The tunes from the Geneva Psalter were the only music permitted to be sung during the Calvinist service, albeit unaccompanied. The organist was expected to improvise on these melodies before the service in order to familiarise the congregation with them. In the first two verses of Psalm 116 –
Ik heb den Heer lief the tune is heard clearly in the upper part, against a rich profusion of accompanimental figuration. In the third verse, when the tune is more highly decorated, the accompaniment is kept deliberately simple to aid comprehension.
from notes by Stephen Westrop © 2003
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