Here's a nice site about Gaelic Psalm Singing.

Apparently "presenting" is a verbification of a mondegreen on "precentor", I see? :-) ...a distinctive style of singing in the Gaelic language, where the psalms are sung a cappella (without musical accompaniment), and led by a precentor (literally 'one who sings beforehand').

There are links at this site to popular articles on the topic and Willie Ruff's "discoveries" about the connection between Scottish psalm singing and and Black gospel, including the one Shambles copied here.

In the Sunday Herald article, "After Elvis … the Scottish roots of soul and gospel" by Torcuil Crichton, he says,

After some research Ruff discovered that the form of psalm singing did not survive among US Presbyterians or in England. "People said if I wanted to hear white Presby terians sing this way I'd have to go to Scotland and the Presbyterians in the Free Church. It was rumoured they sang this way in their native Gaelic."

I am not able to lay my hands on my notes from Folk Music Week '03 and I don't have any information about the recording of the Kentucky congregation that Vic included. Presumably, if it's not on a commercial recording somewhere, it's in the Library of Congress archives somewhere. I'll send him a note and see if I can find out.

~ Becky in Tucson