A History of Christian Psalmody
From the Pauline Mission to the End of the Fifth Century
- Preaching & Worship
- History & Biography
- Publisher: Fortress Press (Augsburg Fortress)
- Published: 2025
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Publisher's Description
In A History of Christian Psalmody, Charles H. Cosgrove traces the history of Christian psalm-singing during the church's first five centuries. It describes the nature and development of psalmody in a wide range of settings, including personal and domestic devotion, daily cathedral rituals, annual feasts such as Christmas and Easter, the ascetic practices of city Christians and desert monks, and public events of the church such as martyr parades, episcopal processions, and even protest psalmody in the streets against hostile emperors. It also explains how psalms were performed, including topics such as solo and responsorial singing, antiphony, the earliest choirs, and the melodic character of ancient psalmody. A final chapter describes ancient Christian beliefs about the benefits and pleasures of psalm-singing. Written accessibly for both scholars and general readers interested in ancient Christian music, the book offers the most comprehensive account of its subject to date.
Endorsements (3)
“With encyclopedic thoroughness, Charles Cosgrove covers in detail every known instance of the use of psalms by early Christians. This will undoubtedly become the standard textbook on the subject.”
“The first and certainly for a long time most authoritative monograph on the topic of psalmody in the early Church: comprehensive in the coverage of material, outstanding in the depth of its reflection, and exemplary in the clarity of the exposition—certain to be a classic on the Christian reception of the Bible and on the history and understanding of singing in church.”
“Charles Cosgrove has produced here a much-needed definitive study of psalmody used in a variety of settings in early Christian history. Supported by the best in current scholarship on early liturgy and related fields, Cosgrove surveys the use of psalmody in what becomes the divine office, or liturgy of the hours, both cathedral and monastic, as well as domestic settings, feasts and festivals, and both anti-orthodox and anti-heretical processional contexts. This book, rich in theological insight, will have wide appeal for liturgical, biblical, and early Christian studies. At the same time, liturgical musicians will find much in this volume for their own illumination. Mandatory reading for courses in the liturgy of the hours. I highly recommend it.”
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