American Music Recordings Archive (AMRA)

To help preserve American music from the past through recordings

 

The American Music Recordings Archive (AMRA) was established by musicologist and composer, Roger Lee Hall, to help preserve and distribute music from America's past through audio recordings.

The material has been collected from an extensive private collection of LP albums,
audio tapes, CDs, and related music research.

Lately there has been a looking back to older recordings.

Ted Gioia wrote the following statement in his article titled --

"Is Old Music Killing New Music?" -- The Atlantic Magazine online

Some people—especially Baby Boomers—tell me that this decline in the popularity of new music is simply the result of lousy new songs. Music used to be better, or so they say. The old songs had better melodies, more interesting harmonies, and demonstrated genuine musicianship, not just software loops, uto-Tuned vocals, and regurgitated samples.

Yes, indeed "music used to be better" and not just from the 20th century.

It is true with older music too from America's distant past.

The earliest known tune in America is "100 Psalm Tune New" from the 1720s.

That tune is included on

AMRC CD 0041:"Shout to Jehovah" - Music of the Pilgrims, Puritans, Indians, Tunesmiths

 

The first American original classical song was written in 1759 by Francis Hopkinson.

That tune is available on AMRC 0015:

"My Days Have Been so Wondrous Free" - Songs by Francis Hopkinson

 

 

One of the first popular patriotic songs was "Chester"
written during the American Revolution by William Billings.

That tune is included on AMRC CD 0001: Best of William Billings

 

So music has been around for a long time in America.

 

The music made available in the

American Music Recordings Collection (AMRC)

These recordings are ideal for musicians, teachers, historians, researchers, students,
and interested listeners.

The recordings from AMRA consist mostly of hard-to-find recordings of
classical music, film music, folk music, and popular songs.

Here is one from the American Film Composers Series:

See the series with interviews and radio programs about these film composers:

Aaron Copland, Bernard Herrmann, Henry Mancini, Virgil Thomson. John Williams

 

No commercial recordings by popular recording artists are available from AMRA.

 

Are you looking for music from earlier America?

To contact AMRA about a possible recording of American music -- click here

See the videos on the AMRA channel on YouTube -- click here

 

Roger Hall is Director of both AMRA and

Center for American Music Preservation (CAMP).

He is also an ASCAP composer with over 100 music compositions.

Read about his music compositions at PineTree Music

Read about his many collections in the PineTree Music Editions (PTME)

Help Celebrate the 250th Anniversary of
The American Revolution with songs,
including an original version of "Yankee Doodle"

 

 

"Yankee Doodle" - American Patriotic Song Quartet

 

 

This year 2024 marked the 150th anniversary of the birth of
American composer, Charles Edward Ives, born in Danbury, Connecticut on October 20, 1874.

In honor of his birth, there are several early choral works by Ives
from the AMRA collection and performed by
The Old Stoughton Musical Society Chorus (OSMS), conducted by Earl Eyrich
on this AMRC CD 0003 --

"Praise Ye The Lord" - Music by Six Earlier American Composers

 

This society is the oldest one of its kind in the USA, organized in 1786.

To read about OSMS -- click here

 

Several early choral works by Charles Ives are on this multimedia music collection:

 

 

Earlier American Composers - A Survey in Sound

 

 

Multimedia Release!

A 250th anniversary tribute to the music of the American Shakers, who arrived in America in 1774, and for over two centuries composed thousands of anthems, hymns and songs, more than any communal sect in America.

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

Some of the earliest religious music composed by women in America was by the Shakers,
including their most revered spiritual leader, Mother Ann Lee (1736-1784). One of her songs is included on this new multimedia publication:

 

 

2024 also marks the 50th anniversary of American composer, Aaron Copland,
meeting several Shakers for the first and only time in Shaker Heights, Ohio,
introduced by musicologist, Roger Hall.

See the Zoom program now available on YouTube titled:

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

It was presented on November 7, 2024 and co-sponsored by the Shaker Historical Society
and Shaker Heights Public Library.

Here is a book and CD including the Aaron Copland interview
about his arrangements of the Shaker song, "Simple Gifts"

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you interested in sponsoring an Online webinar for your educational institution
or other group?

Here are several topics available --

"Goin' Home" - Remembering Songs From Your Past

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This PDF book is available -- click here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To see the complete list of lectures presented by Roger Hall -- click here

 

AMRA is affiliated with

 

 

 

 

American Composers Resource Collection (ACRC)

Highlighting three American composers from different centuries
with example of their music, each one edited by AMRA Director, Roger L. Hall:

 

 

 

 

 

ACRC-1: Aaron Copland (1900-1990)

Includes a lengthy in-person conversation with Copland at his home in July 1980,
with discussion of his Variations on the Shaker dance song, "Simple Gifts,"
in "Appalachian Spring" and his film scores, like OUR TOWN (1940).

 

 

 

ACRC-2: Edwin Arthur Jones (1853-1911)

Includes a conversation with two women (one a relative and another a former singer)
who talk about Jones. Also audio with premieres of his choral cantata in its World Premiere performance in 1992, plus some of his chamber music.

 

 

 

 

ACRC-3: William Billings, 1746-1800

The disc includes a book with detailed Billings family genealogy and Facts and Fiction about Billings and The Stoughton Musical Society, now the oldest choral society in America, organized in 1786. For more information about this disc -- click here

 

For your copy of any one of the three ACRC multimedia discs the price is only $19.95.

Your order will be sent by Dropbox by email attachment.

To place your order, click the "Add to Cart" below --

 

 

 

 

 

After you have ordered, to insure proper delivery,
send your mailing address with the ACRC title you wish to receive by

clicking here

 

 

 

Attention

 

 

 

 

A Centennial Salute to a Popular Lyricist:

This CD was recorded live at a Centennial Birthday Concert by the
American Classics vocal ensemble with jazz combo honoring
4-time Oscar-winning lyricist, Sammy Cahn (1913-1993),
with funding provided by the American Music Recordings Archive:

Read about this special limited edition CD -- click here

 

 

 

The following articles and publications have been announced in the Bulletin of the --

Volume XLV, No. 2 (Spring 2019) --

Article in SAM Bulletin: Aaron Copland's "Simple Gifts" in Appalachian Spring

 

Volume XLIV, No. 3 (Fall 2018) --

The revised edition of a popular film music guide is now available from PineTree Press.
Titled A Guide to Film Music: Songs and Scores, 
it was written and edited by film music historian and critic Roger L. Hall,
who has been Managing Editor of Film Music Review for over 25 years. This latest edition includes the complete book, CD and book reviews from Film Music Review, and a list of the Sammy Film Music Awards, which have been selected each year since 1988. The book discusses how music was incorporated in classic films from the past, and how music can be used in a short film, based on Hall’s video production “The Musical Telephone.”
This collection contains information ideal for classroom study or for individual research.

Volume XLIII, No. 2 (Spring 2017) --

"For over four decades, Roger Lee Hall, currently Director of the Center for American Music Preservation, has been researching, performing, and recording the music from two of the oldest choral traditions in the United States. The Stoughton Musical Society was organized in 1786, and is now the oldest choral society. This society has a long history of performing American choral music. The United Society of Shakers is the oldest religious communal society, organized in 1787. During their history, the Shakers composed over 10,000 tunes, mainly during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Both traditions are featured on a new multimedia DVD-ROM.

“Give Us This Day”–Two Historic American Choral Traditions (PineTree Multimedia, 2017) contains over 500 files and 100 audio examples including interviews with Shaker sisters and many music examples.

Information about this DVD-ROM is available here.

 

Volume XLIII, No. 1 (Winter 2017) --

The Bill Randle Chronicles DVD

 

Volume XLII, No. 2 (Spring 2016)--

New AMRC CD release

 

 

Volume XXXIX, No. 3 (Fall 2013) --

Preserving Our Musical Past - Deluxe multimedia collection

 

Vol. XXXIX, No. 2 (Spring 2013) --

"The Star Spangled Banner" - Early Songs of Protest and Patriotism

 

 

Vol. XXXIX, No. 1 (Winter 2013) --

Multimedia DVD: "Glory, Hallelujah" - Songs and Hymns of the Civil War Era

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See the list of 200 recordings from 200 years (`1759-1959)
compiled from the American Music Recordings Archive at the --

Essential American Recordings Survey (E.A.R.S.)

 

 

 

Computer discs about historical American music are available at--

Multimedia American Music Series (MAMS)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

Please help support the educational mission of the

Center for American Music Preservation

 

Order this limited edition AMRC CD with over one hour of beautiful music

 

 

---

Return to top of this page