Project Gutenberg 2009-11-06 Public domain in the USA. 149 Watts, Isaac 1674 1748 Watts, I. (Isaac) A Short Essay Toward the Improvement of Psalmody Or, An Enquiry How the Psalms of David Ought to Be Translated into Christian Songs, and How Lawful and Necessary It Is to Compose Other Hymns According to the Clearer Revelations of the Gospel, for the Use of the Christian Church. E-text prepared by Lewis Jones "A Short Essay Toward the Improvement of Psalmody" by Isaac Watts is a theological treatise written in the early 18th century. This book focuses on the practice of singing in Christian worship, particularly how the Psalms of David should be adapted and translated into hymns suitable for contemporary church settings. Watts advocates for the incorporation of both biblical and newly composed spiritual songs, arguing for a more accessible and meaningful expression of worship through music. In this essay, Watts discusses the shortcomings of the existing practices of psalm singing within Christian communities. He emphasizes the need for translations that adequately fit the structure and style of congregational singing, suggesting that this process may sometimes require altering the original text to express a more contemporary Christian message. Furthermore, he explores the necessity and legitimacy of composing new hymns based on the revelations of the Gospel, maintaining that such songs can express personal faith and the experiences of believers in ways that the ancient texts may not fully encapsulate. Ultimately, Watts calls for a vibrant and evolving practice of psalmody that aligns with the spiritual and pastoral needs of the church. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 55.3 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Psalmody BV ML Text Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: Music Category: Religion/Spirituality 104107 2025-08-12T11:56:06.768870 text/html 103919 103854 2024-10-13T05:30:46.157982 2023-09-13T10:12:37.668261 text/html text/html 125910 2025-08-12T11:56:12.391853 application/epub+zip 124664 2025-08-12T11:56:09.962882 application/epub+zip 104931 2025-08-12T11:56:08.722869 application/epub+zip 273972 2025-08-12T11:56:14.076846 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 262128 2025-08-12T11:56:11.709843 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 109578 2022-09-14T06:11:21.290204 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 91716 2025-08-12T11:56:06.536888 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 71872 2024-10-24T20:30:51 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17384 2025-08-12T11:56:14.196832 application/rdf+xml 17259 2025-08-12T11:56:09.350859 image/jpeg 3875 2025-08-12T11:56:08.979867 image/jpeg 124829 2025-08-12T11:56:06.777882 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia