Psalter Recommendations (1650)

[Sam Jer]

Where would you recommend I go to buy a psalter? My main preferrances and criteria are:

- Uses the 1650 translation
- Looks beutifull
- Hardcover
- Likely to survive long-term use
- Sold online, ships internationally
- Relatively cheap for my other requirements
- Sold by a relatively well known, trustworthy website
- Includes psalm titles and selah

Bonuses include:

- Includes short commentary for each psalm
- Any other feature which is worth the extra price and cluttering of the pages

 

[NaphtaliPress]

That list may be difficult to achieve. The John Brown Psalter has commentary (and that requirement may lock you into some version of that), and if you can find the old Presbyterian Heritage edition, it is bound in super heavy bookcloth (E grade or something). There is a new edition, but someone will need to chime in if it is well bound (sewn). But neither of these have musical notation. The recent Sermon audio edition has codes to scan to get tunes on your phone, but no commentary. However, I think it sold out.

 

[Sam Jer]

Musical Notation is less important because I wouldn't be able to use it anyway. Perhaps on the long term it would be good to have if it is done well and dosen't clutter the page too much.
Commentary is one of the less important preferances for me. Would be nice, but not un-negotiable.

Forgot to mention, but I'd highly appreciate one that has the psalm titles and indicates where the original text has "Selah". Not sure how common it is though

 

[Logan]

I would guess that these would be the least expensive:

https://us.tbsbibles.org/store/ListProducts.aspx?ftr=catMetricalPsalms

One of my favorite versions of the 1650 psalter has very helpful markings for where a syllable is held for two beats or two syllables for one beat, or where a word is broken into "abnormal" syllables. It's at the back of their newer metrical version "Sing Psalms".
"New Metrical Version of the Book of Psalms with the Scottish Psalter, 2017 edition (£13.50)"

Psalm & Praise Resources – Free Church of Scotland

Psalms, Praise and Worship Resources & Downloads Psalm Singing Resources Hymn Singing Resources Sing Scripture Resources Order Praise Items As a people who worship and follow God, we are a church who love to sing! Just as the heavenly host sing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty”...

freechurch.org

Other than that and the FCC's split-leaf, I'm not familiar with any "nice" hard-bound editions, unfortunately.

The 1650 Scottish Metrical Psalter (Split-Leaf) » Grange Press

This most recent reprint of The Scottish Psalmody is published by the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) and contains the text of the 1650 Metrical Version of the Psalms. The 193 tunes included in this publication are drawn from a wide variety of locations and periods...

www.grangepress.com

 

[Rom]

This is an exceptional psalter if you want something to last. It is Smyth-Sewn. We have two in our home. Many members of our congregation own them for home use as well.

The John Brown Psalter » Grange Press

Introducing "The Psalms of David in Metre," an extraordinary compilation of the 1650 Scottish Metrical Psalter that will enrich your worship and deepen your appreciation for God's inspired song book. Its content is both edifying and inspiring, offering readers insight and guidance through the...

www.grangepress.com

 

[Sam Jer]

This is an exceptional psalter if you want something to last. It is Smyth-Sewn. We have two in our home. Many members of our congregation own them for home use as well.

The John Brown Psalter » Grange Press

Introducing "The Psalms of David in Metre," an extraordinary compilation of the 1650 Scottish Metrical Psalter that will enrich your worship and deepen your appreciation for God's inspired song book. Its content is both edifying and inspiring, offering readers insight and guidance through the...

www.grangepress.com

I see there are very few options so this is not necesssarily going to be determinitive, but does it have psalm titles and an indication somewhere of where the mysterious instructions selah and higgayon appear?

 

[Rom]

I see there are very few options so this is not necesssarily going to be determinitive, but does it have psalm titles and an indication somewhere of where the mysterious instructions selah and higgayon appear?

Psalm titles yes, Selah, no.

Edit: The photos on the site give you a good sense of layout (and the psalm titles too).

 

[Sam Jer]

Psalm titles yes, Selah, no.

That's unfortunate. I wonder if there is some thought behind that or if it just happened to be this way. Perhaps if someone here knows the publishers he can suggest it for whenever they print another edition.

It looks great otherwise so if nothing even better is suggested I am likely to order it.

 

[Jie-Huli]

That's unfortunate. I wonder if there is some thought behind that or if it just happened to be this way. Perhaps if someone here knows the publishers he can suggest it for whenever they print another edition.

It looks great otherwise so if nothing even better is suggested I am likely to order it.

I stand to be corrected, but I do not think the 1650 Psalter as originally published included “Selah”s, and I am not aware of any edition that includes these. So it will not have been a matter of the publishers making a decision to omit them - they were just publishing the Psalter as it was originally published.

Presumably the reason is that, whether the “Selah” is viewed as a musical notation or a notation for contemplative pause, including it in the Psalter may not have aided congregational singing.

I do have one of these Grange Press Psalters and they are very good, though the shipping to the UK was quite expensive. (I wanted it primarily for the John Brown notes, and there is not currently a published version of equivalent quality here in the UK.)

I have many more copies of the TBS published psalters for family use, and these are also good as well as being low cost. TBS also sells a number of Bibles (both hardback and leather bound) that include the 1650 Psalter at the back.

 

[TylerRay]

Where would you recommend I go to buy a psalter? My main preferrances and criteria are:

- Uses the 1650 translation

- Looks beutifull
- Hardcover
- Likely to survive long-term use
- Sold online, ships internationally
- Relatively cheap for my other requirements
- Sold by a relatively well known, trustworthy website
- Includes psalm titles and selah

Bonuses include:

- Includes short commentary for each psalm
- Any other feature which is worth the extra price and cluttering of the pages

Both the John Brown Psalter from Grange Press and the Foundations Psalter published by Sermonaudio would be good options. The Foundations Psalter is less expensive, but it also has less features, including Psalm titles. Both are quite beautiful and well made.

Don't get a TBS Psalter. They fall apart in short order.

 

[Phil D.]

Here's what the 1650 Scottish Psalter actually looked like.

 

[Sam Jer]

This is an exceptional psalter if you want something to last. It is Smyth-Sewn. We have two in our home. Many members of our congregation own them for home use as well.

The John Brown Psalter » Grange Press

Introducing "The Psalms of David in Metre," an extraordinary compilation of the 1650 Scottish Metrical Psalter that will enrich your worship and deepen your appreciation for God's inspired song book. Its content is both edifying and inspiring, offering readers insight and guidance through the...

www.grangepress.com

I have ordered it.

Thank you everyone.