www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship The Kliros How to chant the psalms

The way opening psalm of vespers is chanted on the CDs of the revised liturgy is different from the way we have chanted in the past. Specifically, the chanting on the CDs is very evenly metered. In my parish we have sung it in a more fluid style, more or less as one would speak the lines. Is there a right and a wrong way to chant the psalms, or is either method acceptable?

The following is copied from pp. 5-6 of "The Cantor's Companion".
I think it addresses Sophie's concern, and it struck me the first time I read it as being nicely phrased.

The rhythm of Carpathian chant is essentially that of �sung speech�. The value or duration of a whole note, half note, quarter note, and eighth note are in proportion to each other. A half note is sung half as long as a whole note. A quarter note is sung half as long as a half note. An eighth note is sung half as long as a quarter note. However, the cantor is to sing as if speaking the text, in neither a rushed way nor a long and drawn out manner. When the singing moves back and forth between the clergy, lector, and faithful, the chant should flow as in a conversation. This is the reason for the lack of time signatures in notated chant; the rhythm of the singing is natural and based on the text, rather than a fixed, regular �beat.�

Yup, the link reflects how chant should be done. With the appropriate up and down at the appropriate part of the verse.
But practice it before the Vespers/etc.. so you get a feeling of how you want to sing it so it doesn't sound metered and choppy. It's a challenge in the beginning especially if you are used to choral singing.