Psalm Roar 2023
psalms for learning
Here you will find the Psalms that we plan to sing on 22nd April 2023. These resources will help familiarise yourself with the tunes. The more you learn now, the more enthusiastic psalm-singing we can enjoy when we get together!
PSALMS FOR UNISON SINGING
For these Psalms we will all sing the same tune together, i.e. unison.
Psalm 2
This is a tune from the Genevan Psalter, with words updated by Douglas Wilson. Sheet music here (PDF file on external link). It can be sung in four-parts but we will sing it in unison.
Psalm 18:29-50
All God’s promises are true;
Who is God beside the LORD?
He is perfect in his ways;
Who’s the rock except our God?
It is God who gives me strength,
He enables me to stand
High above the battlefield,
Helped up by his powerful hand.
God prepares me well for war,
Makes my feet as swift as deer
Arms me with salvation’s shield,
Makes my pathway broad and sure.
I pursued my enemies
Till they fell beneath my feet,
Beat them fine like blowing dust,
Low like dirt that lines the street.
God has rescued me from strife
With the nations all around.
He has made me head of all;
Foreign leaders now bow down.
Yes, the LORD exalted me
Over all my enemies;
They obey all my commands,
Cringing low on trembling knees.
God the LORD, my Saviour, lives!
To my Rock be all the praise!
He has overcome my foes,
Shown me his unfailing grace.
LORD, I will extol your name
And make all your blessings known.
You give victory to your king,
Give his heirs a royal throne.
psalm 24
To the tune ‘Trumpet Voluntary’. Words by Christopher Idle.
psalm 27
Words adapted by Steve Jeffrey, 2015. Uses the tune from ‘All My Days I Will Sing This Song Of Gladness’.
LORD my God, you’re my light and my salvation;
I’ll not fear, you’re the stronghold of my life.
When evil men draw near devouring me,
You lift your voice and they stumble and fall.
Facing vast armies, terrors surrounding me,
I will feel no dread, ever confident,
I just ask one thing of God:
Enter his temple, gaze on his glorious face
He will shelter me, hide and cover me,
And he’ll lift me high on a rock.
Now my head is exalted high in victory,
I’ll draw near, bringing gifts with shouts of joy;
O hear me, LORD my God – I cry aloud,
Be gracious to me and answer my prayer.
I come to seek you, my heart will seek your face,
Do not turn from me, hide your face from me,
Or in anger turn me back;
For you have helped me, O LORD forsake me not,
Others turn from me, they’ve abandoned me,
But the LORD will welcome me home.
Teach me, LORD – in your ways direct and lead me,
Guide my steps in the paths of truth and life;
Do not abandon me to violent men –
Accusers breathing out hatred and lies.
LORD I shall see you, gaze on your righteousness,
Look upon your face, contemplate your grace,
Standing where your people live.
See now the LORD comes; stand firm and wait for him,
Let your hands be strong, let your heart be firm,
Lift your heads and wait for the LORD.
Tune starts at 15 seconds.
Psalm 45
Words by Matt Searles. Tune ‘Thaxted’.
O King, you are most worthy, of men you are the best
Your words are true and gracious, you are forever blessed.
Take up your sword in splendour, ride forth in majesty:
For justice and mercy and true humility.
Your arrows pierce your enemies, you march across the land,
The peoples and the nations against you cannot stand.
Your throne will last forever, with justice you shall reign;
You love all that is righteous and hate all evil gain.
So God has richly blessed you with joy abundantly,
Your robes are all fragrant, your courts are ivory.
There princesses attend you, sweet music from of old
Your future queen awaits you arrayed in finest gold
O bride forsake all others, don’t give your love abroad;
The king desires your beauty; so honour him your Lord.
The gown he gives is glorious, the threads are twined with gold
In shimmering colours the envy of the world.
A joyful crowd is with her, with gladness now they sing,
And finally she enters the palace of the king.
This king will reign forever, his sons upon the earth
And ev’ry generation will tell of his great worth.
All nations will soon praise him and fall down at his feet,
His kingdom established, where truth and mercy meet.
O Jesus we adore you, our lover and our king,
Your church, your bride is waiting and so to you we sing.
Psalm 57
Be thou, O God exalted high;
And as Your glory fills the sky,
So let it be on earth displayed,
Till You are here, as there, obeyed. (x2)
O God, my heart is fixed; ‘tis bent
Its thankful tribute to present;
And, with my heart, my voice I'll raise
To You, my God, in songs of praise. (x2)
Awake, my glory; harp and lute,
No longer let your strings be mute;
And I, my tuneful part to take,
Will with the early dawn awake. (x2)
Your praises, Lord, I will resound
To all the listening nations round;
Your mercy highest heaven transcends;
Your truth beyond the clouds extends. (x2)
Words and Tune by Greg Wilbur.
Psalm 110
Words by Henry S. Cutler, 1872 (alt.). Tune Greyoaks by Greg Wilbur.
The LORD has spoken to my Lord:
“Sit here at my right hand
Until I make your foes a stool
On which your feet may stand.”
The LORD from Zion shall extend
The sceptre of your pow’r:
“Rule all surrounding enemies,
And be their conqueror.”
When you display your mighty pow’r
Your people come to you;
At dawn, arrayed in holiness,
Your youth appear like dew.
The LORD has sworn, and from his oath
He’ll never be released:
“The order of Melchizedek
shall always have a priest.”
The Lord at your right hand will strike
Earth’s rulers in his wrath.
Among the nations he will judge;
The slain will fill his path.
In many lands he’ll crush their kings,
His wrath will be their dread.
And from the wayside brook he’ll drink,
In victory lift his head.
The video below gives the Greyoaks tune but with different words. A music-only file will appear on this page fairly soon.
Psalm 117
Praise the LORD, O all you nations;
all you peoples, sing his praise.
For his love is great towards us;
his commitment lasts always.
He is faithful now and ever.
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
Psalm 134
Not actually unison, but a three-part round.
Behold, bless the Lord,
all your servants of the Lord,
who by night stand in the house of the Lord.
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
and bless the Lord.
The Lord who made heaven and earth
bless you from Zion.
Psalms for four-part singing
If you have never sung in four-parts, do not be worried. We will sit in groups according to the part that we sing, so that those around us are all singing the same tune. You may find (like me, the first time) that you have misjudged what part you sing; I thought I was Tenor but quickly realised I should sing Bass. If that is you, just move group.
Soprano - female higher voice, plus children
Alto - female lower voice
Tenor - male higher voice
Bass - male lower voice
If this is new to you, click HERE for a PDF (one side of A4) which will give a basic introduction to help you.
Psalm 47
All nations, clap your hands and shout!
Let joyful cries to God ring out!
How awesome is the LORD Most High,
Great King who rules the earth throughout!
He has subdued beneath our feet
The nations who had been our foes.
In blessing Jacob, whom he loved,
A heritage for us he chose.
God has gone up with shouts of joy,
The LORD amid the trumpets’ sound.
Sing praise, sing praise to God Most High;
To God our King let praise abound.
For God is King of all the earth;
Sing psalms of praise to him alone.
God rules the nations from on high;
He sits upon his holy throne.
The leaders of the nations come
To yield themselves to Abr’ham’s God.
To him belong the shields of earth;
Exalted greatly is the LORD!
This video isn’t great for hearing the four parts but it will help with the main tune. Play it at 1.25 or 1.5 x speed.
Psalm 70
Psalm 70 is “through-composed” - the tune is written to fit the words. Most of it is sung in unison, but for a few lines (in bold below) we split into four-parts. The first video teaches the main tune. The second video is an opportunity to hear it with the four-part section.
Sheet music available at this link (PDF file).
Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
Make haste to help me, O Lord!
Let them be ashamed and confounded
Who seek my life;
Let them be turned back and confused
Who desire my hurt.
Let them be turned back because of their shame,
Who say, “Aha, aha!”
Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
And let those who love Your salvation say continually,
“Let God be magnified!”
But I am poor and needy;
Make haste to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay.
Psalm 119:169-176
Before Thee let my cry come near,
O LORD; true to Thy word, teach me.
Before Thee let my pleading come;
True to Thy promise, rescue me.
Since Thou Thy statutes teachest me,
O let my lips Thy praise confess.
Yea, of Thy word my tongue would sing,
For Thy commands are righteousness.
Be ready with Thy hand to help,
Because Thy precepts are my choice.
I've longed for Thy salvation, LORD,
And in Thy holy law rejoice.
O Let Thine ordinances help;
My soul shall live and praise Thee yet.
A straying sheep, Thy servant, seek,
For Thy commands I ne'er forget.
You could visit this link at www.psalter.org to use their excellent resources to learn your parts. Here is an image of the sheet music which is NOT for sharing. Note that Tenor and Bass repeat the last line of each verse.
Psalm 124
Sheet music from this link (PDF file).
The music on the video starts at 45 seconds.
Let Israel now say in thankfulness
that if the LORD had not our right maintained
and if the LORD had not with us remained,
when cruel men against us rose to strive,
we’d surely have been swallowed up alive.
Yea, when their wrath against us fiercely rose,
then would the tide o’er us have spread its wave;
the raging stream would have become our grave;
the surging flood, in proudly swelling roll,
most surely would have overwhelmed us all.
Blest be the LORD who made us not their prey;
as from the fowler’s net a bird may flee,
so from their broken snare did we go free.
Our only help is in God’s holy Name;
He made the earth and all the heavenly frame.
Psalm 148
Sheet music from this link (PDF file). Music recording at this link (MP3 file).
From heav'n O praise the LORD;
Ye heights, His glory raise.
All angels, praise accord;
Let all His host give praise.
Praise Him on high, Sun, moon, and star,
Sun, moon, and star,
Ye heav'ns afar, And cloudy sky.
Yea, let them glorious make
Jehovah's matchless name;
For when the word He spake
They into being came.
And from that place Where fixed they be,
Where fixed they be,
By his decree They cannot pass.
From earth O praise the LORD,
Ye deeps and all below;
Wild winds that do His work,
Ye clouds, fire, hail, and snow;
Ye mountains high, Ye cedars tall,
Ye cedars tall,
Beasts great and small, And birds that fly.
Let all the people praise,
And kings of every land;
Let all their voices raise
Who judge and give command.
By young and old, By maid and youth,
By maid and youth,
His name in truth Should be extolled.
Jehovah's name be praised
Above the earth and sky.
For He His saints has raised
And set their power on high.
Him praise accord, O Israel's race,
O Israel's race,
Near to His grace. Praise ye the LORD.
Psalms for chanting
We will have a go at chanting one or two psalms. The advantage of chanting is that we can sing the actual words of the Bible rather than a paraphrase of a psalm. Maybe in the future we can give more attention to robust psalm-chanting.