Metrical Psalmody in Print and Practice

During the Reformation, the Book of Psalms became one of the most well-known books of the Bible. This was particularly true in Britain, where people of all backgrounds memorized and sang poetic versifications of the psalms. This book is the first to consider both English and Scottish metrical psalmody, comparing the two traditions in print and practice. It combines theological, literary and musical analysis to reveal new connections between the psalm texts and their tunes, which it traces in the English and Scottish psalters printed through 1640.