From Heavenly Harmony
Wonder & Wandering
by Ken Myers
For centuries, the singing of the Psalms has been at the heart of the Church's worship. The poetic form of the Psalter, with verses typically in two-line parallelisms, lends itself to antiphonal chanting. Typically, two groups of singers alternate lines of each verse, chanting back and forth in what we sometimes call "responsive" singing. The Gregorian chant repertoire includes a collection of eight short melodic patterns called "psalm tones," each with two phrases, to which any psalm could be chanted. Each of the two phrases in each tone includes some introductory notes (the "intonation"), a single reciting note on which a variable number of syllables may be chanted, and a final pattern of notes called a "cadence."
THIS ARTICLE ONLY AVAILABLE TO SUBSCRIBERS.
FOR QUICK ACCESS:
Ken Myers is the host and producer of the Mars Hill Audio Journal. Formerly an arts editor with National Public Radio, he also serves as music director at All Saints Anglican Church in Ivy, Virginia. He is a contributing editor for Touchstone.
A Journal of Mere Christianity—Delivered to Your Door
- Essays on theology, culture, and the Church
- Contributors from across the Christian traditions
Six print issues (one year) of Touchstone, plus full online access and PDF downloads for only $39.95.
Get a one-year full-access subscription to the Touchstone online archives for only $19.95.
bulk subscriptions
Order Touchstone subscriptions in bulk and save $10 per sub! Each subscription includes 6 issues of Touchstone plus full online access to touchstonemag.com—including archives, videos, and pdf downloads of recent issues for only $29.95 each! Great for churches or study groups.
Transactions will be processed on a secure server.
more from the online archives
27.4—July/August 2014
The Bible, Sacred Theology & the Mind of Christ by Patrick Henry Reardon
calling all readers
Please Donate
"There are magazines worth reading but few worth saving . . . Touchstone is just such a magazine."
—Alice von Hildebrand
"Here we do not concede one square millimeter of territory to falsehood, folly, contemporary sentimentality, or fashion. We speak the truth, and let God be our judge. . . . Touchstone is the one committedly Christian conservative journal."
—Anthony Esolen, Touchstone senior editor
