The New-England psalm-singer: or, American chorister. Containing a number of psalm-tunes, anthems and canons. In four and five parts. (Never before published.) Composed by --, A Native of Boston, In New England. [...] - WITH CONTEMPORARY MANUSCRIPT

Boston: New-England: Printed by Edes and Gill. And to be sold by them at their printing-office in Queen-Street; by Deacon Elliot, under Liberty-tree; by Josiah Flagg in Fish-Street; by Gillam Bass, the corner of Ann-Street, and by the author.. [Advertised in the Boston gazette, Dec. 10, 1770]. First edition. Rare first edition of the first work by Billings and the first collection of music ever published of music entirely by an American. It includes music engraved by Paul Revere and miscellaneous poems and hymns by Mather Byles (1707 - 1788) and George Whitefield (1714 - 1770). Intermixed engraved and letterpress pages, paged continuously. Reference: Cf. Brigham, C.S. Paul Revere's engravings, 1954, p. 65-70; 13 13 x 23 cm. Sabin 5417, Evans 11572.



Contemporary half leather, marbled boards, spine firmed with modern cloth. Blindstamp of the Fellowes Athenaeum (Boston, Roxbury's first library) on the title page. Collation (according to Goodspeed's 1927 catalogue description): Frontispiece (missing); title, p. [1], Preface, p. 2; An Essay on the Nature and Properties of Sound, pp. 3--9 (missing p. 9); On Music. From a Miscellany of the Rev. Dr. Byles, p. 10, one blank p.; [engraved explanatory text/musical examples], pp. 1--8; one blank p.; An Introduction to the Rules of Musick. Contents [etc.], pp. 9--21 (missing: pp. 17-18, 21); New-England Hymn, by the Rev. Dr. Byles, p. 22 (missing); engraved text, pp. 1--108 (missing pp. 65-66, 73-74, 79-80, 83-84, 89-90, 105-108); [Explanatory], p. 109 (missing); An Hymn compos’d by the Rev. Mr. Whitefield, with design to be sung at his own Funeral, p. [110] (missing).



Of particular interest are the 40 pages of contemporary manuscript music in ink, also including a page of ownership signatures from the family of Revolutionary war Lieutenant Nehemiah Hall (1725 - 1797) of Uxbridge, MA. The music includes a variety of psalm settings, as well as a series of tunes (in the manner of many printed in the volume) identified as cities or states: "Norwich," "Virginia," "Lenox," "Amherst," "Brookfield," "Wantage," "Suffolk," "St. Martin's," "Manchester," "Annapolis," "Hartford," "Burlington," "Windsor," "Worster," "Bunkerhill," "Hancock," etc. There are also a variety of other tunes, some with lyrics, including "Cavalry...," "Resurrections," "Night, Night (words by Addison)," "Waters," "Harmony," "Lisbon Sons," "Easter," etc. The manuscript in worn condition, but with the exception of a few pages, fully legible and generally good, certainly worthy of futher study.



William Billings is considered to be the father of American choral music. At 24, Billings published his first book of choral pieces, "The New-England Psalm-Singer," and Paul Revere engraved the frontispiece and music for it. He delayed publication over a year, until he could print it on paper made in the Colonies, and it included his song "Chester," which rivaled "Yankee Doodle" as an anthem of revolution. "With this one publication, the American musician had changed over from a mere compiler of music to a supplier of original compositions for singing schools and music societies. Of great significance, a single composer had added 126 original vocal compositions, mostly in four and some in five parts, to the dozen or so American pieces of music known to exist." (Nicholas Tawa, "From Psalm to Symphony," p. 33) (8088)

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Printed Music

Song

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