Psalmist movement is a term that covers a period of mass musical education in Britain having its roots in the dissenting congregational church singing organisations of late 18th century in regional Scotland and Northern England, which, by the mid-19th century, was to become a vibrant metropolitan cultural institution, coinciding with radical developments in broader national schools policy, the latter owing much to the teaching methods used by the psalmist singing schools. It is sometimes also referred to as the 'choral revival'. The names most often associated with the 'movement' in Britain are John Curwen (1816–1880),

Sarah Ann Glover Sarah Anna Glover (13 November 1786 – 20 October 1867) was an English music educator who invented the Norwich sol-fa system. Her Sol-fa system was based on the ancient gamut; but she omitted the constant recital of the alphabetical names of ...

(1785–1867) and

John Pyke Hullah John Pyke Hullah (27 June 1812 – 21 February 1884) was an English composer and teacher of music, whose promotion of vocal training is associated with the singing-class movement. Life and career Hullah was born at Worcester. He was a pupil ...

(1812–24), However it had its philosophical roots in Europe, particularly in the social idealism of

Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (, ; 12 January 1746 – 17 February 1827) was a Swiss pedagogue and educational reformer who exemplified Romanticism in his approach. He founded several educational institutions both in German- and French-speaking r ...

. In Bernarr Rainbow's words 'As a result of the series of weekly massed singing classes introduced at

Exeter Hall Exeter Hall was a large public meeting place on the north side of the Strand in central London, opposite where the Savoy Hotel now stands. From 1831 until 1907 Exeter Hall was the venue for many great gatherings by promoters of human bettermen ...

under government sanction, the people of London became more musically conscious between 1841 and 1843 than they had ever been.'Bernarr Rainbow 1970, ''The Choral Revival in the Anglican Church 1839-1872,'' (London), p.43

Sources

*Cowgill, Rachel and Peter Holman (eds) 2007, ''Music in the British Provinces, 1690–1914'' Ashgate *Curwen, John Spencer Studies in Worship Music - www.archive.org/stream/studiesinworship *Rainbow, Bernarr 1970, ''The Choral Revival in the Anglican Church (1839–1872)'' 1970 (London); with special reference to PART 1/3 'The Cradle of the Movement', pp. 43–57.

References

{{Reflist Education in England Music education