ABSTRACT
Robert Lekpreuik's edition of the Scottish metrical psalms printed 105 unique tunes. A significant majority of the texts printed in Scottish metrical psalters were in Common Metre, so there is nothing surprising about the predominance of references to the singing of Common-Metre psalms in the historical accounts. Christopher Marsh has convincingly shown, with reference to English practice, that popular tunes probably never acted as suitable replacements for psalm tunes. In addition to these travellers, the presence of a Reader in local parishes had an impact on parishioners' ability to sing the tunes printed in the Scottish metrical psalters. Melville's 'plean-song' could refer to plainly sung or unharmonized metrical psalm tunes, despite the fact the term usually referred to chant or an unornamented melody that employed free rhythms mimicking normal speech rhythms. As McCallum argues, the psalms provided a sense of continuity between pre- and post-Reformation Scottish worship.
