Hymn Collections: Calvin’s Psalters
Congregational singing wasn’t always a popular form of worship within church history. Up until the Reformation, everything had to be sung in Latin and could only be sung by priests. Reformers like John Calvin called for a reformed worship, where the people of God might be able to sing the Lord’s praises themselves, instead of having someone do it for them.
The First French Collection of the 16th Century
The Strasbourg Psalter marked the beginning of Calvin’s vernacular collections. It contained 19 psalms of David, the song of Simeon, the 10 Commandments and the Creed. Calvin did not make this collection himself, though. A talented lyricist by the name of Clement Marot assisted Calvin in his mission by structuring the psalms to poetic meter. Marot also fully translated the the psalms directly from Hebrew into French for the people of Strasbourg, France. This would ensure a true and accurate representation of the Psalms that Calvin’s congregation could sing.
Though Calvin wasn’t musically trained, he earnestly desired for the church to be edified through song.
“The Pope and his creatures have deprived the church, for he has distorted the psalms, which should be true spiritual songs, into a murmuring among themselves without any understanding.” — Calvin
Engagement was important to Calvin. The purpose of the Strasbourg Psalter was to introduce a new type of worship congregations haven’t really had in a long time. Calvin’s call for simplicity and modesty referenced back to early church worship as it encouraged all those participating in service to also participate in lifting up their hearts through song. Since this Psalter was a collection of biblical songs, it invited genuine worship by singing biblical prayers and praises that were originally inspired by the Holy Spirit. By result, the collection would end up helping the congregation better understand what it is they sing.
Composers such a Louis Bourgeois and Matthias Greiter set music to the Strasbourg Psalter where it would later be expanded and modified. By almost a decade later, in 1548, all 150 Psalms would be set metrically and composed by Theodore de Beze. This collection would be known as the Genevan Psalter.
The Protestant Church welcomed Calvin’s reformed worship by the time he was back in Geneva. Singing songs in the vernacular allowed worship to become more personal for Protestantism. It marked a beginning of church piety. It is through the collaboration of Calvin and Marot that congregations were nourished spiritually as they began to sing at church in the vernacular. Reformed worship was not such a bad idea as Geneva originally thought. It became “prayers of the people” spoken by the people. No longer were Psalms to be chanted in some foreign language, but to be expressed in truth by congregants.
