Moderator

 

We are pleased to have this respected music expert as the one who compiles and edits most of the information on this website...

 

           Roger Lee Hall

 

Biographical Highlights

Roger Hall grew up in Bloomfield, New Jersey.
He has written a memoir of his early years living there,
"Memories of Bloomfield."
A copy of this eBook with music files is
available at the Bloomfield Public Library.

Mr. Hall attended Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey
where he received his B.A. degree
in 1970 in Music Theory and Composition.

Two years later, he was awarded his M.A. degree
in Ethnomusicology from Binghamton University.

His Ph.D. studies were in musicology at Case Western Reserve University,
where his specialty was Shaker music and music from early America.

Since then Mr. Hall has been active as:

  • composer & arranger
  • lecturer
  • musicologist
  • music consultant
  • radio host
  • cable television producer & host
  • reviewer
  • singer
  • teacher
  • writer

 

Mr. Hall is now one of the foremost authorities on vintage American music. He is the author of over twenty-five publications and many articles, and he has compiled numerous CD collections of historic American music.

Because of his prolific accomplishments in so many areas of music,
he has been honored with entries in these respected directories:

Who's Who in America
Who's Who in American Education
Who's Who in the World (Silver Anniversary Edition)

All of these directories are published by the prestigious publisher,
Marquis Who's Who®, which has been compiling biographies
of worthy individuals since 1899.

This is what Managing Editor Karen Chassie wrote in her letter to him:

"Congratulations! Because of the reference value of your outstanding achievements, Marquis Who's Who has selected your biographical profile for inclusion in the 25th Silver Anniversary Edition of Who's Who in the World...It is a testament to your hard work and dedication to success that you have earned a place in Who's Who in the World. You should be proud of your achievements."

 

Mr. Hall holds the following positions:

 

Announcements and Articles:


He has also written these illustrated eBooks on CD-ROM,
based on song titles:

"Dream World"
Songs, Poems and Stories
(PineTree Press, 2008)

 

 

"Following the Stars"
Music and Memories of Hopalong Cassidy
(PineTree Press, revised edition, 2009)

 

 

"Free As The Breeze"
Confessions of a Struggling Songwriter
(PineTree Press, revised edition, 2009)

 

 

And these three monographs:

Music in Stoughton: A Brief Survey (1989)

MAJESTY: William Billings and The Stoughton Musical Society (2000)

The Story of SIMPLE GIFTS:
Joseph Brackett's Shaker Dance Song (2006)


Because of his detailed knowledge of American songs from the past,
he has been called "The Tune Man." See several of his stories at

Tales of The Tune Man

In addition to his music career, Mr. Hall has written numerous poems
and several short plays.

Two of his plays were directed by him and videotaped at their first performances:

"The Grand Constitution" -- celebrating the 200th anniversaries of the U.S. Constitution and The Stoughton Musical Society Constitution, both written in 1787. The play concerns the writing of the Stoughton Musical Society's Constitution, now the oldest constitution of any performing musical organization in America. Cast: Wayne Olem and Bert Anderson.
Music by William Brown, Francis Hopkinson, Alexander Reinagle, William Billings, and Roger Hall. Videotaped at the Stoughton Public Library, Stoughton, Massachusetts, October 1987.

"The Musical Telephone" -- based on a chapter of Edward Bellamy's famous utopian novel, Looking Backward (1888). Cast: Greg Bazaz and Dorothy Yanish. Music by Edwin Arthur Jones, Joseph Brackett, and Roger Hall. Videotaped at the Bellamy Centennial Conference, Emerson College, Boston, Massachusetts, September 1988.

 

 

Composer and Arranger

 

Though he wrote a number of songs in the 1960s, none of them were commercially successful. So he turned his attention to studying music in more depth at Rutgers University, taking composition lessons with Robert Nagel and George Walker, the first Afro-American composer to receive the Pulitzer Price for Music.

Since 1985, Mr. Hall has been a member of
ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers)
and has composed or arranged over 125 pieces of music
including piano works, chamber music, songs and choral music.
Some of his songs and choral works are based on his own poems. For example, "six haiku songs" (Op. 3, 1970).

One of his compositions, "Creator God, We Give You Thanks,"
won a choral competition prize in 1993. More information about this environmental anthem is available at:

PineTree Music

For several anniversary celebrations of the Old Stoughton Musical Society (the oldest choral society in the United States), Mr. Hall composed two songs: "Peace" and "Dedication." Both of these Stoughton songs are available on this CD:

American Choral Sampler

 

He also arranged music for two plays he wrote, including these songs:

1. "Yankee Song" (based on Yankee Doodle) -- from the play, The Grand Constitution (1987), presented in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution and the Stoughton Musical Society's Constitution, written the same year in 1787.

2. "The Dark Night is Ending" -- This song was written for a play titled: The Musical Telephone (1988), based on a chapter from the well known utopian novel, Looking Backward. The play was first performed at the Edward Bellamy Centennial Conference in 1988
at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts.

Also, Mr. Hall composed a special song in Russian and English:

"My dareem vam nashee pyesnee (We give you a gift of our songs)"

It was written for Sharing A New Song to perform on their Russian tour in 1988. His song opened the historic concert when for the first time a combined Russian and American chorus sang together in Yaroslavl. This Russian song and other pieces are available on this CD:

 

Come, Gentle Peace
Music by Roger Hall, Volume 1

 

 

 

 

 

Creator God, We Give You Thanks --
Music by Roger Hall, Volume 2

 

 

 

 

 

The Dark Night is Ending -- Music by Roger Hall, Volume 3

 

 

 

 

 

If you wish to inquire about his compositions or
to commission a piece of music from him,
write to:

PineTree Music

 

 

 

Lecturer

Over the past four decades, Mr. Hall has presented over one hundred programs and workshops on different topics, including these titles:

  • Beautiful Dreamer: The Life and Music of Stephen Foster
  • Charles Tomlinson Griffes: Impressionist Composer
  • Hooray for Hollywood: Memorable Movie Music
  • I Got Rhythm: The Genius of George Gershwin
  • Lincoln and Liberty: Music of Abraham Lincoln's Time
  • The Lore and Legends of New England Songs
  • Music, Art and Architecture of the Shakers
  • Music of George Washington's Time
  • Remembering Radio: Music and Memories
  • The Sidewalks of New York: Old Songs and Stories
  • The Simple Gifts of Shaker Music
  • Singing Stoughton: The Story of America's Oldest Choral Society

Mr. Hall is available to speak about American music preservation in general, or any of the specific topics listed at

Lectures and Workshops

 

 

Musicologist

Since 1972, Mr. Hall has been an ethnomusicologist, musicologist, and a consultant for such distinguished institutions as the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C, the Paul Revere House in Boston,
various seminars, workshops and other events.

He has given scholarly papers or presentations at conferences including:

American Musicological Society (regional and national meetings)
Dublin Seminar (New England region)
Maine Statehood Conference
Religious Folk Art Conference in New York City
Shaker Seminar (various locations)

Read a newspaper story describing his efforts to

Preserve local music

He is a longtime film music historian and has taught college film music courses.

He has been the only editor of the online magazine, Film Music Review, since it began in 1998, and has written over one thousand CD and book reviews. He has also written articles for other magazines, including Film Score Monthly and Soundtrack.

In addition, he has written an informative reference book, now in its 3rd edition:

A Guide to Film Music -- Songs and Scores

 

 

If you wish to inquire about his consulting work in film or other music, write him at:

PineTree Music

 

 

Teacher

 

 

 

In 1975, Mr. Hall taught his first course on the history of American popular music at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. He was then assisting Bill Randle, a popular disc jockey who had introduced Elvis Presley on national television in 1956.

For over twenty-five years, Mr. Hall continued as a music teacher at various colleges and adult education programs. He had a special interest in teaching adult students and he is now retired,
though he still presents lectures and workshops.

 

 

 

These are a few of the many courses he has taught:

  • Great Composers (J.S. Bach, Handel, Mozart)
  • The Genius of George Gershwin
  • History of American Music
  • Listener's Guide to Music
  • Music in the Movies
  • Masters of the American Song

 

 


Radio and Cable Television

Over the years, Mr. Hall has been a frequent guest
on many radio stations.

He was a frequent guest on Ron Della Chiesa's popular "MUSIC AMERICA" program on WGBH-FM in Boston, Massachusetts, where he presented his annual Oscar film music tributes and also
The Sammy Awards.


Some of these programs are listed in his radio guide
with accompanying CDR:

Remembering Radio: Great Songwriters and Singers

 

While a regular guest on a Boston area AM station, Mr. Hall prepared a monthly radio series titled, "Great American Soradiongs." This series featured such popular songwriters as: Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, and others.

He also hosted his own nightly four hour radio program titled,
IN THE MOOD, playing popular music from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.

Here are a few of his radio specials he presented on his IN THE MOOD program:

  • Fifties Favorites -- Songs and Singers
  • Top Ten Big Band Themes
  • Top Ten Movie Songs and Scores
  • Tributes to Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer
  • Yankee Doodle Dandy -- World War II Musicals

He also produced and hosted a series of music programs on cable television. These programs featured local musicians and historians. They include two series:

"IN CONCERT" (12 programs)

"NOW AND THEN" (3 programs)

Some of these programs are available at

Singing Stoughton

 

Singer

Ever since 1972, Mr. Hall has been a singer in numerous programs at various museums, historical sites, churches, colleges and universities, conferences, and special events.

 

Mr. Hall has been singer, consultant or editor
for recordings on

  • Albany Records
  • Community Music School
  • Erato Records
  • Musical Heritage Society
  • Rounder Records
  • Sampler Records Ltd.

 

He is one of the singers on these CDs:

 

 

Come, Gentle Peace

The Dark Night is Ending

Love is Little: A Sampling of Shaker Spirituals

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preservationist

Besides his other achievements, Mr. Hall has spent considerable time working to preserve neglected American music from the past.

His preservation work includes researching, editing, publishing,
performing and recording the music.

His most extensive projects have involved music from
two of the oldest singing traditions in the USA:

The Stoughton Musical Society (founded 1786)

The United Society of Shakers (first community in 1787)

 


Music in Old Stoughton


He has received several Massachusetts Arts Council grants for this project which involved researching and writing about music and composers in Stoughton, Massachusetts during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

This town has the oldest surviving choral society in the United States, founded on 7 November 1786. Original called The Stoughton Musical Society, it also has the oldest constitution of any performing musical organization, written in 1787 just a few weeks after the United States Constitution. Several pamphlets, music collections and video programs
have been produced.

Read more about this choral society at

Singing Stoughton

 

Music of the Shakers

The second major project involved collecting research about this religious communal society, the oldest surving one in the United States.

The Shakers originated in the Manchester area in the UK. Their spiritual leader, known as Mother Ann Lee, and some of her followers arrived in New York City on 6 August 1774. This is the date celebrated by the Shakers as the beginning of their church in America.

Their first settlement was at Niskayuna (later Watervliet) New York in 1776, and their first community was established in 1787
in New Lebanon, NY.

Mr. Hall is one of the foremost experts on Shaker music and has written extensively about it for the past thirty-five years..

He was the first student to write a Master's Thesis
dealing with Shaker music. His thesis with music analysis is titled:

The Shaker Letteral System:
A Practical Approach to Music Notation
(Binghamton University, 1972)

Since then he has researched and edited many Shaker spirituals,
and performed them in concerts.

He has also edited and arranged over 200 Shaker tunes.


The best known Shaker song is "Simple Gifts"
(aka: 'Tis the gift to be simple). He has studied its origin and evolution of and written a history of the song titled:

The Story of SIMPLE GIFTS:
Joseph Brackett's Shaker Dance Song
(PineTree Press, 2006)

To read more about this song, go to

Joseph Brackett's 'Simple Gifts'

 

In addition he has compiled and edited these music collections:

  • A Western Shaker Music Sampler (1976)
  • The Happy Journey: Thirty-five Shaker Spirituals (1982)
  • Love is Little: A Sampling of Shaker Spirituals (1992)
  • A Guide to Shaker Music (1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2006)
  • Come Life, Shaker Life: The Life and Music of Elder Issachar Bates (2004)
  • How Happy Are They: Twelve Shaker Spirituals from Kentucky & Ohio (2007)

Mr. Hall has worked on these recordings of Shaker music as singer, consultant, or editor:

  • Harp of Joy -- Soloists and Choir, Plymouth Church, Shaker Heights, Ohio (1976)
  • Love is Little -- Soloists and The Sampler Chorus (Sampler Records, 1992)
  • Joy of Angels -- Soloists and The Sampler Chorus (Sampler Records, 1995)
  • Simple Gifts -- Boston Camerata and Sabbathday Lake Shakers (Erato, 1995)
  • Let Zion Move -- Shakers from Canterbury & Sabbathday Lake (Rounder Records, 1999)
  • The River of Love -- Soloists and Chorus of New England Voices (Albany Records, 2007)

Two of these Shaker recordings are described here:

Let Zion Move: Music of the Shakers - 2 CD set featuring commentary and 40 Shaker spirituals performed by the Shakers from Canterbury, New Hampshire and Sabbathday Lake, Maine. The recordings and interviews were made between 1960 and 1980. Also included is a 72 page illustrated booklet with all the words for the music and extensive notes by Roger Hall. This is the most extensive historical recording ever compiled of the Shakers speaking about their heritage and performing their music. Much of it was recorded by William Randle, a Cleveland disc jockey who helped promote Elvis Presley in the 1950s.

To order a copy of this CD set, just click on this link:

Let Zion Move: Music of the Shakers

 

 

Love is Little: A Sampling of Shaker Spirituals - a CD released from Sampler Records containing 36 Shaker spirituals from all the major Shaker communities in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Hampshire, Maine, Ohio and Kentucky. A songbook with all the music and extensive notes, including a music chronology, is also available.

Click on this link for more information:
Love is Little: A Sampling of Shaker Spirituals

 

 

 

Publications and CDs

A selection of publications compiled and written by Roger Hall:

American Music Recordings Collection (AMRC) CDs compiled and edited by Roger Hall available for purchase at the Store:


Four CDs with music composed and arranged by Roger Hall:

 

Read more about Mr. Hall at

My Space

 

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