-
Andrew Melville and the Psalms: Songs for the darkest days
Andrew Melville (1545-1622), who led Scottish Presbyterianism in the late sixteenth century, is remembered by many as a heroic and resilient figure. This is probably because, alongside his various achievements, numerous famous anecdotes have been passed down that show him refusing to yield, regardless of whom he was confronting. Drawing on his ten years of… Read More
-
Some thoughts on precenting
In the Old Testament Church a whole family from the tribe of Levi rigorously and carefully trained the singers to lead in the praise of God. This was passed down through the generations. Not only that, but the musicians were exempt from other temple duties to give them time for training, rehearsals and daily worship.… Read More
-
Psalm 103: A woman’s song of healing
Over the coming months, the Digital Splitleaf Blog will be recounting examples of metrical psalm singing in Scotland over the centuries. We will explore how Scots transformed these texts, originally written centuries earlier for Israelite worship, into songs of Christian worship. Scots sang psalms in various contexts, from private devotional life to public worship and… Read More
-
Digital Splitleaf: What is it about?
Can you read the music in the example below from The Psalmes of David in Prose and Meeter (1635)? This was the edition produced by Edward Millar in an effort to consolidate psalm-singing practice in churches across Scotland. While some of the symbols may be similar to what you might find in music books today,… Read More
-
2026 Digital Splitleaf Tune Competition
The Digital Splitleaf is pleased to announce its 2026 Tune Competition in collaboration with ThePsalmsSung.org. We invite composers, music students, church musicians, and anyone who enjoys writing music to submit an original four‑part tune using a text from the 1650 Scottish Metrical Psalter. This competition celebrates the long tradition of metrical psalm singing and encourages… Read More