The New Testament gives evidence for the use of Psalms in the worship of the Early Church (Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16), as well as what are probably quotations from new Christian hymns and songs (Philippians 5:14)

There are some records from the Early Church Fathers and other writers of the period which indicate that Psalms and music were part of the worship and life of the Church

St. Ignatius, writing about AD 110, said :

You must, every man of you, join in a choir, that being harmonious and in concord and taking the keynote of God in unison . . . sing with one voice through Jesus Christ to the Father

Tertullian, around AD 200, describes in his "Apologietics" a simple Worship Service

After manual ablution and the bringing in of lights, each is asked to stand forth and sing, as he can, a hymn to God, either one from the Holy Scriptures or one of his own composing.

During the Diocletian persecution of AD 288, at Soissons in what is now France, the brothers Crepinus and Crepinianus (or Crispin and Crispinian) were martyred, and while they wre being tortured they sang the words of Psalm 79:9-10 :

Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Thy Name ... Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God?

The "Apostolic Constitutions", a collection of Church rules probably written in Syria about AD 380 gives instructions for the use of the Psalms in worship. These rules were not new, but were a compilation of earlier uses :

(for those who were absent from the Worship Service) if thou stayest at home, read the Books of the Law, with the Kings and the Prophets, and sing the hymns of David. (Book 1, section 5)
If thou desirest something to sing, thou hast the Psalms. (Book 1, section 6)
But when there have been two lessons severally read, let some other person sing the hymns of David, and let the people join at the conclusions of the verses. (Book 2, section 57)
Assemble yourselves together every day, morning and evening, singing psalms and praying in the Lord's house; in the morning saying the 63rd Psalm, and in the evening the 140th Psalm, but principally on the Sabbath day. (Book 2, section 59)
(During Communion) And let the (23rd.) Psalm be sung while all the rest are partaking. (Book 8, section 13)

Note - the original referred to the "23rd Psalm" - but the version of the Scriptures in use was the Septuagint, which corresponds to the English protestant Psalm 24

The Emperor Constantine made Christianity the religion of the Roman/Byzantine Empire in AD 330. Professional musicians and professional choirs played an important role in the churches. Melodies became more complicated; the language of the West was Latin, and the congregation became spectator while the clergy became more important. The Empire and the Church continued to grow and spread throughout Europe. Eventually the Empire was so wide-spread that it was divided into a Western half, centered on Rome, and and Eastern half, centered on Constatinople (Byzantium). The Church administration also divided, and eventually misunderstqandings between West and East led to the Great Schism between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches ( AD 1,054)

Various writings by the Church Fathers of this period illustrate the use of the Psalms by the Church

Athanasius (AD 300-373) wrote a Treatise on the Psalms, with directions for when to use particular Psalms, eg. the 63rd Psalm was always to be used at Morning Prayer. When Athanasius was under attack by the Emperor Constantius, he asked the congregation to sing the 136th Psalm, and while they were doing so, he managed to escape from the Emperor's soldiers.

They appear to me to be a mirror of the soul of everyone who sings them.

In them you find portrayed man's whole life, the emotions of his soul and the frames of his mind. We cannot conceive of anything richer than the Book of Psalms. If you need penitence; if anguish or temptation has befallen you; if you have escaped persecution and oppression, or are immersed in deep affliction concerning each and all, you may find instruction, and state it to God in the Words of the Psalter.

Basil the Great (AD 330-379) wrote

The utterances of the Psalms all chant at home and bear about in the forum. (town square, market place)

Jerome (ca. AD 340-420), learnt the Psalms by heart as a child. As an adult he went to live in Bethlehem while he translated the Greek and Hebrew scriptures into Latin giving us the VUlgate version of the Bible. He established a convent at Bethlehem, where, he wrote "extra psalmos silentium est" (apart from psalms, there is silence).

The Psalms were continually to be heard in the fields and vineyards of Palestine. The plowman, as he held the plow, chanted the Hallelujah, and the reaper, the vinedresser, and the shepherd sang something from the Psalms of David. Where the meadows were coloured with flowers, and the singing birds made their plants, the Psalms sounded even more sweetly. These psalms are our love songs, these instruments of our agriculture

Augustine of Hippo (N. Africa) (AD 353-430) referred to Psalms which had been sung in the meetings, and in his "Confessions" (ix, section 4) says that the Psalms are "toto orbe cantanter" (sung throughout the whole world)

Oh! In what accents spake I unto Thee, my God, when I read the Psalms of David, those faithful songs and sounds of devotion, which allow of no swelling spirit! Oh! What accents did I utter unto Thee in those psalms! And how was I by them kindled toward Thee, and on fire to rehearse them if possible, through the whole world, against the pride of mankind! And yet they are sung through the whole world, nor can any hide himself from Thy heat

When religious texts are sung well, greater religious devotion is inspired: souls are moved...and with a warmer devotion kindled to piety than if they are not so sung

John Chrysostom (AD 347-407), called Chrysostom (golden-mouth) because of his eloquent preaching, wrote :

Sing! Sing psalms and hymns that purify the mind and allow the Holy Spirit to descend swiftly upon the mind of the singer. For those who sing with understanding invoke the grace of the Spirit.

When they hold their vigils all night in the church, David's Psalms are in the beginning, and middle, and end of all their service;

David is always in their mouths, not only in the cities and the churches, but in the courts, in the mountains, in the deserts, in the wilderness.

All Christians employ themselves in David’s Psalms more frequently than in any other part of the Old or New Testament. The grace of the Holy Ghost hath so ordered it that they should be recited and sung every night and day. In the church’s vigils, the first, the midst, and the last are David’s Psalms. In the morning David’s Psalms are sought for; and David is the first, the midst, and the last. At funeral solemnities, the first, the midst, and the last is David. Many who know not a letter can say David’s Psalms by heart. In private houses where virgins spin — in the monasteries — in the deserts, where men converse with God — the first, the midst and the last is David. In the night, when men are asleep, he wakes them up to sing; and collecting the servants of God into angelic troops, turns earth into heaven, and of men makes angels, chanting David’s Psalms - (Homily 6, On Penitence)

John Cassian (AD 360-435) traveled throughout the Middle East and Europe and then founded monasteries and convents. He described how there used to be differences in monasteries in Egypt as to how many Psalms should be sung daily - some monasteries sang 18, others 20 or more, but eventually they agreed upon 12 each morning and 12 each evening.

For we have found that many in different countries, according to the fancy of their mind (having, indeed, as the Apostle says, "a zeal, for God but not according to knowledge" (Romans 10:2), have made for themselves different rules and arrangements in this matter. For some have appointed that each night twenty or thirty Psalms should be said, and that these should be prolonged by the music of antiphonal singing, and by the addition of some modulations as well. Others have even tried to go beyond this number. Some use eighteen. And in this way we have found different rules appointed in different places, and the system and regulations that we have seen are almost as many in number as the monasteries and cells which we have visited. There are some, too, to whom it has seemed good that in the day offices of prayer, viz., Tierce, Sext, and Nones, the number of Psalms and prayers should be made to correspond exactly to the number of the hours at which the services are offered up to the Lord. Some have thought fit that six Psalms should be assigned to each service of the day. And so I think it best to set forth the most ancient system of the fathers which is still observed by the servants of God throughout the whole of Egypt, so that your new monastery in its untrained infancy in Christ may be instructed in the most ancient institutions of the earliest fathers. (Institutes, Book 2, chapter 2)

So, as we said, throughout the whole of Egypt and the Thebaid the number of Psalms is fixed at twelve both at Vespers and in the office of Nocturns, in such a way that at the close two lessons follow, one from the Old and the other from the New Testament. And this arrangement, fixed ever so long ago, has continued unbroken to the present day throughout so many ages, in all the monasteries of those districts, because it is said that it was no appointment of man's invention, but was brought down from heaven to the fathers by the ministry of an angel. (Institutes, Book 2, chapter 4)

That practice too which we have observed in this country - that while one sings to the end of the Psalm, all standing up sing together with a loud voice, "Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost" — we have never heard anywhere throughout the East, but there, while all keep silence when the Psalm is finished, the prayer that follows is offered up by the singer. But with this hymn in honour of the Trinity only the whole Psalmody is usually ended. (Institutes, Book 2, chapter 8)

When, then, they meet together to celebrate the aforementioned rites, which they term synaxes, they are all so perfectly silent that, though so large a number of the brethren is assembled together, you would not think a single person was present except the one who stands up and chants the Psalm in the midst; and especially is this the case when the prayer is offered up, for then there is no spitting, no clearing of the throat, or noise of coughing, no sleepy yawning with open mouths, and gaping, and no groans or sighs are uttered, likely to distract those standing near. (Institutes, Book 2, chapter 10)

Go here for the full text of Cassian's work, translation © 2007 Kevin Knight

Cyril of Scythopolis (AD 524-558), in the "Life of St. Sabas", recorded that monks were not admitted till they had learnt the Psalter and the rule of psalmody.

The First Council of Braga (AD 563) ruled that no poetic composition be sung in the Church except the Psalms of the Old and New Testaments

Gregory the Great (AD 540-604) refused to ordain John the Presbyter, because he did not know the Psalms. He would not allow Rusticus the deacon to be made Bishop of Ancona for a similar reason.

He was a vigilant man, indeed, but he did not know the Psalms.

The Second Council of Nicaea (AD 787) ruled that no one should be allowed to become a bishop unless he knew the Psalter by heart, and that he was to be examined by the metropolitan.

The early Church developed and practised the singing of psalms.
During the first centuries many monasteries were also very active in this development. Monasteries in the West based their rules of conduct mainly on the Rule of St. Benedict (ca AD 530). Chapters 9-19 of the Rule gave the guidelines for the "Opus Dei" (the Divine Office, the Prayer Service, or the "Work for God") to which "nothing is to be preferred", - the canonical hours (services throughout the day, laid down by rule), seven during the day and one in the night.
Detailed instructions were given as to the number of Psalms to be recited, in winter and summer, on Sundays, weekdays, Holy Days, and at other times.
Most monasteries would sing all 150 psalms every week, or every month.
Some psalms were sung daily (Psalms 4 and 90).
Melodies, music and regulations became structured and formulated, and boys and men and women were trained to sing the Psalms.
Chanting developed from a simple one-line melody to 4- to 6-line harmonisations, and the music became more and more complicated through the centuries, until the text was difficult to hear, and there was call for reform of the music.
From the 8th Century to the 11th Century there are no references to congregational singing of Psalms. Towards the end of this period there are some references to the participation of the congregation in the Mass.
Although Church councils ordered the churches not to sing songs in any other language but Latin, in an unofficial way more and more songs in the languages of the people were used (sometimes in combination with Latin, such as "In dulci jubilo")

The Mass, or Communion Service, also developed a set format, in which parts of the Psalms were used, eg. when preparing for the Prayer of Consecration, the Priest washes his hands and says part of Psalm 26 "I will wash my hands in innocency, O Lord, and so will I go to Thine altar", in Latin this begins "Lavabo", so that part of the Mass became known as the Lavabo.

One of the concerns of the Reformers was that the people should understand what was happening during a Worship Service, so they worked to translate the Liturgy and the Scriptures into the vernacular languages of the people.

Martin Luther (1483-1546) started to translate the Bible into German in 1521 - the whole translation was completed and published in 1534
He started writing scripturally-based poems in 1523. His first song for congregational singing began (in German) "O sing unto the Lord a new song", quoting Psalms 96:1 and 98:1.
Luther wrote a total of 57 poems, of which 42 were spiritual hymns; he used the Psalms as inspirational source-material for many of them.
Luther’s hymn "Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice", composed in 1523, drew from Psalms 33:1; 40:17; and 118:24.
Also in 1523 Luther paraphrased Psalms 12, 14, 67, 128, and 130 in poetic form for congregational singing.
His hymn "A Mighty Fortress is our God" is based on Psalm 46, and was probably written in 1527 or 1529
At his death on February 18, 1546, Luther prayed the words of Psalm 31:5, "Into Thine hand I commit my spirit." His last words reportedly were "Ich fahr dahin in Fried und Freuden" a paraphrase of Simeon’s hymn in Luke 2:29-32, which itself is based on Psalm 90:5
At Luther’s funeral the congregation sang his hymn "Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir" (From deepest need I cry to Thee)
Other Hymns by Luther based on the Psalms are :
"O Lord, Look Down from Heaven, Behold" (Psalm 12)
"May God bestow on us His grace; (Psalm 67)
"O Lord, We Praise Thee" (Psalm 118), verses 2 & 3 by Luther
"If God had not been on our side" (Psalm 124)
"From Depths of Woe" (Psalm 130)

John Calvin (1509-1564) was a French lawyer who became a Protestant, and had to flee France; he settled in Geneva, moved to Strasbourg for several years, and then returned to Geneva where he remained until his death. Unlike Luther, Calvin did not favor paraphrases of the Psalms, but kept more strictly to the original text. Because he wanted to encourage singing by the congregation, he favored rhyming metrical versions of the Psalms, which became the basis for the Metrical Psalters of the Reformed Churches.
The Strasbourg Psalter was published in 1539, consisting of eighteen psalm versions, thirteen of them by Clement Marot and the other five attributed to Calvin himself
The Genevan Psalter was published between 1543 and 1562. The Genevan Psalter included additional psalm versions, including ones by Louis Bourgeois, a colleague of Calvin.

John Knox (ca.1514–1572) brought Calvinistic Presbyterianism to Scotland, and the Kirk (Scottish Church) produced the Scottish Psalter of 1650. It remained the official Psalter for Scotland until a revision of 1929.

The Psalms of David in Meeter (sic). Newly translated and diligently compared with the Original Text and former Translations; More plain, smooth, and agreeable to the Text than any heretofore. Allowed by the Authority of the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland, and appointed to be sung in Congregations and Families. Edinburgh 1650.

The Reformed Churches generally still do not allow texts other than Psalms to be sung in Worship Services

Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556), Archbishop of Canterbury, who was executed by being burned to death by Queen Mary I, translated the Latin Services into English, producing Services for Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Communion. He incorporated Psalms into the Prayer services and the Communion Service, and arranged for an orderly reading of Scripture in English throughout the year.
Psalm 95 or Psalm 100 was used each day, to introduce a section of the Psalter. The Psalms were read in sequential progression, every morning and evening, taking one month to complete the whole Psalter. The Bible readings covered most of the Bible in one year.
Rather than translate the Psalms into metrical versions for singing, Cranmer favored a translation by Miles Coverdale which kept close to the Hebrew. This was not suitable for singing with the metric tunes used for Lutheran and Reformed Psalters, so a simplified form of chant was developed, with no attempt at rhyming or meter. Basically, most of a verse would be chanted on one note, and the last three or five syllables would follow a concluding musical line. Eventually these chants became four-part harmonic chants, still in use by Churches which use this form of psalmody.

As the Protestant denominations developed, so the desire to sing hymns other than the strictly metrical psalms or Anglican chant grew. New generations of composers and writers arose, and free compostions (hymns) were written. At first there were great controversies as to whether or not such "uninspired" compositions should be allowed, but their popularity eventiually earned them a place in the worship services of most denominations other than those of the Reformed tradition. The inspiration for many of the hymns was usually based in Scripture, very often in the Psalms. As an example of such a hymn composer, let us consider Isaac Watts

Isaac Watts (1674-1749) was born to Isaac Watts Sr. and his wife Sarah, who were "dissenters" - they were not members of the Anglican Church, and Isaac Watts Sr. was jailed twice for his religious views.
Young Isaac learned Latin at four, Greek at nine, French at ten, and Hebrew at thirteen. Noticing his abilities, a doctor and some friends offered him a university education, which would have led to ordination in the Church of England. Watts turned them down and started to attend a Nonconformist Academy. He left the academy at the age of 20 and spent the next two years at home.
His desire to write hymns was born out of his dissatisfaction with the church music of his day. At 20 years of age, he complained that the metrical psalms they had to sing at Above Bar Chapel in Southampton were grim and ponderous. But to sing anything other than the actual words of Scripture was said to be an insult to God.
Watts’ father heard Isaac’s complaint and challenged him "Well then, young man, why don't you give us something better to sing?"
He accepted the challenge and wrote his first hymn. It was well received by the congregation of the Mark Lane Independent Chapel, which he was attending, and for the next two years, Watts wrote a new hymn for every Sunday. It was during this time that he wrote the bulk of Hymns and Spiritual Songs. These were sung from manuscripts in the Southampton chapel and were published 1707-1709.
In 1719, he published "The Psalms of David in the Language of the New Testament", containing paraphrases of all the Psalms except for twelve Psalms which he felt were unsuited for use.
Isaac himself was considered a radical churchman, since he wrote many "hymns of human composure" - songs that did not directly quote Bible passages.
He wrote approximately 600 hymns, including "Our God, Our Help in Ages Past" as a paraphrase of Psalm 90 (Later, "Our God" was changed to "O God").
Other such paraphrases by Watts are "Joy to the World" from Psalm 98, and "Jesus Shall Reign" from Psalm 72
Other hymns by Watts include "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross", "I Sing the Mighty Power of God", and "Am I a Soldier of the Cross?". In all, nearly 600 hymns are attributed to him.