Millennial Praise - Choral Singing in Earlier America

New Release!

"MILLENNIAL PRAISE"
Choral Singing in Earlier America,
From The Pilgrims to The Shakers
(AMRC 14)

This title is available on a multimedia DVD and also a CD with just the music album, both compiled and edited by musicologist Roger Lee Hall, Director of the American Music Recordings Archive.

Both the DVD and CD contain a sampling of sacred and secular music covering approximately 300 years in the United States, from the landing of the Pilgrims to the last sacred music published by the Shakers in the early 20th century.

The DVD includes over 100 files including an illustrated Listener's Guide with all the lyrics.

Also on the DVD are: three music albums (75 tracks), an image gallery of sheet music, music examples, and a one hour video with a celebration of New England composers and musicians titled, A STOUGHTON MUSICFEST.

The music album on DVD and CD has these examples of importance in American cultural history:

psalms of The Pilgrims and The Puritans (Nos. 1- 3)

hymn sung by Narragansett Indians (Nos. 6)

music of the American Revolution (Nos. 7-11)

music by early New England singing masters (Nos. 12 -16)

poems from the War of 1812 (Nos. 18-19)

two Civil War era texts to the same tune (No. 21)

hymn for National Peace Jubilee held in Boston (No. 24)

aria from a majestic sacred cantata (No. 25)

sacred music by Stephen Foster (No. 23) and Charles Ives (No. 26)

Shaker folk spirituals (Nos. 29-30)

Here is a sample audio file
using Real Player

No. 12 - "The Bird"
(William Billings, 1790)

© PineTree Music

These are the titles on the CD and DVD -- "Millennial Praise": From The Pilgrims to The Shakers:

I. Pilgrims, Puritans, and Reformers

1. PSALM 8 – Ainsworth Psalter, 1612/ tune: OLD 124th
2. PSALM 100 – Ainsworth Psalter, 1612/ tune: OLD 100th
3. PSALM 23 – Bay Psalm Book, 1698/ LOW DUTCH TUNE
4. 100 PSALM NEW – tune: Rev. John Tufts, 1720s

II. Pirates and Native Peoples

5. Ballad: CAPTAIN KIDD (also known as: KIDD’S LAMENT)
6. NARRAGANSETT INDIAN HYMN or THE HYMN HEARD IN THE AIR

III. The Fight for Independence

7. THE LIBERTY SONG – words: John Dickinson/ tune: HEART OF OAK
8. FREE AMERICA – words: Dr. Joseph Warren/tune: BRITISH GRENADIERS
9. FATHER AND I WENT DOWN TO CAMP -- tune: YANKEE DOODLE
10. +CHESTER – words and music: William Billings, 1770/ 1778/ 1786
11. THANKSGIVING HYMN - unknown author/tune: KITTERY

IV. Singing Masters

12. THE BIRD – music: William Billings, 1790
13. +VICTORY – music: Daniel Read, 1793
14. JUBILANT – music: Supply Belcher, 1794
15. +NEW JERUSALEM – music: Jeremiah Ingalls, 1796
16. DORMANT – music: Jacob French, 1802

V. Federalism

17. ADAMS AND LIBERTY – poem: Thomas R.T. Paine, 1798/tune: TO ANACREON

VI. The War of 1812

18. THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER – poem: Francis Scott Key, 1814
tune: TO ANACREON
19. PEACE – poem: Esther Talbot, 1814/
tune: Roger Lee Hall, 1981

VII. Father Kemp and The Old Folks Concerts

20. SONG OF THE OLD FOLKS – words: Albert Laighton, 1855
tune: AULD LANG SYNE

VIII. The Civil War and National Peace Jubilee

21. a. JOHN BROWN (or JOHN BROWN’S BODY) – words: 1861/
b. BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC – poem: Julia Ward Howe, 1862
22. GO DOWN, MOSES -- Afro-American Spiritual, about 1862
23. GIVE US THIS DAY – words and music: Stephen Foster, 1863
24. ANGEL OF PEACE – poem: Oliver Wendell Holmes, 1869/
music: AMERICAN HYMN by Matthias Keller

IX. The Gilded Age and Early 20th Century

25. Aria: HOW BEAUTIFUL UPON THE MOUNTAINS – music: Edwin Jones, 1881
26. EASTER CAROL – music: Charles Ives, 1892
27. Chorale: HOW LOVELY SHINES THE MORNING STAR – music: George Chadwick, 1909
28. SONG OF THE MARCHING MEN - music: Henry Hadley, 1919

X. Shaker Spirituals

29. Dance Song: SIMPLE GIFTS – Elder Joseph Brackett Jr., 1848
30. Anthem: MILLENNIAL PRAISE – Elder James Russell, 1883/1908

+ = tunes found in the Stoughton Musical Society's
Centennial Collection of Sacred Music (Boston, 1878/ Reprint, 1980)

"Millennial Praise"
Choral Singing in Earlier America
(AMRC 14)

To order the CD or DVD, follow these instructions...

For the multimedia DVD

"Millennial Praise" - Choral Singing in Earlier America,
with Listener's Guide, sheet music gallery, three music albums,
and a one hour video program
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For the CD only

"Millennial Praise": From The Pilgrims to The Shakers
(30 tracks)

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Singing in Earlier America

Another CD is available by donation...

Singing Masters and Shakers

1. CHESTER (1770/1786) - music by William Billings
2. THE BIRD (1790) - William Billings
3. THANKSGIVING ANTHEM (1794) - William Billings
4. CORONATION (1792) - Oliver Holden
5. MT. VERNON (1800) - Oliver Holden
6. VICTORY (1793) - Daniel Read
7. NEW JERUSALEM (1796) - Jeremiah Ingalls
8. NEW BETHLEHEM (1799) - Edward French
9. FLY (1802) - Jacob French
10. DORMANT (1802) - Jacob French
11. RIGHTS OF CONSCIENCE (1810) - Issachar Bates
12. MOUNT ZION (1815) - Issachar Bates
13. ODE TO CONTENTMENT - Issachar Bates
14. SIMPLE GIFTS (1848) - Joseph Brackett
15. COME LET US CHANT (1856) - Oliver C. Hampton
16. A DREAM (1860) - Harvey L. Eades
17. A PRAYER FOR THE CAPTIVE (1862) - Cecilia DeVere
18. MILLENNIAL PRAISE (1883) - James G. Russell
19. DEDICATION (1986) - Roger Lee Hall/text: William Billings, 1794
20. LOVE IS LITTLE (1976) - Shaker song, 1834/arr. Roger Lee Hall

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Read about the best known Shaker song at this link:

Joseph Brackett's "Simple Gifts"

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