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Chapter 25
William Billings
Chapter at a Glance
Listen to This First
A Structured Melody
Changing Textures
Changing Harmonies
Connect Your Playlist: Periodic Phrase Structure
Listening Guide
Chapter Objectives
After reading this chapter and listening to the work, students should be able to:
25.3 Listen for the contrasting melodic contours among the individual
25.5 Distinguish between two- and three-
Key Concepts
hymn, periodic phrase structure, four-part harmony, melodic contour
Chapter Highlight
This song, the unofficial anthem of the American Revolution, follows the musical conventions of
hymnody, with four voices moving in rhythm together.
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Chapter Summary
War inspires musicians to support their cause with their art. In Chapter 25 Bonds
Boston composer (and tanner) William Billings. The melody follows periodic phrase
structure, a common device in the period in which it was written (the Classical Era), but
Listening Guide
des into five verses. Each verse has a different texture in this recording,
but the melody remains in the tenor part throughout. The harmony here grows from two
parts in the first two verses to three in verse 3, expanding to four voices for the final two
verses. The periodic phrase structure (demonstrated in the Animated Notation on p.
220) can be revisited before listening to the entire work.
MyMusicLab Resources
Automated Listening Guide
Animated Notation: A Structured Melody
Discussion Topics and Critical Thinking Questions
1. As shown in The Composer Speaks, Billings makes a case for not using rules for
2. Musicians in the American colonies lived and wrote under different circumstances
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Activities and Exercises
1. Divide the class into groups of three or four and assign a different wartime era to each
2. Thomas Jefferson was known as an amateur musician. Have students research
Journaling Prompt