Chapter 27: Billings and North American Sacred Tradition+

Lining out

  • colonists in new England took part in congregational hymn singing which often involved call and response practice called lining out

  • calvinist inspired pilgrims (17 cent) used this system for their pslam sining in Church: leader sung a plasm — congregation repeats it

  • intent. was to create monophonic, unison singing by the repeating congregation

  • modify melody to suit their interpretation of the text when singing

    • results in the heterophonic effect (unison singing, with slight variants of same melody (improvisation)

  • Church leaders critiqued it as believed it discouraged learning to read music, which is seen as being a good christian

  • Some congregations later fostered choices that developed more elaborate, notation based singing traditions (1720s). Lining out practice VS singing schools (trained to teach basics of notation and theory).

    • by the end of the 1700s, a tradition of singing schools had developed in North America:

    • from this came the need or first opportunity for musicians birth in North America, to teach music semiprofessionally

Bay Psalm Book (1628)

  • Pilgrims who settled in New England in the early decades of the 1600s were calvinists for did plasm singing a a form of identity defining practice

  • first book published in North America, for singing in congregation and home

  • 1st edition did not have music notation

  • with the advent of singing schools, a booming musical print industry arose (helped keep USA literacy level at a high)

Solfege

  • seen in the earliest days of Western notation

  • syllables used to memorize intervals between notes in a standard scale pattern

  • original system = six syllables — expanded to seven (do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do)

  • this can be simplified to just 4 syllables — mi-fa-sol-la. (methods used in New England Colonies)

  • as signing schools became more popular, this was improved upon to be now shape note notation

  • shape note notation = invented in 1790 in Philadelphia, popular in USA in 19th cent. used in church music. where shape of note head determines the pitch. created to aid music hearing

    • still sing from shape notes = scared harp singing tradition

William Billings

  • William Billings anthem “David Lamentation” is an example of of work composed by congregational singing

  • taught at singing schools in the Boston Area for most of his life

  • many of his songs mixed sacred texts with political references

  • he had close connections to elements of the independence movement in Boston

  • Samuel Adams a good friend

  • helped to cement a nationwide commitment to musical literacy, allowing North America to have a steady music market, blossoming in the 1800s

Billings “New England Psalm Singer”

  • collection of his own compositions

  • departure from reliance on British arrangement published in colonies

  • intro = basics of music notation and theory, methods of composition discussed

  • methods of composition = original, not bound by rules of European tradition inherited

  • style consists of simple homophonic textures, melody in tenor line, occasional passage of imitation. (to be able to interact more complexly)

Anthem = for sacred congregational singing, religious choral composition in English, preformed liturgically, the protestant equivalent to the motet

Billings “David’s Lamentation”

  • one of his most famous works

  • genre = Anthem

  • harmony = consonant

  • 4 part chorus (with solos and duets)

  • published in 1778

  • text is a paraphrase of Biblical passage about King David and his killed son Absalom

  • anthem designed for sacred congregational singing, its text is a single stanza, has a ABA form

  • first section is all homophony

  • second = short solo by bass — return to full homophony again

  • third = homophonic close

Worship Traditions in Colonial Latin America

  • have little idea of what indigenous American musical traditions sounded like before Europeans arrived (cus they didnt do notation)

  • Spaniards were concerned with bringing Catholic religious practice to the conquered with bringing catholic practices. (christian worship tied with music)

  • wanted to assimilate the local people (held that most beliefs could be reconciled with the message of their One true church

    • stated that prayers and songs service needed to be in Latin but could also be in the local language of the worshippers

    • taught them Plainchant in latin and help them devleop worship songs in their local languages as well

Villancicos by Gaspar Fernandes

  • uses the Nahualt language of the Nahua people (local language) in alternation with Spanish

  • Mixed language and mixed imagery devotional songs = known as villancicos

    text mixes traditional Christian nativity imagery with images of Aztec culture

  • some composed by Gaspar Fernandes (taught both chant and polyphony to choir boys, and playing the organ

  • assembled a large collection of ritual devotional and secular music used in Mexico at the time

  • has a short long rhythm unusual for European music of this time, derived from Aztec practices, solo/ensemble refrain alternating with solo/duet verse, varied instrumental accompaniment, elaborated by modern performers on the basis of images and accounts of the time.

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