Chapter 21: Independent Study: Billings and the North American Sacred Tradition
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The system where a leader sings each line of a psalm and the congregation repeats it in turn is
called:
a. a psalm tune. c. the Sacred Harp.
b. lining-out. d. polyphony.
2. Many people singing slight variants of the same melody simultaneously is called:
a. monophony. c. heterophony.
b. polyphony. d. homophony.
3. _____ were/was designed to teach a congregation the basics of notation and theory.
a. Singing schools c. Lining-out
b. Music universities d. The heterophonic effect
4. The New England Psalm-Singer was a collection of compositions by _______.
a. Paul Revere c. William Billings
b. Samuel Adams d. John Calvin
5. What was William Billings’s musical training?
a. He studied music in Europe.
b. He took composition lessons in college.
c. He was likely a self-taught musician.
d. He closely copied the works of European composers.
6. Billings’s compositions consisted mostly of what types of textures?
a. monophonic c. polyphonic
b. homophonic d. melismatic
7. Billings typically placed the melody in the:
a. soprano line. c. tenor line.
b. alto line. d. bass line.
8. The source for the text for David’s Lamentation was:
a. newly composed by Billings.
b. a biblical passage.
c. a translation of a German hymn.
d. a translation of a hymn written by Luther.
9. David’s Lamentation is best described as:
a. a madrigal. c. an anthem.
b. an oratorio. d. a cantus firmus.
10. The single stanza of text with the second section repeated in David’s Lamentation results in what
type of form?
a. ritornello c. A-B-B
b. da capo aria d. A-A-B-A
11. Who composed David’s Lamentation?
a. J. S. Bach c. Paul Revere
b. William Billings d. Martin Luther
TRUE/FALSE
1. Church leaders considered the ability to read music an important part of literacy for a good
Christian.
2. Bach and Handel heavily influenced Billings’s compositional style.
3. Billings’s musical approach embodied the scrappy self-sufficiency of an emerging nation.
4. Billings had limited connections to the radical elements of the independence movement in Boston.
5. Billings’s music helped cement a nationwide commitment to musical literacy.
6. Lining-out occurs when a leader sings each line of a psalm, and the congregation repeats it in turn.
7. Heterophony occurs when many people sing slight variants of the same melody simultaneously.
8. William Billings and Paul Revere were friends.
9. William Billings was born in England but then moved to Boston at the age of 18.
10. The text of David’s Lamentation describes the sorrow of King David after he discovered that his
son Absalom had been killed.
11. Billings received his musical training at the New England Conservatory.
12. The New England Psalm-Singer was a collection of compositions written by William Billings.
ESSAY
1. Discuss how Billings’s musical approach embodied the scrappy self-sufficiency of an emerging
nation.
ANS:
Answers will vary.
PTS: 1 DIF: 2 REF: Essentials: pp. 111–114
TOP: North American Sacred Traditions MSC: Applied
2. What about lining-out did church leaders find objectionable?
ANS:
Answers will vary.
PTS: 1 DIF: 2 REF: Essentials: p. 112
TOP: North American Sacred Traditions MSC: Applied