Singing the Psalms: Suzanne Haïk- Vantoura

Imagine, if you will, what it would be like if Christians were to hold competitions in chanting the Psalms similar to what we see below.

If Suzanne Haïk-Vantoura (1912-2000) is correct (which is disputed), it is possible that the entire Old Testament was once chanted. Listen to this NPR report below:

Here is Haïk-Vantoura’s rendition of Psalm 23.

Other samples of her musical reconstructions can be found here. Is Haïk-Vantoura’s thesis plausible? I wouldn’t presume to judge, but it is intriguing, if nothing else.

Next
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Lift My Chin, Lord 

Jennifer Reeser

Lift my chin, Lord,Say to me,“You are not whoYou feared to be,Not Hecate, quite,With howling sound,Torch held…

Letters

Two delightful essays in the March issue, by Nikolas Prassas (“Large Language Poetry,” March 2025) and Gary…

Spring Twilight After Penance 

Sally Thomas

Let’s say you’ve just comeFrom confession. Late sunPours through the budding treesThat mark the brown creek washing Itself…