Die stand van psalmsang in die NG Kerk

Abstract

The status of psalm singing in the Dutch Reformed Church

Over the past three decades, there have been consistent and increasing signs that psalms are disappearing from the repertoire of hymns that are sung in the Dutch Reformed (DR) Church. In an attempt to turn this tendency around, research was undertaken to determine the seriousness and the cause of the current situation. An empirical study was done to determine the frequency of use and the functionality of psalms, and to identify the practical factors that influence these.

Results confirmed the low application frequency, dysfunctionality, unpopularity and sparse liturgical employment of psalms, and showed that most psalms that appear in the hymn book of the Church, Liedboek (2001), have not become part of the repertoire of hymns of the DR Church. Respondents also provided valuable information in their explanations of why psalms are out of touch with the needs of congregations in contemporary Afrikaans culture.

The research concluded that psalm singing is falling into disuse in the DR Church in South Africa. Only a small number of psalms stand a chance to survive, and then only in congregations where the singing of psalms is propagated, where well-known psalms are sung regularly and where new psalms are being learned.