsong and is often called psalmody, although psalmody, properly speaking, includes any melodic rendition of Psalms, including metrical Psalms. Psalm chanting is, according to a Jewish musicologist, "a simple twowave melodic curve corresponding to the parallel-clause structure of the majority of the psalm verses (two hemistichs)."2 That is, Psalm chanting is designed to intone the parallelism of Semitic poetry. For example, in the familiar words of the Twenty-Third Psalm according to the Authorized Version, "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures" is intoned in such a way as to correspond with "He leadeth me beside the still waters." The simplest form of Psalm chanting is Basal Gregorian chant, as reconstructed by musicologists from tenth-century Latin manuscripts.3 The first line of a Psalm opens with the initium, which is a two
2020
The Book of Psalms has been translated into Manx Gaelic twice. The first version was made by John Phillips, Bishop of Sodor and Man, in 1610, as part of his translation of the Church of England’s Book of Common Prayer, a new edition of which had been published in 1605, under the direction of King James I of England, in which the version of the psalms was that of Coverdale’s Great Bible of 1539. It was not printed until 1895 (Moore & Rhŷs 1895), using the sole manuscript copy which was made between 1625 and 1630 (Manx National Heritage MS 00003; Wheeler 2019). The second Manx translation was also part of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, and was published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge in London in 1765 (Wheeler 2016). This new edition of the two Manx translations of the Psalms is a contribution to the project of publishing digital editions of as much as possible of Manx Gaelic literature, and, in the case of translations, setting the Manx alongside the English originals.