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The Book of Psalms for Worship
A Psalter for the 21st Century!
The newest American psalter offers many familiar tunes and new arrangements with language that is easily understood by the 21st century Christian, while remaining faithful to the Hebrew text.
Contains all 150 Psalms in over 440 selections in multiple arrangements. Settings include traditional tunes, original tunes, and familiar hymn tunes. Translated from the original language into modern English meter for singing. Features 4-part music for each selection for singing. Also includes introductory essays on the practice and history of psalm singing and several indices.
The newest American psalter offers many familiar tunes and new arrangements with language that is easily understood by the 21st century Christian, while remaining faithful to the Hebrew text.
Contains all 150 Psalms in over 440 selections in multiple arrangements. Settings include traditional tunes, original tunes, and familiar hymn tunes. Translated from the original language into modern English meter for singing. Features 4-part music for each selection for singing. Also includes introductory essays on the practice and history of psalm singing and several indices.
- GenresReferenceMusicDevotional
592 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
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31 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 28, 2022
I did not read this book. I sang each of its psalms. It was this psalter that introduced me to psalm-singing a long time ago so this psalter is kind of special to me.
I think that because it uses the melodies of old hymns, it helps people with the memorization of psalms. I highly recommend it for people that are learning to sing the psalms. Most of the psalms can be found on Spotify or Youtube Music so one does not need to worry about reading music or being good at singing.
I think that because it uses the melodies of old hymns, it helps people with the memorization of psalms. I highly recommend it for people that are learning to sing the psalms. Most of the psalms can be found on Spotify or Youtube Music so one does not need to worry about reading music or being good at singing.
November 30, 2023
It doesn’t get any better! My wife and I began singing through the Psalter right after our wedding and we finished in two years, on our anniversary.
November 8, 2022
Published by Crown & Covenant, the Book of Psalms for Worship Words Only Psalter is a fresh and personal way to experience the Psalms.
Christian Worship
Holding this book feels like you have a deluxe version of the Psalms in your hands. After an introduction on Understanding the Psalms as Christian Worship, this book presents all 150 Psalms in modern, rhyming English. It has has all the versifications from The Book of Psalms for Worship, along with the scriptural inscriptions for easy referencing.
Inspire New Songs
This is a small book that will fit in your backpack or travel bag. Try using it on a personal retreat or as simple devotional material for your family vacation. Pastors and worship leaders can try incorporating them in your public prayers, giving your congregation a fresh way to take in God’s word. It would make the perfect gift for poets and artists. The Psalms continue to be a favorite, inspiring new songs to sing in every generation.
I received a media copy of Book of Psalms for Worship Words Only Psalter and this is my honest review.
Christian Worship
Holding this book feels like you have a deluxe version of the Psalms in your hands. After an introduction on Understanding the Psalms as Christian Worship, this book presents all 150 Psalms in modern, rhyming English. It has has all the versifications from The Book of Psalms for Worship, along with the scriptural inscriptions for easy referencing.
Inspire New Songs
This is a small book that will fit in your backpack or travel bag. Try using it on a personal retreat or as simple devotional material for your family vacation. Pastors and worship leaders can try incorporating them in your public prayers, giving your congregation a fresh way to take in God’s word. It would make the perfect gift for poets and artists. The Psalms continue to be a favorite, inspiring new songs to sing in every generation.
I received a media copy of Book of Psalms for Worship Words Only Psalter and this is my honest review.
March 25, 2019
This Psalter was given to me as a gift by the ladies group before I moved out of the area. I continue to sing from this Psalter in my home as there is no RPC within 30 miles of my home. What is even more cherishable is this Psalter was signed by each woman in our group.
August 30, 2019
Please note: My review is for the 10th-anniversary edition of the psalter, which has the same content but a different cover.
After attending the Getty Sing! Conference last year, I was encouraged to incorporate hymn singing as a part of our family worship time. This conference was specifically focused on singing the Psalms, and this hymnal from Crown & Covenant Publications is the perfect fit for my family.
150 Psalms
The hymnal opens with short essays on Understanding the Psalms as Christian Worship and The Experience of Singing the Psalms. The ordering of the songs follows the ordering of the Psalms. There are various indexes for finding a song alphabetically, metrically, arranger and source, first lines and phrases, Biblical topic, and Psalm usage in the New Testament.
Experienced pianists will find joy in the simple arrangements with a variety of melodies, key signatures, and time signatures to keep the pieces interesting. Beginning pianists will be challenged to tackle the pieces but will not feel overwhelmed. There are 440 arrangements filling up 590 pages.
For Singing
From a technical standpoint, the songs are arranged in four-part harmony for singing. They have an early American flavor and are simple to sing. The lyrics are simple and easy to understand, taken from the NASB, NIV, and ESV translations.
The hardback binding has a beautiful texture and is a pleasure to hold. It easily opens from any point and is not heavy. The notes and lyrics are large which allows you to easily focus on singing without straining your eyes.
For Worship
This hymnal is a piece of art and it clearly shows from the craftsmanship that went into making it. But it is not simply art to examine. It is art that calls you to participate. I look forward to adding the singing of Psalms in my family devotions. I encourage you to get this hymnal so you can, too.
I was provided a complimentary copy of The Book of Psalms for Worship in exchange for an honest review.
After attending the Getty Sing! Conference last year, I was encouraged to incorporate hymn singing as a part of our family worship time. This conference was specifically focused on singing the Psalms, and this hymnal from Crown & Covenant Publications is the perfect fit for my family.
150 Psalms
The hymnal opens with short essays on Understanding the Psalms as Christian Worship and The Experience of Singing the Psalms. The ordering of the songs follows the ordering of the Psalms. There are various indexes for finding a song alphabetically, metrically, arranger and source, first lines and phrases, Biblical topic, and Psalm usage in the New Testament.
Experienced pianists will find joy in the simple arrangements with a variety of melodies, key signatures, and time signatures to keep the pieces interesting. Beginning pianists will be challenged to tackle the pieces but will not feel overwhelmed. There are 440 arrangements filling up 590 pages.
For Singing
From a technical standpoint, the songs are arranged in four-part harmony for singing. They have an early American flavor and are simple to sing. The lyrics are simple and easy to understand, taken from the NASB, NIV, and ESV translations.
The hardback binding has a beautiful texture and is a pleasure to hold. It easily opens from any point and is not heavy. The notes and lyrics are large which allows you to easily focus on singing without straining your eyes.
For Worship
This hymnal is a piece of art and it clearly shows from the craftsmanship that went into making it. But it is not simply art to examine. It is art that calls you to participate. I look forward to adding the singing of Psalms in my family devotions. I encourage you to get this hymnal so you can, too.
I was provided a complimentary copy of The Book of Psalms for Worship in exchange for an honest review.
May 23, 2024
Singing the Psalms from the Scriptures has been a practice of God's people since they were penned. Not only does it run the Jewish worship for millennia, but also in Christian worship and devotions. Chanting, plainsong, metered. However it has been done, it has a valuable, long history.
This is a personal sized song book. It attaches poetic renditions of the Psalms and Psalm portions to tunes for congregational singing (within the vocal range of the average, untrained singer). One of my favorite is 42d "O God, My Soul Is in Despair". There's also the classic 98A, "O Sing A New Song to the LORD". And if you're unfamiliar with the tunes, you can go to psalter.org and listen as you sing along.
All said, I encourage you to grab up a copy of "The Book of Psalms for Worship" and add it to your devotional time and or congregational singing.
This is a personal sized song book. It attaches poetic renditions of the Psalms and Psalm portions to tunes for congregational singing (within the vocal range of the average, untrained singer). One of my favorite is 42d "O God, My Soul Is in Despair". There's also the classic 98A, "O Sing A New Song to the LORD". And if you're unfamiliar with the tunes, you can go to psalter.org and listen as you sing along.
All said, I encourage you to grab up a copy of "The Book of Psalms for Worship" and add it to your devotional time and or congregational singing.
November 1, 2023
This was supposed to be an improvement on theThe Book of Psalms for Singing. The committee was supposed to compile a new psalter to make the psalms more singable and closer to Scripture. They failed on both.
January 15, 2024
Finished another sing-through!
August 29, 2022
It took maybe a year or two but I did read and/or sing through this whole psalter, beginning when I was looking to grab something poetry off the shelves to read for the kid's teatime (last spring?)...'Psalms are poetry, what could be better?' So we started through, one a teatime.
Between settling arguments about piece sizes and who got to pour tea first, lots of good stuff was sinking into their minds, but I didn't always feel like we were getting great examples of the riches inherent in our language (like one would wish with poetry). As English poetry, these arrangements are not hugely impressive. Several of them really shine, a few are rather clunky, and most are generally singable. But somehow most of them, despite fitting modernly accessible tunes and rhymes, seemed less poetic than the psalms straight from my Bible.
Admittedly it's hard to make translated poetry really beautiful as well as rhythmic in a different setting, but I think the compilers were perhaps willing to accept compositions of lesser quality when it came to filling in the gaps on the less popular psalms. It's understandable, but I think the worth of the psalms and of church worship calls for greater labors in making translated psalms and their accompanying music really beautiful.
Few people sing all the songs in any given song book, and the best pieces in this psalter are not found in many other places, so it's worth having. But I think the few psalter selections in our Trinity hymnal boast as many favorites and better, as I have in this C&C psalter. Church, keep working on this, it's worth the effort!
Between settling arguments about piece sizes and who got to pour tea first, lots of good stuff was sinking into their minds, but I didn't always feel like we were getting great examples of the riches inherent in our language (like one would wish with poetry). As English poetry, these arrangements are not hugely impressive. Several of them really shine, a few are rather clunky, and most are generally singable. But somehow most of them, despite fitting modernly accessible tunes and rhymes, seemed less poetic than the psalms straight from my Bible.
Admittedly it's hard to make translated poetry really beautiful as well as rhythmic in a different setting, but I think the compilers were perhaps willing to accept compositions of lesser quality when it came to filling in the gaps on the less popular psalms. It's understandable, but I think the worth of the psalms and of church worship calls for greater labors in making translated psalms and their accompanying music really beautiful.
Few people sing all the songs in any given song book, and the best pieces in this psalter are not found in many other places, so it's worth having. But I think the few psalter selections in our Trinity hymnal boast as many favorites and better, as I have in this C&C psalter. Church, keep working on this, it's worth the effort!
July 28, 2016
A great small words only version of the Psalter. Love the indexes in the back, particularly the topic index.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews