This volume addresses the practical requirement for a standardized musical setting of the Psalter and Canticles as prescribed by the Alternative Service Book. The authors, Cyril J. H. Taylor and Lionel Dakers, utilize their extensive expertise in Anglican liturgical tradition to provide a structured framework for congregational and choral performance. By aligning the text with traditional Anglican chant forms, the work serves as a functional guide for church musicians navigating the liturgical revisions of the era.

The subject matter points to a specialized technical resource intended for church musicians and liturgical scholars. Its focus on the specific requirements of the Alternative Service Book suggests a high level of utility for those operating within the mid-twentieth-century Anglican liturgical framework.