An informational resource since 1998

and now one of the longest-running websites

with information about music from earlier America

Helping to make American music come alive again!

 

 

The Center for American Music Preservation (CAMP) was established in 1998 to help preserve historical American music

from the past so it will survive into the future.

Naturally not every subject can be covered on this website.

It is intended to provide information mainly on historical topics and recorded music.

This is not a "high tech" site with flashy music videos or other web wonders for the eyeball fanciers.

Instead, the goal is to provide historical information and resources for research, teaching or personal interest.

 

New illustrated ebook from PineTree Press available in March 2026!

 

 

These are the five main topic areas on this CAMP website:

 

No. 1: CLASSICAL MUSIC

American Composers: From The Colonial Era To Our Time

Earlier American Composers: A Survey in Sound

 

No. 2: COMMUNAL FOLK MUSIC

Music of the American Shakers - Resources and Recordings


CD and DVD releases with Shaker Music

 

No. 3: FILM MUSIC

Film Music Review e-zine

Essential Movie Musicals

 

No. 4: NEW ENGLAND MUSIC

New England Heritage Music

Singing Stoughton - home of America's Oldest Choral Society, founded in 1786

 

No. 5: POPULAR SONGS

American Song History, 1759-1959

Popular Songs, 1860s-1960s

 

 

 

 

Your support is needed to help keep this free educational website available.

Please consider ordering the music from this highly rated recording -

AMERICAN PLACES - Musical Travels

If you are unable to offer any finacnial support,

please mention this website in your class teaching, in books or articles, or to your friends.

 

 

 

To contact the CAMP -- click here

 

 

Your support of the Center for American Music Preservation (CAMP)

is urgently needed so it can continue providing valuable music research.

 

To help support this website, see the American Music Recordings Collection (AMRC)

and the CAMP Store

 

Click on the picture to read about this highly rated AMRC CD

with over one hour of enjoyable music

 

 

 

 

-- Roger L. Hall, CAMP Director

He is a musicologist and music preservationist,

who has researched, performed, and written about American music for over 50 years.

 

He is also an ASCAP composer with over 100 compositions.

See the list of his compositions published exclusively by PineTree Music

 

For his extensive work in various areas of American music, he has been listed in

major directories including:

International Who's Who in Music

Who's Who in America

Who's Who in the World.

 

See the list of 60 music collections by Roger L. Hall

available in the series of

PineTree Music Editions

 

 

 

Music Webinars in 2026

 

Celebrate the 70th anniversary of the New York TV debut of the original KING KONG showing in 1956!

This webinar will be presented on the same date of March 2

that the original KING KONG opened in New York in 1933.

'A Century of King Kong: Examining a Cinematic Legacy' Webinar

2 March 2026

Read about this illustrated program from the New York Adventure Club and sign up -- go here

 

 

 

Celebrating the 70th anniversary of the National 1956 TV debut of Elvis Presley!

'Bill Randle, Elvis Presley & the Night That Changed Rock Forever' Webinar

28 January 2026

Read about it -- here

 

 

 

Memories And Music Book Series by Roger Hall

 

Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the author meeting Hopalong Cassidy
and about music in his western films

 

"Following The Stars" - Music & Memories of Hopalong Cassidy

 

 

 

 

"Free As The Breeze" - A Songwriter's Joys and Sorrows

Liaten to the discussion with Roger Hall and James Gardner about this ebook on

YouTube

 

 

Read this ebook about the early promotion of Elvis Presley in the 1950s

"Good Rockin' Tonight": Elvis Presley, Bill Randle, and The Rise of a Music Legend

 

American Music Recordings Archive

 

 

 

Music of the Shakers

 

Roger Hall is an authority on music of the American Shakers.

Since 1971, he has researched, written publications,

performed and recorded their music on a series of CDs.

For over two centuries they composed thousands of anthems, hymns and songs, more than any communal sect in America.

Their first tunes were wordless and later they added texts and also wrote music in three and four-part harmony.

Their earliest existing songs in America are from the 1780s and their last known song was composed in 1959.

A multimedia collection with research information, audio and concert videos is available on DVD-ROM or USB Flash Drive titled:

 

 

Read about this AMRC CD with some of the earliest religious music by women in America beginning in the 18th century.

Read about this highly praised CD, "My Shaker Home" -- here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Zoom Special with Shaker music scholar, Roger Lee Hall, now available on YouTube

"Tis the gift to be simple" -
Aaron Copland Meets The Shakers in Shaker Heights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcpVRysB328

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read the facts about the popular Shaker dance song, "Simple Gifts (aka: Tis the gift to be simple)"? -- click here

 

 

 

 

SAVING EARLIER AMERICAN MUSIC (SEAM)

 

Helping to preserve two centuries of American vocal and instrumental music, 1759-1959

click here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can listen to the podcast about his music career from high school songwriting,

to how he became an ASCAP composer and an American music preservationist and

Director of the Center for American Music Preservation (CAMP).

Click on any of these links to listen to the audio podcast:

Apple -- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/your-history-your-story/id1535889414?i=1000611257078

Spotify -- https://open.spotify.com/episode/4mS6z5JjFwUapMnp3jk5XJ?si=lYjF4XNiT7iHmZmD7qCF9w

YouTube -- https://youtu.be/aPlzapgMVkM

Support Your History/Your Story Podcast & become a patron! 

http://patreon.com/YourHistoryYourStoryPodcast

 

 

 

 

 

Help celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution with songs from that era!

"Yankee Doodle" - American Patriotic Song Quartet (texts and audio exmaples)

 

 

Join the T.E.A.M!

Treasures of Earlier American Music

Music refines the taste, purifies the heart,
and elevates our nature.
It does more:

it soothes in sorrow, tranquillizes in passion,
and wears away the irritabilities of life.

It intensifies love,
it fires the patriotism,
and makes the altar of our devotion burn
with a purer, holier flame.

--W.W. Hall, M.D.
Hall's Journal of Health for 1862

To inquire about joining the T.E.A.M. as a historian, musician, researcher, music student, interested individual -- click here

See the T.E.A.M. recordings available -- click here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

American Popular Songwriter Series

 

 

 

A Tribute to George Gershwin

 

"The Last Round-Up" - Songs by Billy Hilll

 

"I Hear Music"- A Tribute To Songwriter, Frank Loesser

 

"Moon River" - Memories of Henry Mancini

"Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive"- Johnny Mercer in Hollywood

 

 

 

 

 

This massive music collection

for teaching or research is now available at a huge discount!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Earlier American Music Timeline

Part One: 1620 - 1818

Part Two: 1822-1920

 

 

 

 

 

Essential American Recordings Survey (EARS)

Music from 200 years, 1759-1959

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research article:

"Simple Gifts": The Discovery and Popularity of a Shaker Dance Song

 

 

 

 

 

Read about the first important American choral composer,Willliam Billings, his large family, and the singing tradition in Stoughton, Massachusetts
in this publication from PineTree Press:

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the list of music titles,
see the American Music Recordings Collection (AMRC) -- click here

For the list in titles
in the PineTree Multimedia Editions (PTME) -- click here

To write to the CAMP about your educational institution
obtaining this extensive collection of audio and research material
available for a one time preparation charge -- click here

 

 

Featured Publication:

Read about Shaker music in this new edition with 25 texts of Shaker spirituals,
an interview with Aaron Copland, and a Shaker Song Quartet in this book.

There is also an CD available with all 25 tunes. To read about the book and CD for a special price -- go here

 

See a list of Roger Hall's Shaker music collections -- click here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Latest publications available on multimedia computer discs

with historical information, sheet music, audio and video files:

 

Angel of Peace: Music in Old Boston

 

 

 

 

 

In commemoration of the 400th anniversary of Landing of the Pilgrims,

a collection highlighting singing in earlier America:

"Land of Our Hearts" - From Pilgrims to Patriots

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A valuable series of music
for teaching, research or just for listening!

 

 

Earlier American Composers:
Survey In Sound, 1759-1919

4 volumes with music examples from 16 American composers,
including chamber music and choral music, all together on one multimedia DVD-ROM.

Read about this extensive audio collection -- click here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

American Recorded Choral Archive (ARCA)

American Recorded Choral Archive

 

 

 

 

 

Honor Roll

We are grateful for any donations received to help support the Center for American Music Preservation.

These names have been added to the CAMP Honor Roll for their service to music:

 

Sister Ruth Mildred Barker

Gregory Erickson

Earl Eyrich

Randy Folger

John D. Herr

David P. McKay

Sister Bertha Lillian Phelps

George Walker

 

You can help support the CAMP by making a donation by credit card for $25 or more

and adding a name to this Honor Roll.

To make your donation see below on this page

 

 

Your support is needed to help support American music preservation.

Order any of these special limited edition CDs:

 

 

CELESTIAL PRAISES - A Celebration of Shaker Spirituals

 

 

"It's Magic" - One Hundredth Birthday Celebration of Sammy Cahn

 

 

 

MY SHAKER HOME - Words and Music by Shaker Sisters

Research Topics

 

18th century

Read about the first known American art song in 1759 by Francis Hopkinson--
click here

 

 

William Billings - Father of American Choral Music

 

 

Singing Stoughton - Music in Massachusetts

 

 

 

 

 

 

"A Toast" - Music of George Washington's Time

 

 

 

 

 

19th century

Read about "The Simplicity of Shaker Music" -
the oldest surviving communal sect in America,
with the largest number of original tunes and texts
click here

 

 

"Lincoln and Liberty" - Music From Abraham Lincoln's Time

 

It is not commonly known that in addition to his many popular songs,
Stephen Foster also composed a group of beautiful hymns during the Civil War years.
Some of these hymns are available in First Recordings on a multimedia disc titled,

 

"Glory, Halllelujah" - Songs and Hymns of the Civil War Era

 

 

20th century

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Music by George W. Chadwick - click here

One of his choral works from 1918 is the title of this DVD-ROM with audio and video features:

"Land of Our Hearts" - From Pilgrims to Patriots

 

 

The Bill Randle Chronicles - click here

 

 

Film In Focus (1930s-1960s) - click here

 

 

Tribute to a popular Oscar-winning lyricist, Sammy Cahn