Psalm Tone (1973) by Hermione Harvestman

I have a quiet passion for the modality of devotional psalmody which represents the oldest traditional of music making in Western Culture. I say quiet passion because it is intuitively responsive rather than compulsively obsessional, as many latter chanters are. I listen in a reverie of joy and, somehow, this becomes reflected and realised in my musical psalmody, which operates in the same minimal parameters as that of ancient psalm tones, at least analogous parameters, the analogy being very personal.

Alongside this, of course, are the images of the medieval psalters, such as the famous Luttrell Psalter, which I make a point of visiting whenever I'm in London. What does one make of such grotesque juxtapositionings? Where the sacred texts are framed by all manner of hideous 'babewynn' or else earthly scene of seasonal labour? No doubt there will be a plentitude of theory on this, but to me it seems obvious enough; a dichotomy born of a very fundamental duality between our aspirant spirituality and the material realms within which we dwell, and dream, and take delight, and make the most of; here in this all too brief temporal realm in which we hurry towards our deathly conclusion.

Rarely, however, do I have a particular psalm in mind; I might read Common Prayer for oblique poetic inspiration (the Grail Translations are ghastly) but I prefer these things in Latin so the literal weight of the words doesn't interfere with the lightness of their deeper poetical meaning.

Hermione Harvestman - Note for 'Psalm Tones & Liturgies Volume 1 : Celebrations for Psalm Tones'

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