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OLD HUNDREDTH began its long life as one of the melodies in the Huguenot Psalter, also known as the Genevan Psalter. This book is a collection of metrical Psalm translations in French—that is, French translations of the Ancient Hebrew Psalms that conform to modern poetic meter and rhyme schemes. The Genevan Psalter was compiled between 1539 and 1562; the process of adding a few Psalms at a time was gradual and somewhat piecemeal. The final result, however, was extremely successful: tens of thousands of copies were published in several intellectual bastions of Protestantism (Geneva, of course, but also Paris, Lyons, Caen, and Saint-Lô), and even Catholics purchased copies to enrich their personal devotions.

The translations are mostly the work of two poets: Clément Marot and Théodore de Bèze. The melodies, on the other hand, are the work of several different composers. Scholars debate the source of many melodies: some melodies may have been adapted from popular chanson or Gregorian chant; other melodies were likely entirely original. Despite their array of origins, these melodies share some important features. They are simple, so all worshippers, regardless of vocal talent or formal training, can sing them. The text setting is syllabic, one syllable of text per note of music, so singers can easily enunciate the prayers and listeners can easily understand the sacred texts. The melodies move mostly by step, up and down the scale without skipping notes, and the rhythms are almost entirely half notes and quarter notes.

The tune that we know as OLD HUNDREDTH was contributed by Loys (or Louis) Bourgeois (1510–1559). Bourgeois was a church musician hired by the city of Geneva to provide psalmody for two of the city’s churches and lead young choir students in demonstrating Psalms for the congregation. His contributions to the Genevan Psalter mainly appeared between 1551 and 1554. The gradual evolution of the Genevan Psalter makes it difficult to be 100 percent certain that Bourgeois composed the tune, but most historians attribute OLD HUNDREDTH to his pen. Interestingly, Bourgeois used this melody to set Psalm 134; it was only in the later English psalters that OLD HUNDREDTH became the melody for—you guessed it—Psalm 100.

OLD HUNDREDTH, like many melodies of the Genevan Psalter, is a simple one. Spanning only one octave in range (the dominant below the tonic to the dominant above), the vast majority of the melody occurs between the submediant (a third below the tonic) and mediant (a third above the tonic). The melody is divided into four phrases, the first three being equal in length and the last slightly longer. The rhythm of the first three phrases is identical, giving congregations confidence in their communal timing. The entire tune unfolds only in quarter notes and half notes. The pitch content of OLD HUNDREDTH is not monotonous, though, and the melody is varied enough to maintain the singers’ interest. Bourgeois evidently labored to create a pleasing tune while allowing worshippers to declaim the text clearly.

The Geneva Psalter contained only a monophonic version of OLD HUNDREDTH; in other words, there was no harmony, and the entire congregation sang in unison. According to Calvin, congregational singing and participation were morally imperative. Bourgeois, however, set harmonized versions of OLD HUNDREDTH for other publications. The Pseaulmes cinquante de David of 1547 contain Bourgeois’s setting in four-part homophony (a type of simple harmony where the voices sing different notes but on the same rhythm, so all the parts move from note to note at the same time). Bourgeois also published a more elaborate setting of OLD HUNDREDTH using complex polyphony, but these settings were intended to be used at home for entertainment and private devotions rather than sung communally in church.

Ultimately, the varied uses of OLD HUNDREDTH form a case study of Calvinist beliefs in musical action. John Calvin, or Jean Cauvin (1509–1564), was a Protestant Reformer who shared the Humanist belief that music affected the human psyche (and by extension, human behavior) in concrete ways. Because of music’s overwhelming power, Calvin believed that worshippers should avoid polyphony entirely and sing only monophonic melodies in unison. Calvin also believed that polyphony distracted from prayer. The musicians in Calvin’s congregations, like Loys Bourgeois, contributed simple melodies (suitable for congregational singing during Calvinist public worship) to the monophonic Genevan Psalter. They could then harmonize and embellish the melodies according to taste in other publications once the melodies become popular.

Modern worshippers most likely recognize OLD HUNDREDTH as the tune for several popular public domain texts: William Kethe’s “All People that on Earth Do Dwell” and Thomas Ken’s “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow,” among many others. However, the 8-8-8-8 meter makes this melody compatible with a wide array of contemporary texts.

Photo copyright: Ahmet Faruk Aras. This image is available for download at www.pexels.com.