St Alban's    

 

Learning to Sing the Psalms

By the time the young Jesus was learning to sing the psalms, he was being formed in a tradition that was already a thousand years old, and the psalms became a basic vessel for his self-understanding. Again and again Jesus responded to questions about himself and his mission through reference to the psalms, most poignantly in his last words on the cross: in Matthew, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" (Psalm 22:1); and in Luke, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit" (Psalm 31:5).

Introduction: Praying the Prayers Jesus Prayed
Lesson 1: The Bare Essentials
Lesson 2: 'Suzuki' Psalmody
Lesson 3: The Four Foundations of Psalmody
Lesson 4: Antiphons as Psalm Sandwiches
Lesson 5: Putting It All Together
Lesson 6: Chant Notation
Lesson 7: The Hidden Wisdom of Psalmody
Lesson 8: Thinking With the Heart
Lesson 9: Living the Psalms
Lesson 10: The Emotional Range of the Psalms
Lesson 11: Should We Clean Up Ancient Prayers?
Lesson 12: Silence and Psalmody
Lesson 13: The Yoga of Choir