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William Billings - Father of American Choral Music
Born: Boston, Massachusetts, October 7, 1746
Died: Boston, Massachusetts. September 28, 1800Important Correction!
There is an image circulating on the Internet which claims to be a portrait of William Billings. There is no known portrait of Billings. The portrait shown here and on other sites is actually a portrait of 19th century hymnwriter, Lowell Mason.Music:
Billings composed only compositions for chorus. Among his compositions are these: Chester (1770/1778 -- sung in the first episode of the HBO series, JOHN ADAMS); David's Lamentation (1778); Modern Music (1781); Thanksgiving Anthem (1794). There are 28 Billings tunes in The Stoughton Musical Society's Centennial Collection of Sacred Music.His Wife:
Married Lucy Swan in Stoughton, Massachusetts on July 26, 1774. Lucy had been a pupil in the Billings singing school taught in Stoughton in 1774, which consisted of 49 pupils [not 48, as written in most books]. Lucy was born in Stoughton in 1751 and died in Boston in 1795.His Children:
Rachel (born: 1775/ died: 1776)
Abigail Adams Billings (born: 1777)
Elizabeth Adams (borh: 1779)
William and Lucy (twins, born: 1781/ William died: 1781, Lucy died: 1784) Sarah (born: 1783)
William (born: 1786/ died: 1858)
Peggy Dawes (born: 1788/ died: 1862)
Lucy Billings (born: 1792/ died: 1869).Memorial Plaque in Boston:
This plaque was placed on Tremont Street in Boston and reads:
One of Americas's earliest native born (Boston) composers who greatly enhanced a musical awareness within the colonies, by respected tradition, his final resting place is believed to be an unmarked grave within this area of the Common.
Presented on the occasion of America's Bicentennial and in conjunction with the 1976 National Convention of the AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS by the District of Columbia Chapter.
The presentation ceremony took place in 1976 at The Common and included the singing of the best known music by Billings and first popular war song composed by a native born citizen, titled CHESTER (1770/ 1778). It is ironic that Billings was remembered not by Boston citizens but by an organist chapter from Washington. D.C.
Billings Bicentennial in Boston:
On a rain soaked Tuesday, a day and evening "sing" was held at King's Chapel (built in 1749) at the corner of Tremont and School Streets in Boston, Massachusetts. The date was September 26 - the actual date when Billings died in 1800.In observance of the 200th anniversary of his death, an exuberant chorus from points far and wide, including England, sang selected hymns and anthems of William Billings. The singing was organized by Billings 2000 (Sheila Beardslee Bosworth, King's Chapel Tuesday Recitals; Gina Balestracci and Roland Hutchinson from Garden State Sacred Harp Singers). A large volume of music was prepared by Roland Hutchinson titled: "William Billings 2000 - The book of his bicentennial commemoration at Boston."
In typical Sacred Harp fashion, various singers offered to lead the individual Billings pieces. Neely Bruce came with his group of Sacred Harp singers from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut.
Also Roger Hall represented the Old Stoughton Musical Society and led two Billings tunes (STOUGHTON and MAJESTY) plus an original canon titled, "Come Let Us Sing," which Roger had composed on words from the last Billings tunebook of 1794. All three of these pieces led by Roger Hall are included in his monograph titled, MAJESTY, about William Billings and The Stoughton Musical Society.There is a CD titled "Best of William Billings"available in the
American Vocal Music Series
See also
A Dedication Concert
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