Psalm 19


Our organist and choir director those years at Trinity, Apalachicola were Bedford and Eugenia Watkins. The choir was excellent, our music superlative, the historic old Greek-Revival church lovely, at the Christmas Eve service Wesley Chesnut sang “O Holy Night” from the balcony and choir sang in Latin the Sanctus and Benedictus from the St. Cecilia Mass by Charles Gounod (with solo either by Wesley or Eugenia in different years), the Altar arrangements glorious, and I had and still have a sense of having lived and participated in a mystical, magical golden age on the very outskirts of Heaven itself. One of my dreams, often expressed to Bedford and Genie, was that one Sunday we would skip the sermon and listen to Brahms, and another Sunday to Haydn, and another to Schubert. The Watkins resisted and refused and modestly declined and it never happened. But it could have been.

There is such an opportunity for anyone who is willing to click and listen, to hear loveliness instead of reading my nonsense. In all the Bible there is no lovelier than Psalm 19, one of the Graduals appointed in the Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday. The best Bible setting is not from the 1611 King James Version but from a century earlier, the Coverdale Bible, which was the Psalter in The Book of Common Prayer from its origin until the current version of the prayerbook. Even lovelier are various presentations of “The Heavens Are Telling the Glory of God” from Haydn’s oratorio Die Schöpfung - The Creation - snippets below.

Psalm 19. Caeli enarrant.
THE heavens declare the glory of God; * and the firmament showeth his handy-work. 
2 One day telleth another; * and one night certifieth another.
3 There is neither speech nor language; * but their voices are heard among them.
4 Their sound is gone out into all lands; * and their words into the ends of the world.
5 In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun; * which cometh forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a giant to run his course.
6 It goeth forth from the uttermost part of the heaven, and runneth about unto the end of it again; * and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
7 The law of the LORD is an undefiled law, converting the soul; * the testimony of the LORD is sure, and giveth wisdom unto the simple.
8 The statutes of the LORD are right, and rejoice the heart; * the commandment of the LORD is pure, and giveth light unto the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, and endureth for ever; * the judgments of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; * sweeter also than honey, and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them is thy servant taught; * and in keeping of them there is great reward.
12 Who can tell how oft he offendeth? * O cleanse thou me from my secret faults.
13 Keep thy servant also from presumptuous sins, lest they get the dominion over me; * so shall I be undefiled, and innocent from the great offence.
14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be alway acceptable in thy sight, * O LORD, my strength and my redeemer.

King’s, Cambridge


Adult choir, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Saratoga, CA


King’s College Chapel Choir


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