Roger Lee Hall goes back musically — way back

 

 

Roger Lee Hall, musician and music historian, at the piano in his Stoughton home.

 

Roger Lee Hall, musician and music historian, at the piano in his home.

 

By Paul E. Kandarian  NOVEMBER 30, 2014

Oldies music — as in centuries-old music — is the forte of Roger Lee Hall of Stoughton. The musician and music historian has created a variety of CDs honoring American music from as far back as the Revolution.

“I do it for people interested in learning about music and the connection with New England history,” said Hall, 71, a longtime music teacher and composer who has more than 100 compositions and arrangements to his credit. “It’s very rich, but a lot of people, even musicians, don’t know about that history.”

Hall, who has taught at Stonehill College in Easton and Brookline’s adult-education program, has lived in Stoughton for 35 years. One reason he went there was to work with the Old Stoughton Musical Society, which he said “welcomed me, and I was very active in it for a long time.”

He is also an authority on Shaker music, drawn to it after doing a college thesis on the topic.

“The Shakers are the oldest communal group in the country,” Hall said. “They have a rich musical tradition, mostly folk music, and their most famous song is ‘Simple Gifts.’ ”

He did a book on the work earlier this year, calling it a “great American song,” one featured at three presidential inaugurations.

His many projects can be found on his website, www.americanmusicpreservation.com. A recent one was a CD, “Gentle Peace,” on which is found the song “Peace,” based on a poem written in 1814 by 10-year-old Esther Talbot of Stoughton.

Hall, a frequent radio guest in the Boston area who has also been producer and host of two cable television series, has written books, does music reviews, and continues to teach.

“Most of these things generate from my curiosity,” he said. “I tend to have a lot of different interests, which keeps me busy.”

Reprinted from the Boston Globe, 2014.

 





These are few of the CDs and DVDs
written and with music by Roger Lee Hall

 

CDs

 

Celestial Praises - A Celebration of Shaker Spirituals
Arrangements by Roger Lee Hall and Conrad Held
(AMRC CD)

Gentle Words - A Shaker Music Sampler
(AMRC CD)

 

Creator God: Sacred Music by Roger Lee Hall
(PineTree Music CD)

 

Gentle Peace: A Sampler of Songs and Instrumentals
(PineTree Music CD)

 

 

 

 

Informational DVDs
(book, music albums, video clips)

 

 

"Millennial Praise" - Singing New Englanders:
From The Pilgrims to The Shakers (PTM 1027)

 

 

"SIMPLE GIFTS": Great American Folk Song (PTM 1035)








"The Star-Spangled Banner" -
Early Songs of Protest and Patriotism
(PTM 1032)

 

 



 

See more about Mr. Hall's many
music actvities

click here


For any questions, write to him:

click here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



     



 

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