KNOW READERS will appreciate this Christmas gift. “The Fisher Psalter” is a brand new set of original responsorial psalm melodies and chants using the new LECTIONARY translation for England and Wales, known in the USA as the Abbey Psalms and Canticles.1 Why Saint John Fisher? Well, “Fisher House” the home of the Catholic Chaplaincy to the University of Cambridge (in England). The chaplaincy has ministered to students and other Catholics in Cambridge since 1895, and has a thriving musical tradition, with two separate choirs for the Sunday Masses, and a 3rd choir singing at weekday events. THE FISHER PSALTER has been written for the Sunday English Mass. Its editor is James Bibey (Fisher House’s organist and choirmaster), who supports the chaplaincy’s music alongside his degree in clinical medicine.
* PDF Download • FISHER PSALTER (253 pages)
—Large PDF File: 316MB; it uses the “Abbey Psalms and Canticles” translation.
The psalter incorporates psalms by many composers—particularly Catholic composers with an association with Cambridge—and is comprehensive for every Sunday, feast, and major solemnity. The music in this psalter is published under a Creative Commons license, allowing it to be shared and adapted so long as credit is given.
The following is our 2024
interview with James Bibey,
editor of the Fisher Psalter.
Why did you decide to compose a new psalter?
When the Liturgy Office for England and Wales first released news that they would be releasing the new translations of the psalms to composers to prepare for the introduction of the New Lectionary, I was keen to see what changes had been made. I soon realised that the changes made to the translations were frequent, and often quite substantial. Many psalms clearly would need completely new responses, and almost all psalms needed to be updated in some way (mostly in the verses). I foresaw that there would be very little time for new psalm books to be released and tried out before the New Lectionary was introduced.
Why should the psalms be sung?
It is easy for a parish to neglect psalm singing at what may otherwise be a “Sung Mass” on a Sunday, feast, or solemnity. Priests may sing key parts, congregations may know hymns or parts of the Mass (particularly the Gloria), but psalmody often requires a musician to have courage to sing in front of the whole parish. Many psalms are also written so that they are dependent on their accompaniment.
I find the Liturgy Office’s perspective on this very telling. They provide a ranking of the most important parts of the Mass to sing. The psalm is third only to the Gospel Acclamation and the Eucharistic Prayer, and just as important as the opening and communion hymns. The psalms were always written to be sung. In all liturgy, singing serves two (2) core purposes: to glorify God through the beautification of His word; and to allow participation in the word of God—to put God’s word in our own mouths—to allow us to more easily access these words. This makes psalm-singing an important aspect of liturgy.
Why did you collaborate with other composers?
I’m a full-time student at the University of Cambridge, and so the work of writing an entire psalm-book all by myself was daunting. Sharing the work with the many other talented musicians and composers I know has made the work easier. I am also not the world’s most experienced composer, and there was a risk of writing psalms that were repetitive or in too similar a style. The involvement of other composers (with different styles in melody, harmony, tonality, and word-setting) has mitigated this risk, and means that each Mass should have a psalm that feels fresh and inspiring. For some composers, this has been an opportunity to share their work more widely. For others, this has been their first venture in sharing a composition, and a big leap of faith. I have enjoyed providing this opportunity to people.
Why is the Fisher Psalter not in copyright?
By agreement of all of the composers, THE FISHER PSALTER is available under a Creative Commons licence, allowing anyone to photocopy and perform the music as they wish, and also allowing others to use and adapt the music with appropriate attribution. This was agreed upon so that as many parishes as possible can have easy access to at least one psalm book. Parishes already have to financially manage the replacement of their lectionaries, and the added cost of psalm books can prove challenging or an afterthought. Over the coming years, many more psalm books will be written by professional composers, but to have a free-to-use psalm book ready to use will hopefully be a huge benefit to the parishes. Most of the composers of THE FISHER PSALTER are individuals with other lines of work or study, and so financial compensation for our work is less important than it may be for professional composers.
Is the Fisher Psalter right for my choir / music group?
THE FISHER PSALTER has been written with a solo melody for both refrain and verses, in the classic responsorial pattern. This is suitable for any parish that relies on cantors (probably most parishes). Melodies can be sung without accompaniment if necessary. Accompaniment is suitable for either piano or organ, providing flexibility. However, thus far a guitar edition has not been produced. Whilst most of the psalms could be accompanied by guitar or other harmony instruments, not all will be suitable for this. Psalms have deliberately been written in a range of key signatures, important for this psalter as chants are written specifically for each key signature and are not used for other key signatures. If you have difficulty with key signatures with many accidentals (such as F# major or Eb minor), there will be a handful of psalms you’ll find tricky!
1 Currently, there is a raging debate about whether the “Abbey Psalms & Canticles” is a candidate for copyright under American law. The basic “controversy” or “dispute” or “discussion” was explained in this article.
