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88
2. frontispiece engraved by Paul Revere
3. introduction discussed basics of notation
and music theory
4. music not bound by Eu ro pean traditions
a. simple homophonic textures
b. melody often in tenor line
c. occasional passages of imitation
D. David’s Lamentation
1. text: paraphrase of biblical passage
a. sorrow of King David
b. single stanza, second section repeated
2. anthem designed for sacred congregational
singing
E. LG 15: Billings: David’s Lamentation (published
1778)
1. anthem, SATB voices; (A- B- B)
2. A section: homophony in all voices
3. B section: short solo in bass
a. full ensemble in homophony
b. quasi- imitative passage
4. final homophonic close
OVERVIEW
Colonial New England takes center stage in this chapter, with
an emphasis on the lining- out and shape- note singing tradi-
tions. The music of William Billings illustrates the in de pen-
dent nature of sacred- music composition as it developed in the
American colonies in the late 1700s. This chapter’s “Encoun-
ter” gives students the opportunity to explore the colonial-
indigenous hybrid traditions of New Spain through a villancico
from the late sixteenth century.
OUTLINE
I. From “Lining- Out” to Singing Schools
A. 17th- century New England
1. Calvinist- inspired Puritans rejected polyphony
psalm singing, Calvinist- inspired Pilgrims and
Puritans
2. lining out: method of psalm singing
a. line sung by leader, congregation repeated line
b. equal participation in musical worship
c. modifications of melody, heterophonic effect
3. 1720s, “singing schools” sponsored
a. designed to teach notation and music theory
b. need for printed instructional materials
c. semi- professional teaching opportunities arose
d. polyphonic singing sometimes embraced
(scandalous to conservative Puritan leaders)
e. growing musical literacy
B. William Billings (1746–1800)
1. most famous American composer of polyphonic
repertory
2. self- taught musician; practiced other trades
3. taught at Boston- area singing schools
4. musical publications became popu lar
a. mixed sacred texts with po liti cal references
5. close connections to radical ele ments of in de pen-
dence movement
6. viewed as iconic figure
7. not financially successful, died in poverty
8. output: over 340 works used in singing schools
and churches, six primary collections, includ-
ing The New England Psalm- Singer
C. Billings and The New England Psalm- Singer (1770)
1. original works by Billings
a. departure from British arrangements
CHAPTERfi25 In de pen dent Study: Billings and
the North American Sacred Tradition
Counter- Reformation polyphony, and American colonial
polyphony?
TEACHING CHALLENGES
SUPPLEMENTAL REPERTORY
SUPPLEMENTAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
McKay, David P., and Richard Crawford. William Billings of
Boston. Prince ton, NJ: Prince ton University Press, 1975. The
2008. Miller’s introduction provides an informative overview of
the Sacred Harp shape- note singing tradition in Amer i ca.
SUPPLEMENTAL VIDEO
YOUR TURN TO EXPLORE
Consider how a person might learn to read music today. Look
online for free sites that offer basic music- reading lessons and
choose a couple to compare. If you can already read music,
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. To understand the earlier seventeenth- century practice
of lining- out in colonial American psalmody
2. To understand the growing interest in promoting musi-
3. To recognize William Billings as a late eighteenth-
century American composer who developed a style of
sacred composition distinct from established Eu ro pean
LECTURE SUGGESTIONS
texts become, the more heterophonic the class’s singing
will be (many people singing with slight variants of the
same melody and si mul ta neously).
2. Introduce Fernandes’s Tleycantimo choquiliya as a
counterpart to Billings’s David’s Lamentation. Engage
ASSIGNMENT SUGGESTIONS
1. Search online for vari ous per for mances of Billings’s
David’s Lamentation, and compare/contrast the per for-
mance styles of each rendition.
90 | Chapterfi25
Website Model Response
on their path to reading music. Beyond this, though, there is little
to guide student learning; there is no option for users to apply
their knowledge of the content, nor is there a way to evaluate pro-
gress. The site is so overcrowded with text and images that it
becomes overwhelming to navigate after a while.
instructional videos at their own pace, repeating as necessary.
The five- minute length of each video clip is much more manage-
able than the overwhelming content of other websites that feature
only text and images. The biggest drawback of the series is that
students do not have the opportunity to apply their knowledge
and skills.
