In the era when the theology of John Calvin strongly influenced Protestant thinking, the Psalms were the major factor in church music. Today the Psalms are only a minor factor in church music. Let us review the influence that the psalms have in our repertory.
Only sixty of the one hundred fifty psalms have been put to music in our modern repertory. We have lost our appreciation for lament-style psalms in public worship even though laments were the dominant style of psalm in the book of Psalms.
Only three complete psalms are found in our repertory. Psalm 23 is the most famous of this trilogy. The average hymnal will have two or three versions of this psalm. Psalm 100 (All People That On Earth Do Dwell) and Psalm 121 (Unto The Hills) are also complete psalms.
Most psalms that we sing are songs that focus on part of a psalm. We can point to Psalm 18 as an example of this type of psalm. Psalm 18:2 was set to music by Martin Luther in "A Mighty Fortress". Psalm 18:49 is now a popular praise song "You Are The Song that I Sing".
When most of us think of singing psalms we think of the 23rd Psalm. We sing that song in the style of the classic hymn. So, we tend to think of psalms as hymn-style songs. This stereotype is incorrect. The psalms have been set to music in all types of Christian music.
"America The Beautiful" is an anthem-style song that celebrates Psalm 33:12 and applies it to our own nation. "It's Me, O Lord, Standin' In The Need Of Prayer" is an American spiritual that celebrates Psalm 4:1. "I Hold His Hand" is a Southern convention song published by Stamps-Baxter that celebrates Psalm 37:23-24. "We Shall Assembly On The Mountain" is a praise song written in 1991 by Twila Paris that celebrates Psalm 107:31.
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