The class was called to order near the oldest tree at the highest point in the Central Burying Ground on Boston Common by Roland Hutchinson leading OLD HUNDRED in the version published by William Billings in 1779. Leaders: Gina Balestracci GLOCESTER, Ginnie Ely AFRICA verses 1-3, Roger Hall (representing Stoughton, Massachusetts, where the Old Stoughton Musical Society, the oldest choral society in America, sings Billings's music in an unbroken tradition founded when the composer visited Stoughton in 1774 to teach singing school and to court his future bride, Lucy Swan) STOUGHTON and CHESTER, Gabe Wiener JORDAN, Larry Gordon BROAD COVE, Joel Cohen 254 ROSE OF SHARON (page numbers given in these minutes indicate a song sung from the version printed in The Sacred Harp 1991), Donna Abrahams 180 VERMONT, Diane Mennella "When Jesus wept," Doron Henkin GILEAD, Mark DeVoto JARGON, Bruce Randall "The Lord is Ris'n Indeed" (EASTER ANTHEM) with the inserted section published in 1795.
RECESS
Gina Balestracci reassembled the class leading CHESTERFIELD. Leaders: Barbara Swetman ASSURANCE, Bob Parr 174 PETERSBURG, Richard Schmeidler "David the king was grieved" (268 DAVID'S LAMENTATION), Jane Zanichkowsky WASHINGTON (the same song as BEAR CREEK, but with Billings's alto part), Glen Wright BOSTON, Katie Shimizian (age 11) AFRICA verses 4-6, Susan Mampre 173 PHOEBUS, Ishmael Stefanov-Wagner 486 BENIFICENCE, Ronald Bornick ST. ANN'S, Matthew Wojcik BAPTISM.
Roland Hutchinson then spoke to acknowledge the other members of the Ad-Hoc Billings Birthday Committee; the singers who had assembled from many states and nations to make this event possible (special thanks are due to the volunteers who helped on the day of the singing: Virginia Douglas, Roger Hall, Doron Henkin, June Matthews, Diane Mennella, Bruce Randall), the composer William Billings, near whose unmarked final resting place, according to received tradition, we were gathered; the late Hans Nathan, Karl Kroeger, Richard Crawford and other contributors to the William Billings Complete Works (published by the American Musicological Society and the Colonial Society of Massachusetts in 4 volumes, 1977-1990), the first complete critical edition of the works of any American composer; Karen Willard, who graciously allowed pages from her book An American Christmas Harp to be reproduced for this singing; and Boston Music Company, who provided cookies, fruit, and cold drinks for the singers during and after the singing at their nearby store. Letters of greeting from Nym Cooke and from Karl Kroeger were read aloud by Roland Hutchinson as follows:
William Billings, I salute you. It's unlikely that you ever imagined a gathering such as this would be held in your honor. Working in your Frog Lane tannery, you could have no inkling that two centuries later a set of four large, expensive volumes would make your entire musical output available in the first collected-works edition of an American composer. Yet your contemporary William Bentley had you pegged when he identified you as "the father of our New England music," and one who "spake & sung & thought as a man above the common abilities." Uncommon you were--in every way. And remarkably apt as America's first major creative musical figure--the ideal exponent of the ecstatic, the extroverted, and the experimental in a musical culture known for all three qualities. Happy birthday!!
Nym Cooke / Americalive!
Dear Friends of Bill (Billings):
Greetings:
I'm happy to send you these few words of encouragement on this, the celebration of William Billings's 250th birthday, in Boston, the town he loved so dearly. I was privileged to spend over 13 years in almost daily contact with his music in preparing three of the four volumes of the complete edition of his music. I gained from this experience a keen appreciation of just how remarkable a human being Billings was. He was a man of the people, a poor man, but one, in the words of William Bentley (a Congregationalist minister who knew him well), who "spake and sung and thought as a man above the common abilities."
Billings suffered from physical handicaps: he had a withered arm, one leg shorter than the other, and only one eye. But these handicaps did not stop him from becoming the most influential musician in Boston during his day. He called himself a musical enthusiast. His boundless love for music led him to teach numerous singing schools from Maine to Rhode Island. He composed well over 300 pieces, and his anthems, psalm tunes, and fuging tunes were among the most popular music of his day.
We honor him today as a genius, a patriot, and (again in William Bentley's words) as "the father of our New England music." I wish you well in your celebration of Billings's life, music, and legacy. I wish I could join you today. But I console myself with this thought: WE CAN ALL DO IT AGAIN IN ONLY FOUR YEARS, FOR THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH!
With all good wishes,
Karl Kroeger
Editor, The Complete Works of William Billings
published by the American Musicological Society
and The Colonial Society of Massachusetts
At the conclusion of Karl Kroeger's letter, the "friends of Bill" spontaneously erupted into cheers of "Four more years! Four more years!" Singing then resumed with Mark DeVoto leading "We are met for a concert" (MODERN MUSIC). Leaders: Neely Bruce "Samuel the Priest gave up the ghost" (FUNERAL ANTHEM), Roland Hutchinson BURLINGTON and "By the rivers of Watertown" (LAMENTATION OVER BOSTON) by request, Ann Kazlauskas "Wake ev'ry breath," Ann O'Brien "I heard a great voice" (286 [A] FUNERAL ANTHEM), Bob Parr BROOKFIELD, Bruce Randall NORTH PROVIDENCE, Larry Gordon, "My friends I am going a long journey" (THE DYING CHRISTIAN'S LAST FAREWELL), Neely Bruce "Vital spark of heav'nly flame" (THE DYING CHRISTIAN TO HIS SOUL), Gina Balestracci "O praise the Lord of Heaven," Ginnie Ely CHESTER. The class then sang one chorus of "Happy Birthday to You" (by request) and was dismissed amid general jubilation. A total of 119 singers filled out registration cards: MA 73, NY 14, VT 4, PA 3, AL 2, CT 2, IL 2, NH 2, NJ 2, GA 1, VA 1; Quebec 1; U.K. 11; Germany 1. The Ad-Hoc Billings Birthday Committee: Gina Balestracci, Sheila Beardslee Bosworth, Ginnie Ely, Roland Hutchinson.
Singers gathered this day at King's Chapel, where on 59 evenings from January 18 to August 9, 1786, William Billings taught singing school to "such persons of both sexes as incline to sing psalm-tunes" at a pay of 12 shillings per session, and where, on Tuesday, December 21, 1790 at 3 o'clock, during a period when the composer was suffering considerable financial distress, a concert of sacred music, encompassing both instrumental and vocal music, was held for his benefit, with tickets selling for 2 shillings each. Singing commenced with Bruce Randall leading 66 JORDAN. Leaders: June Matthews WASHINGTON, John Whitfield CHESTER, Susan Jaster BOSTON, Fred Todt 173 PHOEBUS, Jane Zanichkowsky STOUGHTON, Anne Kazlauzkas BROOKFIELD, Ann O'Brien 320 FUNERAL ANTHEM, Ishmael Stefanov-Wagner OLD HUNDRED, Hill Grimmet MAJESTY, Michal Truelson NORTH PROVIDENCE, Roland Hutchinson SAPPHO, Gina Balestracci GLOCESTER, Stephen Marini 254 ROSE OF SHARON.
RECESS
During the recess, the singers relocated from a square in the chancel to the nave of the church while the audience for the chapel's regular Tuesday noon hour recital series found seats in the box pews. The audience had been given booklets of music as they entered. Many among them accepted our invitation to join in the singing, some singing from their seats and others rising to join the singers the center aisle. Those singing included visitors from as far away as Japan, as well as the sixth-grade choir from The Advent School (affiliated with Church of the Advent, just north of the Public Garden on the opposite side of Boston Common), led by their teacher, Susie Petrov. Singing resumed with Stephen Marini and members of Norumbega Harmony singing "O Praise the Lord of Heaven." Leaders: Bruce Randall CHESTER, Fred Todt 268 DAVID'S LAMENTATION, Roland Hutchinson AFRICA, Hill Grimmett WASHINGTON, Ishmael Stefanov-Wagner 486 BENIFICENCE, Gina Balestracci SAPPHO, Stephen Marini "When Jesus Wept" (by request from the Advent School choir), Jane Zanichkowsky EASTER ANTHEM (with the inserted section). There followed by a spontaneous rendition of the inevitable "Happy Birthday to You," after which birthday cake, apple cider, and hot tea were served in the narthex. In all, 31 singers registered and approximately 90 unregistered audience members (many of whom also sang) were present. Registrants: MA 18, NJ 2, IL 1, NY 1, NH 1, OH 1, United Kingdom 5, Switzerland 1, Japan 1. This day's singing was presented by Tuesday Noon-Hour Recitals at King's Chapel in association with Norumbega Harmony, and supported by King's Chapel, by individual contributors, and in part by a grant from the Boston Council for the Arts and Humanitites, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Billings Birthday main page |
More photos |
Report |
Minutes
Original page |
First press release |
Background article |
Repertoire list