Charleston Presbytery's independent psalter and hymnal (1796)

Source: the-transition-from-psalmody-to-hymnody-in-the-southern-presbyterian-church
Page: 49
Type: quote
Confidence: high
Date mentioned: 1796
Topics: hymnody psalter-editions regional-adaptations
People: george-buist
Places: South Carolina, Charleston
Institutions: charleston-presbytery

Context

The dissertation describes the second Presbyterian songbook published in America, which was not officially denominational but was approved by the Presbytery of Charleston, South Carolina. This local adaptation appeared less than ten years after “Barlow’s Watts” was officially approved in 1788.

Extract

In 1796 the second Presbyterian songbook to be published in America, though not published by the denomination, was a collection approved by the Presbytery of Charleston, South Carolina. It was prepared by George Buist of that city, and used by Presbyterian churches in the Charleston area until about 1809. In less than ten years after the publication of the officially approved “Barlow’s Watts,” this book was published with two title pages: A Version of the Book of Psalms, selected from the most approved versions . . . Approved of by the Presbytery of Charleston: and A Collection of Hymns for public and private worship. Approved of by the Presbytery of Charleston. (Charleston, printed by J. McIver, No. 47, Bay, MDCCXCVI).

Significance

This extract documents an important regional adaptation in the psalmody transition:

  1. Local initiative: Charleston Presbytery approved its own collection rather than relying solely on denominational publications
  2. Two-part structure: The book had “two title pages” - one for Psalms and one for hymns - reflecting the ongoing tension between the two
  3. Eclectic approach: The Psalms were “selected from the most approved versions” rather than adhering to a single version like Rous or Watts
  4. Urban sophistication: Charleston, as a major urban center, may have been more receptive to hymnody than rural frontier areas
  5. Duration of use: The collection was used “until about 1809,” showing it served the local church for over a decade

This evidence of regional variation in psalmody practice supports the argument that the controversy played out differently in different parts of the Presbyterian Church, with urban lowland congregations potentially more open to hymnody than backcountry Scotch-Irish communities.