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Haas, Max (Basle) [German version] I. General Remarks (CT) Psalmody is not a genre; instead it is a term commonly used in musicology to refer to a style of unison singing found in the Western and Eastern Churches. It encompasses several aspects: (1) Psalmody is a counterpart to the concept of music. If music is considered to be the visual form by means of which sound phenomena are studied, then psalmody refers to a specific way in which such phenomena are played. (2) Psalmody is based for the most part o…

[German version] I. Definition Psalmody (Greek ψαλμῳδία/ psalmōidía; Latin psalmodia) is the singing of psalms; in medieval Latin, it is a technical term for a particular psalm tone (a recitation formula). In music, psalmody is used more generally as a collective term for all musical genres whose texts are largely taken from the Psalter (Psalms). Its significance is even greater if one considers that the psalms are seen as the most important model in the development of liturgical poetry. Zimmermann, Bernhard (Freiburg) [German version] II. Jewish culture In the temple, psalms were…