psalmcast

Kids Sign Psalms

noreply@blogger.com (John Owen Butler) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 12:45:26 PST

Sons of Korah Videos

noreply@blogger.com (John Owen Butler) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 19:52:33 PDT

Yes, it has been awhile! We're going to shift from podcasting to sharing of psalm videos....So here's our favorite contemporary Psalm-singers from Oz, Sons of Korah

Links to Other Psalm-Related Sites (from David T. Koyzis)

noreply@blogger.com (John Owen Butler) — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 12:05:35 PDT

to Other Psalm-Related Websites

Restoring Psalms to Worship and Straight from Scripture,
by David T. Koyzis

Calvin's Preface to the Psalter

Singing the Psalms: A Brief History of Psalmody, by R. C. Leonard.

Psalms of David in Metre (Scottish Psalter of 1650)

The Psalms and Hymns of Isaac Watts

Music for the Church of God: Psalters

The Origin of our Psalm melodies, by Dr. K. Deddens

Metrical psalter (Wikipedia)

The Genevan Psalms in Italian and French

Die Psalmen in Deutsch

Salterio de Ginebra (en español)

Psalm and Hymn tunes from Liedboek voor de Kerken

The Huguenot Psalter

History of the Genevan Psalter, by Duck Shuler

Athanasius on the Psalms

Du Livre des Psaumes au Psautier français:
une tradition poétique et musicale
by Dominique Amann

French Metrical Psalmody

Branislav Micieta's Psalms in Slovak

Prayer Request

noreply@blogger.com (John Owen Butler) — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 20:09:25 PST

Our friend Richard Bacon, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Rowlett, Texas, is currently in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). Part of his endeavors there include work with a committee which is taking the Psalter in the Judson version of the Burmese language Bible and working to provide psalm settings which best provide a faithful rendering of the text into a singable, meaningful form. Burmese is a tonal language, which presents certain challenges. Please take time now to pray for our brothers in Christ as they work on this project. Here are some excerpts from emails from Pastor Bacon:

A basic difficulty lies in the fact that the Burmese is a tonal language. Thus something that makes sense when written can quickly turn into virtual nonsense if the tones of the music don't match the words. But it is more than simply a "mood" problem. A syllable with an upward-going tone, for example, can mean something totally different from a level or short or downward-going tone. Remember our "famous fried chicken backs" -- kyaw kyaw kyet kyaw. This is also how a name like "Four kinds of barrier" can become "Children's town."

One of the selections they were working on this AM was Psalm 10:1-4. They have worked the tune to where it is only barely recognizable now. But it is beautiful. Even if you cannot understand the words, it *sounds* like poor people crying to God because of the injustice and oppression of the covetous. I think these people may know something about that. Some of these Psalms they simply *adopt* as their own Psalms, like 107:1-8 and now 10:1-4.

One of the revisers on the translation committee has been a model of humility before the Word of God. He speaks a few words of English and I speak even less Burmese, but between our broken phrases in one another's language we think we have communicated a little. When I was trying to explain the payment plan for a day's work, he kept telling me that the pay is very low. My comment was that the pay may be very low by US standards, it is actually very good here in MM. Finally he was able to communicate that the pay is a very low motive for his participation in the project and it doesn't really matter how or how much we pay him. The important thing to him, he said, is that the Holy Spirit may use his work to glorify God and edify his people here.

Here is a sort of commentary on what I see the men doing in our Psalter committees: They begin each Psalm section by one person reading from the Judson Bible while the others follow along in the metrical translation. If there are any obvious divergences, they immediately mark those during the first reading. Then they correct the metrical translation based upon the Judson Bible. Also, one of the groups (but not both) have access to the English Authorized Version and the Hebrew Bible.

Next they teach themselves the Psalm tune from the Comprehensive Psalter (actually they use the sol-fa notation we gave them last trip). They do this by singing "do-re-mi" then attempt stanza by stanza to sing the words of the Psalter to the tune they've just learned. This uncovers problems that exist with singing with a tonal language. Even though there may be perfect sense when reading the metrical version as though it were a "poem," when singing it new problems often arise. If a written word should be spoken with an upward-going tone, for example, and the musical tone is downward-going the result could be anything from nonsense to an incorrect rendering of the meaning or idea.

At this point the *real* work of the committee begins. Their task is to phrase the Burmese in such a way that the musical tunes and verbal tones coincide. They occasionally make changes to the tune, but that is generally only when the tune is so complex (moves so much in the melody) that it is simply too hard to make sense of the Burmese language using the tune.

The attached selection is from Psalm 107, vv. 1-8. I don't recall the name of the tune, but could find out if there is a name for it. The Chin people of Burma love to sing this Psalm because they say it is very much like their own history. They also wandered in the (jungle) wilderness without a home until Christ gave them a home in heaven. Now they are no longer wanderers, but pilgrims on the way to heaven. Download.

Update

noreply@blogger.com (John Owen Butler) — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 08:49:37 PDT

Hey y'all -- PsalmCast isn't gone; I've just been incredibly busy since Hurricane Katrina (see my personal blog over at okcalvin.blogspot.com for the low-down). Lord willing, we should have a couple of new podcasts up within the next couple of weeks. I appreciate your patience!

2005 Okie Blog Award Finalist -- Best Audio Blog

noreply@blogger.com (John Owen Butler) — Tue, 23 Aug 2005 09:11:57 PDT

Well -- we're honored, to say the least. You can vote here for PsalmCast.

PsalmCast 016

noreply@blogger.com (John Owen Butler) — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 05:57:21 PST

Welcome to our new listeners from iTunes and from the Toronto Globe and Mail!

Here's our line-up in this podcast:

1) Gaelic psalm singing: from from the Back Free Church of Scotland, on the Isle of Lewis, in the Hebrides Islands in NW Scotland. In 2003 a gathering of Gaelic psalm-singers over the course of a couple of evenings recorded a number of selections from the Scottish psalter, sung in Gaelic. The metrical psalm tunes are used by the various Presbyterian churches which have descended from the Church of Scotland. The uniqueness of this recording is that it is of the precentor, or psalm-leader, "lining-out," each line of the psalm, followed by the congregation. This is Psalm 16: 5-7, with Kenneth A Mackay, precenting. The tune is "Moravia." Link.

2) Ukrainian psalm chant: Ensemble Sreteniye in Kharkov, Urkraine - from their CD "Don't Cry Rachael." It is a chant of Psalm 104, and is presented with permission from Magnatune.

3) Coptic psalm chant: Psalm 150, from by Ibrahim Ayad and Chorus, from their CD "Coptic Melodies II - Coptic." It is available from Tasbeha.org

PsalmCast 016 - del.icio.us tags

noreply@blogger.com (John Owen Butler) — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 12:46:55 PDT

Gonna try something different this time. I don't have time to record a full-blown program this week, but I've tagged a few MP3s of psalm settings for your edification.

They are:

A couple of Gregorian Chants from "Gregorian Chant based on Graduale Triplex." Psalm 2:7, Dominus Dixit Me -- The Lord Said To Me; and Psalm 98:1,2, Cantate Domino -- Sing To The Lord. (used under CC Music Sharing License)

Psalm 80 from the CD Resurrection, from our friends from OZ, The Sons of Korah. (used by permission)

PsalmCast 015

noreply@blogger.com (John Owen Butler) — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 15:40:03 PDT

A non-musical PsalmCast today; we're interviewing Pastor Richard Bacon of First Presbyterian Church, Rowlett, Texas, concerning their congregation's involvement in the production of two Psalters in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). You can download this PsalmCast here.

You can read more about their Mission to Myanmar, and about their own congregation's production of The Comprehensive Psalter. Pastor Bacon has a Myanmar Mission blog.

PsalmCast 013

noreply@blogger.com (John Owen Butler) — Mon, 27 Jun 2005 14:52:46 PDT

Yeah. We're back. 'Bout time, huh?

On this edition of PsalmCast, we'll hear from a couple of our folks who subscribe to our podcasts. Right click here to download PsalmCast 013, or enter the link at right into your podcast subscriber.

The first is a setting of Psalm 46 from Tim Gallant, entitled "God is Our Refuge And Our Strength." You can find some of Tim's hymns and psalm settings at http://www.timgallant.org/music/hymns.php.

Our second Psalm setting is from Valerie. It's a setting of Psalm 107, entitled "His Unfailing Love." Here are the lyrics on her weblog: http://www.kyriosity.com/archive/2002_07_01_index.htm#79431958

Thanks to Valerie and Tim for submitting their psalm settings to us here at PsalmCast. If you have an orginal psalm setting you'd like to share with us, contact us at EMail PsalmCast.

Business Week

noreply@blogger.com (John Owen Butler) — Wed, 25 May 2005 11:22:14 PDT

Business Week Online has special coverage on podcasting, and "Godcasting," in particular. Tech writer Olga Kharif interviewed me by phone last Wednesday for the piece.

PsalmCast 004 (rerun)

noreply@blogger.com (John Owen Butler) — Thu, 19 May 2005 13:57:45 PDT

Today's Psalm is a setting of Psalm 98 from a CD entitled "Sing a New Song."

The CD is a reproduction of an LP with selections from the Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America's Book of Psalms for Singing, published in 1973. The 1973 Psalter is the most commonly used Psalter among presbyterians in north America. You can find the CD and Psalter for sale on the RPCNA's publishing site at psalms4u.com.

Our selection for this PsalmCast is number 98 A in the Book of Psalms for Singing. It is entitled "O Sing a New Song," and is a favorite among many psalm singers here in North America. The tune name is "Desert."

used through prior arrangement with Crown and Covenant Publications

Taking Submissions

noreply@blogger.com (John Owen Butler) — Thu, 19 May 2005 13:46:43 PDT

Hey all you artists: this is a call for mp3s of your psalm settings, whatever style. Submit your material to me at psalmcast@gmail.com. I'll need a statement from you that the material is yours, and that you give permission for its being on the PsalmCast podcast. Material in the public domain needs to be identified as such. I'll review your submissions, and if they pass muster, I'll incorporate them in the podcast.

PsalmCast 005 (rerun)

noreply@blogger.com (John Owen Butler) — Wed, 18 May 2005 07:13:57 PDT

I've always been a sucker for Slavic men's choirs and choruses. Today's Psalm is a setting of Psalm 33 ( to the setting of archimandrite Matthew) by the Monks and Choirs of Kiev Pechersk Lavra. We present it here with permission from Magnatune, and you can follow the link to their site to view their entire catalog, and to listen to more selections from the Russian Orthodox Monks and Choirs of Kiev Pechersk Lavra, in Ukraine.

Restart of Podcasts

noreply@blogger.com (John Owen Butler) — Wed, 18 May 2005 07:06:49 PDT

PsalmCast will start podcasting today. We're looked over some of the legal issues and have secured permission for the use of some of our material; other material will be of Creative Commons attribution license; and other material will be in the public domain.

Suspension of PsalmCast Podcasting

noreply@blogger.com (John Owen Butler) — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 22:59:58 PDT

Dear ________,

Thank you for your email concerning PsalmCast.

Some of the material on PsalmCast was used by permission of the labels from which the material was taken. Other material didn't have prior permissions. We operated PsalmCast under provisions of the copyright laws that allow for "fair use" of material without prior permission in formats of critique, review, and education. In almost every instance, we were able to provide linkbacks to the website of the originating material. PsalmCast was non-commercial, sought to be educational, and
derived no income from any source.

My thinking was that if one liked what they heard on PsalmCast, they
could visit the artist's or label's site via links from the PsalmCast
blog and order material for themselves. We thought it would be a "win" situation for artists.

Your email has prompted me to again review "fair use." It seems that this area of copyright law tends to be a bit murky, especially concerning podcasting. To avoid giving possible offense to copyright holders, PsalmCast has been withdrawn from the Internet.

We may resume podcasting with music in the public domain and with material under Creative Commons non-commercial, attribution license.

Regards,

John Butler

PsalmCast