The Singing School

The words

1. Andrew Law

   Andrew Law (1749–1821), Connecticut tunebook compiler and singing-school teacher. Taught singing schools and published instructional books.

   Hymnary.org: Andrew Law (opens a new tab) · colonialsociety.org: Massachusetts Musicians (opens a new tab)

2. Billings

   William Billings (1746–1800), Boston tanner, singing master and tunebook composer.

   colonialsociety.org: Massachusetts Musicians (opens a new tab) · American Music Preservation: Singing (opens a new tab)

3. Daniel Read

   Daniel Read (1757–1836), New Haven composer and compiler of The American Singing Book. Singing master who published a widely reprinted tunebook.

   Common-place: Norumbega Harmony and the New (opens a new tab) · colonialsociety.org: Massachusetts Musicians (opens a new tab)

4. Fuging Tune

   An imitative musical form documented in American singing-school tunebooks.

   colonialsociety.org: Massachusetts Musicians (opens a new tab)

5. Gamut

   The scale of notes taught as the first lesson in singing-school rudiments.

   IMSLP: The Gamut, or Scale of Music (Brown (opens a new tab)

6. John Tufts

   Rev. John Tufts of Newbury, author of an early instructional psalm-tune book using letter notation. Wrote one of the first instructional tunebooks of the Regular Singing reform.

   Wikipedia: John Tufts (music educator) (opens a new tab) · ihme.isme.org: United States (opens a new tab)

7. Lewis Edson

   Lewis Edson (1748–1820), composer of the fuging tunes BRIDGEWATER, GREENFIELD and LENOX. His tunes were staples of the singing-school tunebook repertory.

   colonialsociety.org: Massachusetts Musicians (opens a new tab)

8. Oliver Holden

   Oliver Holden (1765–1844), singing-school teacher and composer of the tune CORONATION.

   Hymnology Archive: Oliver Holden (opens a new tab)

9. Paul Revere

   Paul Revere as engraver of the frontispiece of Billings’s 1770 tunebook.

   Library of Congress: Josiah Flagg and Paul (opens a new tab)

10. Rudiments

    The introductory music-theory section taught at the start of a tunebook. The theory lessons taught in singing schools.

    colonialsociety.org: Massachusetts Musicians (opens a new tab) · IMSLP: The Gamut, or Scale of Music (Brown (opens a new tab)

11. Singing Master

    Itinerant teacher who ran singing schools and often compiled tunebooks.

    Common-place: Norumbega Harmony and the New (opens a new tab) · New Georgia Encyclopedia: The Sacred Harp (opens a new tab)

12. Stoughton

    Stoughton, Massachusetts, where Billings taught a singing school and the Stoughton Musical Society was formed.

    American Music Preservation: Singing (opens a new tab)

13. Supply Belcher

    Supply Belcher (1751–1836), music teacher and compiler of The Harmony of Maine (1794). New England singing master and tunebook compiler.

    Hymnary.org: Supply Belcher (opens a new tab) · Common-place: Norumbega Harmony and the New (opens a new tab)

14. Timothy Swan

    Timothy Swan (1758–1842), singing master and composer of New England Harmony.

    Common-place: Norumbega Harmony and the New (opens a new tab) · colonialsociety.org: Massachusetts Musicians (opens a new tab)

15. Tunebook

    Oblong instructional anthology of tunes used in singing schools.

    Wikipedia: Singing school (opens a new tab) · colonialsociety.org: Massachusetts Musicians (opens a new tab)