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. You can read about it in 1 Chronicles 25. Of course, in the temple, their praise included the use of instruments, but that’s another story!
Coming to the New Testament, here is an interesting quote:
A description of the ideal precentor is given in the second century by Rabbi Judah ben-Illai (B. Taanith fol.16a): ‘he should be a learned man who has music in himself and is endowed with an agreeable voice, who is humble, has a pleasant appearance, is recognised by and popular with the community, is conversant with the Scriptures, able to preach a sermon, and well versed in law and folklore, and who knows all the prayers by heart. He should also be poor and needy for then his prayer will come out of his heart.’ (Peter Gradwnwitz, The Music of Israel from the Biblical Era to Modern Times)
In the Reformed Tradition, the preaching of the Word rightly takes central place. Sadly, in the history of the Scottish church the standard of the singing of the psalms-God’s Word-has fluctuated, sometimes leaving a lot to be desired. At the Reformation, a great emphasis was put on the memorisation of the metrical psalms (and also the Shorter Catechism). The singing of the psalms deserves the utmost reverence and respect, thoughtfulness and care, but also an understanding of what is musically acceptable and desirable.
Not everyone knows that in Presbyterian tradition, the minister of the congregation has the general oversight of the singing:
The minister is especially responsible to the Presbytery for the mode in which all the parts of public worship are conducted. Hence it follows that no one can act as precentor without the minister being satisfied with his mode of conducting the Psalmody. The nature of the Kirk Session’s functions may lead to the conclusion that they ought also to be satisfied on those points. (The Practice of the Free Church in her several Courts, Chapter 1, Part 2CD)
Some practical hints
A good Precentor leads in a way that encourages the congregation to sing wholeheartedly. He should be given the psalms to be sung at a service well beforehand so that he can choose a suitable tune, one in the correct metre and one that can reflect the words that are going to be sung. He can also ‘tune’ his heart as part of his preparation. It would be very sad if the practice of singing Psalms unaccompanied is despised because of the standard of the singing.
Announcing the tunes before each singing encourages those in the pew who are able to use their music copy, helps to motivate interest in the singing, and takes cognizance of the fact that there may well be those in the congregation, and even visitors, who are musically aware.
The importance of the words can never be overlooked. The Precentor has to convey the meaning of the words as best as he can, and also sing the words clearly.
Apart from managing the texts and the tunes, the Precentor must act as a leader! He should:
- Stand straight, hold up his head, and hold his Psalter so that he can see both the congregation and the words and music.
- Command involvement by having good eye contact with those in the pew.
- Give clear intentions of when to begin and end stanzas.
- Try to convey the meaning of the words by his facial expression and general demeanour.
- Keep to the speed that he starts with and not slow down.
Developing skills should be an important aim, particulalry improving his musical skills. Another might be leadership skills, which would help him pass on his knowledge to others by means of psalmody workshops, for example.
Another area of learning could include:
- Knowledge of tunes, including their names, characteristics (major/minor/pentatonic…), the composer and date of composition etc.
- Knowledge of the History of Scottish Psalmody and how it differs from Dutch, French, Polish, Hungarian etc.
Encouraging families to sing the psalms at family worship, would be a sure step to help present singing and provide willing singers for tomorrow. The practice has slipped from many. It is most encouraging to see children learning to sing and growing to love the psalms, becoming familiar with the tunes, and, as a by-product, learning musical skills like reading from music and singing well.
Frequent singing sessions with both congregations and precentors, and showing the rôles of each so that they work together, would be most beneficial and mutually encouraging. A “one off” session is not enough.
They have to take place regularly in order to establish good principles. As in many areas of life prevention is better than cure. We must not forget that worship is to be “in spirit and truth” and that “God looks on the heart”.
It is sincerely hoped that no one reading this will feel discouraged or disheartened. God in His wisdom has given us different gifts and in varying measure and, knowing this, we accept one another. Acknowledge where you are, musically speaking, and aim to make progress, no matter how slow, in the areas where you feel you are lacking. Our aim, surely, is to do the best we can with the talents we have been given, as to the Lord.