Public Domain Psalms for liturgical use?
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,500
    Is there a translation of the Psalms, suitable for liturgical use, in the public domain?
  • BenBen
    Posts: 3,114
    What is your goal? From what I understand, GIA is quite lenient with the Revised Grail Psalms if you ask them.
    Thanked by 1Kathy
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,451
    The Anglican-Use Book of Divine Worship provides a legitimate case for the licit use of the old BCP Psalter by Coverdale.
    Thanked by 2Kathy CHGiffen
  • Andrew_Malton
    Posts: 1,159
    There is no English translation of the Psalms which is both in the public domain and generally approved for Catholic liturgical use.

    The main problem is finding genuinely public domain texts. I agree with Adam's suggestion, but the problem is that the Coverdale has been revised many times and the revision in the AU may still be under copyright. Also it is not clear whether the BDW is licit for use outside the Anglican Use. (I suppose in the United States you could invoke the "some bishop approved it" rule, if you mean to sing them.)

    The only generally accessible and unequivocally public-domain English psalms I can think of are the revision of Coverdale's in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, the version in the King James bible, and the version in the Challoner Douay Rheims translation of the Vulgate.
    Thanked by 1Kathy
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