The Psalms may be thought of as an honest response to God by humankind. In this frame of reference, they are particularly appropriate in corporate worship as a sung response to the reading of Scripture, particularly after the reading from the Hebrew Scriptures.
The singing of the Psalms has been given impetus within recent decades by the establishment of the three-year lectionary with its three prescribed Scripture readings plus an appropriate psalm for each Sunday of the year. The form widely used in singing the Psalms is that of the responsorial psalm. As the name suggests, responsorial psalmody is typified by a short response (refrain, often called an antiphon) sung by the congregation with a cantor or choir singing the verses in a free-speech rhythm. This form is valuable for several reasons. It allows the congregation to be involved in singing the psalm at a comfortable level by singing a repeating refrain. The chanting of the verses, as opposed to a metrical rendition, allows the subtleties of the text to be communicated in a more convincing manner.
Let us assume that one is serving a church that has never experienced responsorial psalmody. Where does one begin to introduce this form of congregational participation in the liturgy? The prescribed teaching plan, “Easy steps toward congregational participation in responsorial psalm-singing,” is printed at end of this article. It is carefully developed, graduated approach that has proved to be useful in many churches. It takes the congregation from where they are very comfortable, i.e. reading the psalms responsively, through the singing of a bona fide responsorial psalm. When first introducing psalm-singing, the refrains can be phrases from familiar hymns that correlate with the thought of the psalm or the season of the church year. Some suggested refrains in this regard could be “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” “Joy to the World!” The Lord has Come!” “A Mighty Fortress is Our God, a Bulwark Never Failing,” or “Lift Up Your Head, Ye Mighty Gates.”
The six steps have a logical progression always stretching the congregation from the known to the unknown.
Step 1 simply establishes the interspersing of a refrain between the verses (generally after every other verse).
Step 2 provides an opportunity for the congregation to sing a familiar hymn refrain.
Step 3 makes use of a refrain sung by the congregation other than a familiar hymn phrase. The short antiphonal phrase is easily sung.
Step 4 is one in which the choir sings the refrain as a teaching device for the congregation so that the latter is prepared to sing the same refrain at step five.
Step 5 provides the opportunity for the congregation to sing a bona fide refrain.
Step 6 completes the process with a cantor singing to a psalm tone, and the choir and congregation singing the refrain.
Any psalm text may be easily pointed to accommodate the simple psalm tone B on the “Easy Steps” sheet. Simply divide each psalm verse in two half-verses and place an asterisk at the end of the first half-verse. Locate the last stressed word or syllable in each half-verse and count back two syllables, placing a mark over that syllable. Each measure of the psalm tone is sung to a psalm half-verse. The first part of each half-verse is chanted to the whole note of the tone, moving to the second note of the tone on the syllable with the point. The third and fourth notes of the tone accommodate the remainder of each phrase of the text.
The amount of time spent on each step will vary from congregation to congregation. It is conceivable that all the steps could be accomplished in consecutive weeks, using different psalms with a common theme such as praise of God. Another possibility would be to choose a season such as Advent or Lent and develop a graduated approach based on the six steps to teach the congregation to participate in singing the Psalms.
Obviously, our effectiveness in helping the congregation to participate will be enhanced by an atmosphere of trust and respect for the congregation’s ability to enter into such a project. With this in place and a carefully organized approach, responsorial psalm singing can likely become a vital musical and spiritual expression on the part of the congregation. By experiencing the psalms week by week in this overt participatory manner we are able to establish a strong link to the faithful, stretching all the way back to the temple in Jerusalem, “Sing to the Lord a new song.”
Easy Steps Toward Congregational Participation in Responsorial Singing
Step 1: A reader and the congregation read the verses responsively with the choir interjecting a refrain after each pair of verses. The refrain should be a phrase from a well-known hymn. This first step gets the congregation accustomed to having a refrain as a part of the psalmody in the service.
REFRAIN: Lord of all, to Thee we raise / This our hymn of grateful praise.
Psalm 100:1–4
1 All the lands make joy to you, O God;
2 We serve you with gladness! We come into your presence with singing!
REFRAIN
3 You are the Lord our God! You made us, and we are yours; we are you people, and the sheep of your pasture.
4 We enter your gates with Thanksgiving, and your courts with praise! We give thanks to you, we bless your name!
REFRAIN
Step 2: A reader and the choir read the verses responsively with everyone (the choir and congregation) singing the refrain after each pair of verses. Again, the refrain should be a phrase from a well-known hymn.
Step 3: A reader and the congregation read the verses responsively with the choir and congregation singing an antiphonal refrain.
REFRAIN: Sing with joy! Sing with joy! Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Step 4: A reader and the congregation read the verses responsively with the choir singing the refrain.
Sing, O sing with gladness!
Step 5: A reader reads the verses; the choir and congregation sing the refrain.
Step 6: A cantor chants the verses on a simple tone (See B above) with the choir and congregation singing the refrain (See A above).