During the Protestant Reformation, music became one of the most powerful ways to teach, unite, and inspire the people of God. Reformers like John Calvin believed that congregational singing was not merely decoration for worship; it was a form of prayer, theology, and discipline. To Calvin, every voice in the church should be part of the song, lifting the same text together in reverence and understanding. For that to happen, the people needed a shared songbook, one grounded in Scripture itself.
Enter Louis Bourgeois, a French composer who worked alongside Calvin in Geneva during the mid-16th century. Bourgeois took on the remarkable task of creating music for Calvin’s project, the Genevan Psalter, a collection of metrical settings of the Psalms crafted so that ordinary worshippers could sing God’s Word in their own language. He wrote many of the melodies himself, shaping them to be both beautiful and singable, music that was reverent, accessible, and distinctly Reformed in character.
The Genevan Psalter, completed in 1562, became one of the most influential hymnbooks in history. Its melodies traveled across Europe, inspiring countless translations and adaptations. In Scotland, it became the foundation of the Scottish Psalter; in England, it shaped the singing tradition of the Reformed Church. The Psalter embodied Calvin’s vision of “the people’s song,” a worship where the congregation itself became the choir.
Bourgeois’s work was not without controversy. His revisions were sometimes seen as too bold, and at one point he was even jailed briefly for altering tunes without permission. Yet his devotion to clarity and singability set the tone for generations of sacred music. His most famous tune, “Old 100th,” remains one of the most beloved hymn melodies today. When we sing psalms and hymns together, we continue a legacy that stretches back to Calvin’s Geneva, a reminder that worship is not a performance but a shared act of faith uniting head, heart, and voice in praise.