The founders of the so-called Reformed Church, Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin, sought to restore apostolic simplicity in the matter of public worship. All images and ornaments were removed from the Reformed churches. The altars were changed to plain tables. Musical instruments were not allowed in the churches. Zwingli made the sermon the chief part of the church service. The Latin chants and songs were abolished, and their places were seldom filled with congregational singing in the vernacular. With regard to church service, Calvin had on the whole the same views as Zwingli. He introduced, however, congregational singing, using translated and versified portions of the Psalms of David.

Thus the Reformed Church turned to Biblical Psalmody. Early versifiers of Davidic Psalms were Clement Marot (1495-1544), Theodore Beza (1519-1605), and Ambrosius Lobwasser (1515-1585). Joachim Neander (1650-1680), Gerhard Tersteegen (1697-1769), and Lavater (died 1801) are important Reformed hymnists. The Genevan Psalter, by Marot and Beza, a successful and influential hymnological work, appeared about the middle of the sixteenth century. Ambrosius Lobwasser produced a German edition of the Genevan Psalter in 1573, which became very popular and exerted considerable influence. English Psalmody presents such important names as Miles Coverdale (1487-1569), George Buchanan (1506-1582), Thomas Sternhold (sixteenth century), John Hopkins, Nahum Tate, Nicholas Brady, and Isaac Watts. In Scotch Psalmody the Royal Psalter and the celebrated Rous’ Version are significant hymnological works. The Bay Psalmist or the New England Version was America’s first hymn book. For further study of Reformed church song we recommend “The Hymn as Literature,” by J. B. Reeves, also Benson’s “The English Hymn.”