Gaelic psalm singing, or Gaelic psalmody (), is a tradition of
exclusive psalmody
Exclusive psalmody is the practice of singing only the biblical Psalms in congregational singing as worship. Today it is practised by several Protestant, especially Reformed denominations. Hymns besides the Psalms have been composed by Christians ...
in the
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...
language found in
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
churches in the
Western Isles
The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...
of
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
. It is a form of
Gaelic music.
Structure and style
The psalms are sung unaccompanied, in a style known as "
lining out
Lining out or hymn lining, called precenting the line in Scotland, is a form of a cappella hymn-singing or hymnody in which a leader, often called the clerk or precentor, gives each line of a hymn tune as it is to be sung, usually in a chanted for ...
" or "precenting the line," in which the leader of the performance, or "precentor," sings a line, after which the rest of the congregation follows, with each member allowed to embellish the melody as they wish, in a
free heterophonic fashion.
The style of Gaelic psalm singing is influenced by
piobaireachd
Pibroch, or is an art music genre associated primarily with the Scottish Highlands that is characterised by extended compositions with a melodic theme and elaborate formal variations. Strictly meaning "piping" in Scottish Gaelic, has for some f ...
music native to the
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland S ...
, with frequent and distinctive use of ornamentation and grace notes.
History
The practice of lining out psalms was common in England and lowland Scotland in the 17th century. In 1644, the Westminster Assembly mandated its use as an official form of worship but there is evidence that it was a folk custom in English Protestant churches even before then. In 1659, the book of psalms was translated into Gaelic for the first time, and it is believed that the Highlanders began to sing the psalms at this point. Lacking their own tunes, they used melodies composed in England and lowland Scotland for the psalms, though these were embellished through the use of grace-notes and ornamentation to the point where German musician Joseph Mainzer, who published a study of Gaelic psalm singing in 1844, thought that the original tunes they were based on could barely be detected.
Gaelic psalmody was historically practiced in regions in which Gaelic-speaking Protestants migrated, including the
Cape Fear river
The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The river is formed at the confluence of the Haw River and the Deep River (North Carol ...
valley in
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
(where it persisted until about the 1860s when most of the distinctively Gaelic cultural features in the region disappeared) and
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
, which received a huge number of migrants from the Highlands and islands and where Gaelic continues to be spoken to this day. Lined out singing was the main form of worship throughout colonial America and the early United States, as English, lowland Scottish, and
Ulster-Scots immigrants would all have utilized the style. However, as in England, this began to be replaced with other forms of worship, such as
Sacred Harp
Sacred Harp singing is a tradition of sacred choral music that originated in New England and was later perpetuated and carried on in the American South. The name is derived from ''The Sacred Harp'', a ubiquitous and historically important tune ...
shape note singing, known in America initially as "regular" singing. In both England and America the lined-out form was known as the "old way" at this point. English lined-out singing still survives in
Old Regular Baptist churches in isolated communities in the
Appalachian mountains
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...
, though these congregations sing Anglo-American hymns rather than psalms.
It has been theorized by jazz bassist and Yale music professor
Willie Ruff
Willie Henry Ruff Jr. (born September 1, 1931) is an American jazz musician, specializing in the French horn and double bass, and a music scholar and educator, primarily as a Yale professor from 1971 to 2017.
Personal life
He was born in Sheff ...
that Gaelic psalmody was the origin of black American church singing, due to the number of Gaelic speakers (primarily from
Argyllshire) who migrated to the Cape Fear Valley in North Carolina in the 18th century and might have taught the form to their slaves. However, the extent to which this is the case has been questioned by a number of scholars, including Billy Kay, Michael Newton, and Terry Miller, who note that since the lined-out singing tradition was prevalent amongst most whites living in America in the 18th and 19th centuries, there is no particular reason that the Gaels, a rather small, clustered group in North America, be considered the main source of inspiration.
Once common all over the Protestant, Gaelic-speaking regions of Scotland, Gaelic psalm singing has declined to a few Gaelic-speaking churches in the Scottish
Hebrides
The Hebrides (; gd, Innse Gall, ; non, Suðreyjar, "southern isles") are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebr ...
, primarily on the
Isle of Lewis but also the
Isle of Harris
Harris ( gd, Na Hearadh, ) is the southern and more mountainous part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Although not an island itself, Harris is often referred to in opposition to the ''Isle of Lewis'' as t ...
,
North Uist
North Uist ( gd, Uibhist a Tuath; sco, North Uise) is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
Etymology
In Donald Munro's ''A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland Called Hybrides'' of 1549, North Uist, Benbecula and ...
,
Benbecula
Benbecula (; gd, Beinn nam Fadhla or ) is an island of the Outer Hebrides in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Scotland. In the 2011 census, it had a resident population of 1,283 with a sizable percentage of Roman Catholics. It is in a ...
, and
Skye. In the 20th century, it could also be found in regions of lowland Scotland that saw large amounts of Highland immigration, such as
Partick
Partick ( sco, Pairtick, Scottish Gaelic: ''Partaig'') is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. To the west lies Whiteinch, to the east Yorkhill and Kelvingrove Park (across the River Kelvin), and ...
in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, though this has largely ceased.
In popular culture
Gaelic psalm singing was the main inspiration behind the
Runrig
Runrig were a Scottish Celtic rock band formed on the Isle of Skye in 1973. From its inception, the band's line-up included songwriters Rory Macdonald and Calum Macdonald. The line-up during most of the 1980s and 1990s (the band's most succe ...
song "An Ubhal as Àirde (The Highest Apple)" on their album
The Cutter and the Clan
''The Cutter and the Clan'' is the fifth album by the Scottish Celtic rock band Runrig. It was the band's breakthrough album, taking them from cottage industry to the international stage. It was also the first Runrig album to feature keyboard pl ...
.
Samples of Gaelic psalm singing have been used in songs by
Capercaillie and
Martyn Bennett
Martyn Bennett (17 February 1971 – 30 January 2005) was a Canadian-Scottish musician who was influential in the evolution of modern Celtic fusion, a blending of traditional Celtic and modern music. He was a piper, violinist, composer and prod ...
.
Gaelic psalm singing has been made widely available through the "Salm" series of albums produced by Lewis native Calum Martin. Three volumes have been released so far, as well as a live album recorded at
Celtic Connections
The Celtic Connections festival started in 1994 in Glasgow, Scotland, and has since been held every January. Featuring over 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, free events, late night sessions and workshops, the festival focuses on the roots of tra ...
entitled ''Salm and Soul'' featuring the Gaelic singing paired with an African-American gospel choir.
In 2019, singer-songwriter
Roxanne Tataei
Roxanne Tataei, also known by the stage name Rox, is an English singer-songwriter from South London.
Early life
Born and raised in Norbury, London, England Roxanne Tataei's heritage is half-Jamaican (mother) and half-Iranian (father). She cites ...
recorded a collaboration with Gaelic psalm singers in Stornoway. This was documented in an episode of the BBC Radio 4 programme "The Sound Odyssey", released on 1 October.
See also
*
Scottish church music
References
{{Psalms
Gaelic culture
Psalms
Scottish Gaelic music
Scottish Gaelic language
Scottish music
British church music
Church of Scotland