How To Introduce Responsorial Psalm Singing

The following article elaborates on a form of responsorial psalmody described in the preceding articles, describing how the Psalms can be sung responsorialy and how this practice can be introduced to a congregation not familiar with this practice. The Psalms may be thought of as honest response to God by humankind. In this frame of reference they are particularly appropriate in corporate worship as a sung response to the reading of Scripture, particularly after the reading from the Hebrew Scriptures. The singing of the Psalms has been given impetus within recent decades by the establishment of the three-year lectionary with its three prescribed Scripture readings plus an appropriate psalm for each Sunday of the year. The form widely used in singing the Psalms is that of the responsorial psalm. As the name suggests, responsorial psalmody is typified by a short response (refrain, often called an antiphon) sung by the congregation with a cantor or choir singing the verses in a free-sp…