SUBSCRIBER LOGIN

Search
First Things

Loading

RSS

Masthead

Recent Comments

  • teleologist: Thanks you for the opportunity to express our opinions with the time that we had. Tongues will cease,...
  • Orthodoxdj: As Tolkien said to Lewis as they parted on that fateful night in Oxford, “Goodbye.”
  • Livingston Dell: I didn’t always comment as frequently as I had liked to on these articles, but I always...
  • Nikolai Volk: You know, we had a hell of a run in these comment sections. I’ve had many a great discussion with...
  • David Strunk: Hey Joe, I also appreciated what you guys did here, and always had this blog on my RSS feed to see the...
  • Amy K. Hall: Thanks for starting the blog, Joe. It was an honor to be included.
  • Archives

    Categories

    Monthly


    « Previous  |Home|  Next »         

    Monday, June 6, 2011, 7:57 PM

    My Brazilian alter-ego, Lucas Freire, has alerted me to the following volume available via Google Books: All the French Psalm Tunes with English Words, a collection of Psalms accorded to the verses and tunes used in the reformed Churches of France and Germany (London: T. Harper, 1632). This is the first I have heard of this version, which places an English translation of the Genevan Psalms earlier than I had previously assumed.

    As was typical of the early metrical psalters, the language, while rhymed, is not particular poetic and is rather woodenly literal. Psalm 150 runs as follows:

    Let vs all Gods praise expres,
    Praise him in his holines.
    Praise him in the firmament
    Of his povver [power] permanent,
    And his high magnificency.
    Praise him in his greatnes shevved [showed?],
    In his goodnes multitude,
    VVitnessing his excellency.

    Praise him, ioyning vvith the noyse
    Both of Trumpets and Hautboyse[1],
    Praise him in the Psaltery,
    And the Harps svveet harmony.
    Laud the Lord with praise abounding,
    Timbrel, Taber[2], Fife and Flute,
    Organ, Sagbut[3], Cornamute[4],
    Laud the Lord, his praise resounding.

    Praise to him for his goodnes,
    Let the cymbals loud expres
    Viall[5], Virginall[6] and lute,
    Let not string nor breath be mute,
    Him to praise let all indeuer [endeavour].
    All his works, aboue, beneath,
    VVhat so ere doth moue or breath,
    Praise the Lord most blessed euer.

    Note: Here is a key to some of the less familiar musical instruments referenced above:

    1. Hautboyse = hautbois, or oboe
    2. Taber = tabor
    3. Sagbut = sackbut
    4. Cornamute = cornamuse
    5. Viall = viol
    6. Virginall = virginal

    1 Comment

      Albert
      June 8th, 2011 | 2:25 pm | #1

      Nice find!

    Links

    Blogs

    Find Us

    Contact