Our Singing

LOCH A TUATH NEWS -- November 2002

Gaelic psalm-singing has enjoyed a remarkable revival in recent years. Not only has the style become popular among children, but also among adults, largely through the introduction of competitive singing at both the national and local Mods. On a different level of style altogether is the "Lasair Dhe" production of the last year, in which the Gaelic psalms were used as the basis for a remarkable musical production.

Whether these will ensure the continuance of the style as we have come to know and love it is another matter. We do not, after all, sing the Gaelic psalms in the traditional manner in order to be ahead of others, but in order to praise God. And the more modern forms are used as settings for the psalms, the less likely it is that the old style of 'putting out the line' will be used.

And, arguably, it is vital that the traditional style never be dissociated from its roots in the piety and religious life of people. Gaelic psalm-singing is very much an in-house production, and very much associated with Word-based worship, with evangelical preaching, and with deep spirituality. To take it out of this context is to deny it its very life-blood.

Nonetheless, it is good that efforts are being made to draw our attention to the Gaelic psalms. I am no expert on singing, but it seems to me that if we are to praise God in the highly stylised manner of Gaelic precenting, then we do need as much as possible to appreciate the different elements of our praise.

To have good singing means, at least, three things. It means that we pay attention to the words. To sing the psalms means to sing the words of God, the words of the Bible. A lifetime of psalm-singing gives one an acquaintance with the Bible in a remarkable way. One does not walk off with the gold medal at the Mod by ignoring the meaning and the power of the words; and if we are serious about praising God we too need to give attention to what God has given to us in song.

It also means that we pay attention to music. Traditional Gaelic psalm-singing, like our traditional English psalm-singing, has been a-cappella, that is, it has been sung without musical accompaniment. I have been in very few churches where musical instrumentation has actually enhanced the singing. It keeps pitch and tempo, but it tends to drown out the actual singing.

Musical instruments are not necessary for there to be music. It is impossible to sing without music, and our tunes are important. We do not need choral perfection, but we cannot be slovenly when it comes to the things of God, and melodious singing is of the very essence of praise.

Third, we must pay attention to the spirit of our singing. Psalm 22 says that God 'inhabits' the praise of his people. If that is the case, then the moment we sing in unison, with the words he has given us, and in the spirit of thanksgiving and melody, then we create a dwelling-place for God. In many of our services, the singing is the only element which allows total congregational participation. Let us ensure that our worship is always enhanced with the music of the heart