Showing 101–110 of 119 results
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Psalm 67: Let All the Peoples Praise You!
[embed]http://musicblog.gregscheer.com/psalm_67-let_all_the_peoples.mp3[/embed]This setting of Psalm 67 is in what I’ve dubbed a “modern medieval” style–stately but with a strong rhythmic spine. One of the interesting features of the song is that the verse mirrors the chorus, but one step up. This modulatory sleight of hand makes each return of the chorus sound inevitable but surprising.
This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.
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Psalm 69: Have Pity, My God
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_69-have_pity_my_god.mp3
David Diephouse wrote the text for this song, and he shares its origin story, of sorts:
I recall hearing my mother relate a family legend about her grandfather, who was a trawlerman on the Zuider Zee. One day, his boat got caught in a sudden squall that left it capsized. While waiting to be rescued the crew kept up their spirits by singing the opening lines of Psalm 69. The story may or may not be partly apocryphal, but I like it.I love to hear stories about how people have used the Psalms in everyday life. It’s easy to see why a person adrift in the sea would recall the lines of Psalm 69, because they are the cry of a person drowning–fighting a flood of sorrow, betrayal, and fatigue.
This hymn is a free download. If you sing this song in your church, please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.
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Psalm 7: Arise!
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_7-arise.mp3
Isaac Watts described Psalm 7 as “God’s care of his people and punishment of persecutors.” Indeed, the Psalmist makes some pretty explicit suggestions about how God might bring vengeance on enemies. But it is also full of vivid language like “save me or they will tear me like a lion” and “he who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment.” So, while this is unlikely to be my big hit, I think my Psalm 7 song does a good job of letting the text speak. Or as I like to say: This is not the best song you’ve ever heard, but it’s probably the best Psalm 7 song you’ve ever heard.
This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.
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Psalm 72: Hear Our Prayer
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_072-hear_our_prayer.mp3
Instead of interpreting the royal blessings of Psalm 72 (“Endow the king with your justice” and “may he defend the afflicted”) as the future deeds of a messianic monarch, Linda Bonney Olin portrays them as acts that all of God’s people can, and should do— right now. Her hymn prays to that effect: “Hear our prayer for the ones you’ve called to rule, to judge, to guard, and to govern. May all our leaders be guided by wisdom, mercy, humility, and defending the oppressed!
This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church, please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.
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Psalm 73: You, O God, Are Mine
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_073-you-o_god_are_mine.mp3
Linda Bonney Olin’s Psalm settings are always singable distillations of the original Psalm–direct and heartfelt. Psalm 73 is a challenge because it is a prayer of envy and complaint: “Why do I keep myself pure when I can see the wicked thriving all around me?” The Psalmist answers the question by the end of the Psalm, saying, essentially, “My reward is a life spent close to God.” Linda turns this into the repeated refrain: “You, O God, are mine.” Beautiful.
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Psalm 75: Your Love Enfolds Each Yearning Heart
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_075-your_love_enfolds.mp3
This warm jazz ballad of Psalm 75 uses Michael Morgan’s metrical setting of the Psalm. One of the things I love about Morgan’s writing is that he doesn’t shy away from difficult sections like, “In the hand of the Lord is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs,” but he somehow finds a way to place it in the context of a tender, loving God who wants the best for us.
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Psalm 77: We Will Remember
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_77-ham-we_will_remember.mp3
Psalm 77 is an interesting case study in lament. It begins like many lament Psalms: “I cried out to God for help.” It wistfully remembers the good old days, then asks the pivotal question: “Will the Lord reject us forever?” The Psalm then turns to hope as the Psalmist remembers God’s mighty works in the past, stilling the waters of creation and parting the Red Sea. Lyricist Travis Ham, with whom I collaborated on this song, took the Psalm’s remembering one step further by recalling Christ’s work on the cross. Because Christ suffered for us, died, and was resurrected, we can endure our hardships, questions, and doubts.
This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church, please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.
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Psalm 78: People Of The Lord
Price range: $0.00 through $10.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page[audio mp3="https://gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/people_of_the_lord-cantor_and_choir.mp3"][/audio]Who would have thought that a Genevan Psalter-style setting of Psalm 78 in 7/8 time would become my biggest hit? After it won the Calvin09 hymn contest, the song was translated into a half dozen languages and sung from Switzerland to Brazil. It is included in a number hymnals, including the Presbyterian Glory to God and CRC/RCA Lift Up Your Hearts. Your church can get in on the fun, too, by downloading the music here at www.gregscheer.com.
Read the whole story of the song here: People of the Lord
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Psalm 8: How Often in the Deep of Night
Price range: $0.00 through $5.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pagehttps://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_8-how_often.mp3
One would think that the Psalm 8 well had long ago run dry, but Linda Bonney Olin has written a new setting of the Psalm that is full of child-like wonder, bringing a fresh sense of awe to our hearing of the Psalm. She includes the theme of creation care in verses 2-3, a timely interpretation to be sure.
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Psalm 80: O Faithful Shepherd
$0.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page[embed]https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/psalm_80-o_faithful_shepherd.mp3[/embed]Psalm 80’s vine imagery is connected with Jesus’ words, “I am the Vine,” giving new life to an overlooked, but beautifully singable Genevan tune.