The Responsorial Psalm

The responsorial psalm is sung as a response to the reading of the Old Testament lesson. The lesson is proclamation; the psalm, response.

The tradition of interspersing Scripture readings with psalms and acclamations goes back to the early church and has been maintained formally in liturgical churches. This tradition has been revived today among many other churches as well. When the psalm is said, it may be said responsively, in an antiphonal manner, in unison, or in any other agreed-upon way. When sung, any appropriate tune may be chosen (when the psalm tune is new or difficult it may be practiced in the beginning of the service during the gathering). The responsorial psalm is very important because it is the people's response to Scripture. The people should be encouraged to respond with fervor. A strong response expresses a willingness to hear the Word of God and creates an atmosphere of a lively communal worship. When the responses are weak, instruct the congregation concerning the importance of the response and practice the way the responses should be done at the beginning of the service (during the gathering). There are five different types of psalm singing: chant, which is most appropriate in a liturgical church; plainsong, which works well in traditional Protestant and contemporary creative worship; metrical, which can be used effectively in all types of worship; antiphonal, which can be used in all traditions, and psalms prepared in contemporary chorus style which is used predominantly in charismatic/praise tradition worship.