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Stoughton Music Heritage Series

Featuring information about music in a New England town
which is home to the oldest surviving choral society in America,
organized on November 7, 1786.

 


 

 

 

 

 

For Your Information

Community Forum Cable TV program

To order any title on this page


Stoughton Music Monographs:

1. E.A. Jones: His Life and Music

2. Music in Early Canton - Historical Notes and Music

3. Ten Town Tunes: Music From Stoughton, 1770-1990

4. MAJESTY: William Billings and The Stoughton Musical Society



Stoughton Music Series CDs:

5."Chester" - Music in Old New England, 1778-1878 (radio documentary)

6. "Peace" - A Dedication Concert, 1981

7. "The Heavenly Vision" - Old Stoughton Music Sampler

8. "Dedication" - The Stoughton Harmony, 1770-1990



Stoughton Music Series on DVD-ROMs:

9. "Come, Gentle Peace" - A Stoughton Musicfest"

10. "Dedication" - Choral Singing in Stoughton, 1762-1992

 

 

Musicologist Makes Music

Roger Hall

 

Additional Information

Related Links

 


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Attention American music specialists,
historians, teachers, singers, writers,
and interested individuals!



Did you know that the oldest choral society in America still exists in a small town in Massachusetts?

It is not known to many that for over two centuries in the Town of Stoughton, Massachusetts there has been a long history of choral singing.

In fact it is the oldest continuous choral tradition in the United States of America.

Many who study and sing early American choral music are unaware of this long and distinguished musical past in Stoughton, beginning as far back as the 1760s!

Among Stoughton's distinctions are two historic musical societies:

The Musical Society in Stoughton (MSIS) - organized in 1802 and disbanded in 1982. This Society accepted only Stoughton residents, and among them were some highly talented musicians and a few composers, like Alanson Belcher and E.A. Jones.

The Old Stoughton Musical Society (OSMS) - still exists and is now the OLDEST CONTINUING CHORAL SOCIETY IN THE USA. It was organized on November 7, 1786. This musical society was officially recognized by The Guinness Book of Records in 1985 as the oldest in the U.S.A., thanks to material provided by Roger Hall.

 


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Community Forum TV Show

The Community Forum talk show from June 6, 2013 hosted by Roxanne Morse had as her guest, musicologist, Roger Lee Hall, speaking about his accomplishments as Historian for the Old Stoughton Musical Society, and other music activities in Stoughton.

If you would like to obtain a DVD copy of this program -- click here

 

 




 

 

 

The music titles listed below are available
to help support the important work of the
Center for American Music Preservation (CAMP).

Please help support the CAMP with your order.

If you have any questions about ordering
the titles listed below write to:

PineTree Productions

 

 

 

 

 

Music Monograph Series


 

 

No. 1. E.A. Jones: His Life and Music
by Roger L. Hall

$15 (USA orders)/$25 Worldwide Air Mail)

A collection about the life and music of Stoughton's best known
composer from the 19th century
including a music album and sample sheet music.

 

 

No. 2. Music in Early Canton:
Historical Notes and Music
Compiled and Edited by Roger L. Hall


$15 (USA orders)/ $25 (Worldwide Air Mail)

A collection about 8 early musicians in Canton, Massachusetts,
with sample sheet music, a timeline of events, and concert programs,
including the concert held in Canton commemorating
the 250th anniversary of the birth of George Washington in 1982

 

 

No. 3. TEN TOWN TUNES:
Music From Stoughton, 1770-1990
Compiled and Edited by Roger L. Hall

$20 (USA)/$25 (Worldwide Air Mail)

Sheet music collection and concert programs (pdf),
plus a music album a commerorative concert
held in Stoughton in 1990

 

 

 

 

 

No. 4 - "MAJESTY":
Being A discussion of FACTS and FICTION
about William Billings
and The Stoughton Musical Society
By Roger L. Hall


$15 (USA orders)/ $25 (Worldwide Air Mail)


This revised edition contains additional files along
with the original monograph
about the most important early American composer,
William Billings (1746-1800) and his
connections to the Stoughton Musical Society.
The disc also includes a Billings family geneology and
a timeline, plus sheet music examples.

Here are a few sample Billings tunes for streaming only
sung by the Old Stoughton Musical Society Chorus:

CHESTER (2 versions: 1778 & 1786)

STOUGHTON (1770) - Premier Performance in 1986

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

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Over 70 music examples on these four CDs:

 

 

 


AMRC CD 0026: "Chester" - Music in Old New England, 1778-1878
- 18 tracks



Radio documentary narrated by OSMS Historian, Roger Hall,
with highlights from the Old Stoughton Musical Society's First Fall Music Festival in Bridgewater, Massachusetts on October 14-15, 1978.

Composers incluide: William Billings, Bartholomew Brown, Jeremiah Ingalls,
Samuel Capen, Lowell Mason, George Root, James Hewitt, Edwin Arthur Jones.

For a list of the music titles -- click here

 

AMRC CD 0027: "Peace" - A Dedication Concert
- 15 tracks


Read more about this historic concert from November 22, 1981,
to celebrate the Centennial of Stoughton Town Hall (built in 1881),
and featuring music by American composers performed by
the Old Stoughton Musical Society Chorus, conducted by Roger Hall.
To see the music titles -- click here

 

 

 

 

AMRC CD 0046: "The Heavenly Vision" - The Old Stoughton Harmony
- 24 tracks

A selection of choral music from the 18th to 20th centuries performed by
the Old Stoughton Musical Society Chorus with music by:
William Billings, Jacob French, Oliver Holden, Daniel Read,
Stephen Foster, Charles Ives, and composers from Stoughton area towns.

 

AMRC CD 0047: "Dedication" - The Stoughton Harmony, 1770-1990
- 20 tracks

Includes these tunes:

"Stoughton" - William Billings, 1770 (edited by Roger Hall)
First Performance in OSMS Bicentennial Season in 1986

Music by these Stoughton area composers
and click the links for audio samples:


Stoughton -

-Edwin A. Jones - "Old Stoughton" - 1886, and "The Lord Is King" - 1890
-Roger L. Hall - "Dedication" - 1986, and "Peace" - 1990
-F. William Kempf - "Barbara Allen" - 1942
-Frank W. Reynolds - "Lullaby" - 1922

Sharon -
-Edward French - "New Bethlehem" - 1799
-Jacob French - "The Heavenly Vision" - 1786

Canton -
-Supply Belcher - "Make A Joyful Noise" (Psalm 100) - 1794
-Samuel Capen - "The Dove" - 1805


All CDs are available
to help support
The Center for American Music Preservation (CAMP)
and its important work to help preserve historical music

Each CD is available for $20 by USA Mail or $25 for Overseas Air Mail

Price includes shipping on any of these four CD titles


To order your copy of any of the above CDs or computer discs
write to:

PineTree Productions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stoughton Music Series on DVD-ROMs:

 

DVD-ROM: "Come, Gentle Peace" - A Stoughton Musicfest
Produced and written by Roger L. Hall

A video program held in Stoughton, Massachusetts in May of 1990
to commemorate the 200th anniversary of
the first known singing contest in America
between a Stoughton male chorus and a chorus from
a church in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1790.

The one hour program Includes a narrator telling about
Stoughton's important music history with music performed
by singers from the Old Stoughton Musical Society. Also,
a local actor portraying America's first prominent choral composer,
in a play titled, "William Billings Teaches A Singing School."
In addition, there are several songs sung
by a combined Stoughton school chorus and
instrumental music performed by Stoughton high school students.

To order your copy of the one hour DVD-ROM,
write to PineTree Productions -- click here

 

 

 

 

DVD-ROM: "DEDICATION" -
Singing in Stoughton
, 1762-1992

Compiled and edited by Roger L. Hall

To read about this disc -- click here

 

 

 

 

 

 

Musicologist Makes Music


Civil War Event at Faxon Park - April 21, 2012

Among the events at a Civil War re-enactment was a display of music books and CDs prepared by Stoughton musicologist and singer, Roger Hall, who also sang what is believed to be the first modern day concert performance
of the original version of "Battle Hymn of the Republic."


This original version of the Battle Hymn is included on this CD titled,

Click on this link for more information:

Glory, Hallelujah - Songs and Hymns of the Civil War Era

 

Thanks to the efforts of musicologist and composer, Roger Hall, the Old Stoughton Musical Society (OSMS) was listed as America's oldest choral society in The Guinness Book of Records and in Chase's Calendar of Events.

For many years he has been involved with music preservation.

He served as the first Chairman of the Stoughton Arts Council from 1980 to 1984, and also was a member of the Massachusetts Arts Advisory Committee during the 1980s.

Between 1979 and 1987, he was the Historian and Vice-President of the Old Stoughton Musical Society. He also organized two music festivals:

"Music in Old New England" (1978) and "Musick in Old Boston" (1980)

In 1980 he discovered all the manuscript music of E.A. Jones and especially his major work, the cantata titled, Song of Our Saviour, which received its World Premiere performance in Stoughton in 1992 and was written about in the Boston Globe newspaper.

Hall was the OSMS conductor for several seasons and composed two songs for them:

"Peace" - premiered in 1981 for the Stoughton Town Hall Centennial.

"Dedication" - premiered in 1986 for the 200th anniversary
of The Old Stoughton Musical Society

To read about his preservation efforts, click on this link:

Saving Local Music

He is now Director of the Center for American Music [CAMP].

These are a few of his music programs:

"E.A. Jones: His Life and Music" (1984)

"Old Stoughton and The Grand Constitution" (1987)

"A Stoughton Musicfest: A Celebration of Local Composers and Musicians" (1990)

"Lincoln and Liberty" (2009)


Roger Hall is available to present his entertaining and educational music programs
for colleges, high schools, libraries, historical societies or other organizations.

See his music programs listed at this link:

Lectures and Workshops

 

 

 

Related AMP Links

 

New England Heritage Music

New England Choral Music Archive

Singing Stoughton - home of America's oldest choral society

 



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Please help support the educational mission of the

Center for American Music Preservation

 

 

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