When Calvin worked towards a complete Psalter in his days, he did take the music and the composers very serious and the tunes were written and finalized over several years.
Does that make the "Genevan Tunes" sacred? Of course not. We should always be open for anything that is better, stronger, and of higher quality and caliber. On this earth nothing is perfect and the Genevan tunes are not either. (Some people go as far as disliking them, which goes too far in my opinion. There are bigger battles to fight...)
But at the same time we should always look at the whole picture, including how the Genevan tunes developed, the role the Genevan tunes have played in the church history, and their significance in the churches that are “Psalm-singing churches”.
Next week I hope that the Psalm CD can be released to the production company. The master has been finalized and the grapic design of the booklet and cover is taking shape. Thinking about these tunes and what their significance is, a few things came to my mind (randomly).
- Almost 500 Years of Church Service
There are not many songs that have such a long standing history of service. These tunes have been used continuously throughout the ages, in times of peace and war, and they survived church issues and splits of denominations.
Did these tunes provide a service to the church, throughout the ages? I believe so, but not because of their musical qualities. Are there more tunes that have been sung for many years? Yes, but it is unique that a set of 150 tunes
- Strong Relationship with Reformed churches
Reformed churches have been trying to stay as close as possible to the Word of God, in its entirety, as it is inspired by the Holy Spirit. Singing a part (book of Psalms) of the Word of God by His people, especially the part that was intended to be sung, does fit with this approach. Also keeping these songs complete, without human interpretation, deletions or additions, agrees with a doctrine that is faithful to the true Word of God.
- Learned by Heart by countless people at School, Home and Church.
The Reformers recognized that the future of the church will be made up of the youth of today: they taught the youth of the church the songs. Luther went as far as putting parts of his catechism the doctrine of the church into songs, to be taught to the children. In the years after the reformation the Psalms were taught at public schools, which Christian schools after the 18th century continued. Martyrs were executed while singing songs of Praise. During the world wars in the 20th century, many people knew the Genevan Psalms and they sung them when they were led to the gas chambers. Knowing Psalms by heart was and is very important for believers. (A Lutheran DVD study documentary about the church song is called “Singing the Faith” – that is what singing Psalms is: singing what we believe.)
- Used by Reformed Churches around the World
Churches in Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Holland, Canada, USA, South Africa, Hungary, Japan, Korea, and Indonesia have used the Genevan tunes as a vehicle to sing the Psalms of the Bible. Not because the melodies fit perfectly within their culture, and not because everyone understands their musical importance, but because of their functionality: they have allowed Reformed churches to sing the Psalms for many centuries, and these churches want to use this success formula.
- The Tunes Work
Church members could easily learn, remember, and sing these tunes. These tunes have been composed to be sung by anyone, musically inclined or not. The music is uncomplicated: only two note values, one octave range, meant for singing in unison. This simplicity has made these tunes work in almost any language, and understood widely. There is no accompaniment or harmony needed. But accompaniment or harmony could embellish the tunes. The composer Goudimel wrote 4-part harmony for these tunes immediately after they were composed, the famous church musician Jan Pzn. Sweelinck wrote many variations about these Psalms in the time of the reformation, and then J.S. Bach took several tunes and did compose not only church cantatas wherein these tunes were used, but he also wrote organ chorales using these tunes.
- Distinct Character
The Genevan psalm tunes can be recognized easily. They are composed with a certain convention. As mentioned before, they have only two note values, they span a one octave range, and the notes often a sequential going up or down. Through the centuries these tunes have become characteristic for the music and singing in many reformed churches. Taking the position that church music should be distinctly different than the music of the world, the Genevan tunes definitely are contributing and supporting this position.
- Diversity
Although these tunes have been composed following a certain “convention” which makes them easy to sing, they are not boring and they certainly don’t sound alike. There are 110 completely different tunes. It is quite remarkable and unique that there are so many totally different melodies; tunes that are often match the character of the Psalm text. Br. D. Teitsma explained more about the tunes: the keys and intervals and much more (interesting but technical).
- Musical Style (church modes): very much Alive in the 21st Century
It is regrettable that the Genevan tunes are generally sung in major and minor keys. Their melodies lose their depth and character and are made much more superficial. (Some people would argue that they don’t know the difference, which is correct because they have never heard them differently.) These modes are used compositions today, have been used in compositions in the past, and they also taught at local music schools and leading universities. This does not date the Genevan tunes but make them relevant for today’s music world, and worth to be used by the churches!
- The Unity of 150 Tunes in a bundle has preserved the 150 psalms as an entity
Many hymnals feature a few psalms, often only partially rhymed. Some are convinced that not all Psalms are meant to be sung. If there would be a concrete declaration of a conviction that all Psalms should be sung, in their entirety, there would be a chance that all of the 150 psalms would be included in a hymnal. Another statement should be that the psalms have be rhymed as close as possible to Scripture. Finally, a cohesive set of tunes should be used to make the bundle (or set) of 150 psalms a unity.
The Genevan tunes have acted as a vehicle that kept the 150 psalms together. Reformed churches around the world that were serious about singing the Psalms, have always approached the Psalms as a complete set.
Above I mentioned a few aspects that could be used in comparison and evaluation. The Psalms are sung in our Canadian Reformed Churches, our schools and our families on these tunes: let’s count our blessings, focus on what is important: staying close to God’s Holy Word!
Anyway, I played around with some stuff I had on my computer and simulated a video recording 
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