The Psalmody Movement is a general term often used to cover a period of mass musical education in Britain. It is sometimes also referred to as the "choral revival". It had its roots in the dissenting congregational church singing organisations of the late 18th century, in Scotland and Northern England. By the mid-19th century, it had become a metropolitan cultural institution. It coincided also with developments in national schools policy, which owed much to the teaching methods used by the psalmody singing schools. In Bernarr Rainbow's words:

As a result of the series of weekly massed singing classes introduced at
Exeter Hall Exeter Hall was a large public meeting place on the north side of the Strand in central London, opposite where the Savoy Hotel now stands. From 1831 until 1907 Exeter Hall was the venue for many great gatherings of activists for various cause ...
under government sanction, the people of London became more musically conscious between 1841 and 1843 than they had ever been.

The names most often associated with the movement' in Britain are

John Curwen John Curwen (14 November 1816 – 26 May 1880) was an English Congregational church, Congregationalist minister and diffuser of the tonic sol-fa system of music education created by Sarah Ann Glover. He was educated at Wymondley College in Her ...

(1816–1880),

Sarah Ann Glover Sarah Anna Glover (13 November 178620 October 1867) was an English music educator who invented the Norwich sol-fa system. It was based on the ancient gamut; but she omitted the constant recital of the alphabetical names of each note and the arb ...

(1785–1867) and

John Pyke Hullah John Pyke Hullah (27 June 1812 – 21 February 1884) was an English composer and teacher of music, whose promotion of vocal training is associated with the singing-class movement. He worked with Charles Dickens and Felix Mendelssohn. Life and ...

(1812–84). It had its roots in continental Europe, however, particularly in the social idealism of

Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (; ; ; 12 January 1746 – 17 February 1827) was a Swiss pedagogue and educational reformer who exemplified Romanticism in his approach. He founded several educational institutions both in German- and French-speaking ...

. Already known for his work among working men in Paris, Joseph Mainzer (1801–1851) came to England in 1841 with his ''Singing for the Million'' ideal of opening up musical education to the masses. Hullah had already established his own successful classes in London at Exeter Hall. They were based on the system of popular musical education through choral singing devised by Paris School Inspector and musician, Guillaume Wilhem, the founder of the 'Orphéon' choral fests which had rapidly spread throughout France. Hullah's program had initially been designed as a school for the instruction of music masters of day and Sunday schools, but proved to be popular among the general public who flocked to Exeter Hall.John Pyke Hullah, ''Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' 1961, 5th ed. (London), pp.402–3.

References

{{Reflist *Cowgill, Rachel and Peter Holman (eds) 2007, ''Music in the British Provinces, 1690–1914'' Ashgate/ *Curwen, John Spencer ''Studies in Worship Music'' - www.archive.org/stream/studiesinworship *''Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' 1961, 5th ed. (London) *Rainbow, Bernarr 1970, ''The Choral Revival in the Anglican Church (1839–1872)'' 1970 (London); with special reference to PART 1/3 'The Cradle of the Movement', pp. 43–57. Music education in the United Kingdom