The Evolution of American Choral Music: Roots, Trends, and Composers Before the 20Th Century James Mccray

The Evolution of American Choral Music: Roots, Trends, and Composers before the 20th Century James McCray I hear America singing, the varied car- such as Chester, A Virgin Unspotted, ols I hear. David’s Lamentation, Kittery, I Am the —Walt Whitman Rose of Sharon, and The Lord Is Ris’n Leaves of Grass1 Indeed received numerous performances in concerts by church, school, com- Prologue munity, and professional choirs. Billings Unlike political history, American cho- generally is acknowledged to be the most ral music did not immediately burst forth gifted of the “singing school” composers with signifi cant people and events. Choral of eighteenth-century America. His style, music certainly existed in America since somewhat typical of the period, employs the Colonial Period, but it was not until fuguing tunes, unorthodox voice lead- the twentieth century that its impact was ing, open-fi fth cadences, melodic writing signifi cant. The last half of the twentieth in each of the parts, and some surpris- century saw an explosion of interest in ing harmonies.11 By 1787 his music was choral music unprecedented in the his- widely known across America. tory of the country. American choral mu- Billings was an interesting personal- sic came of age on a truly national level, ity as well. Because out-of-tune singing and through the expansion of music edu- was a serious problem, he added a ’cello cation, technology, professional organiza- to double the lowest part.12 He had a tions, and available materials, the interest “church choir,” but that policy met re- in choral singing escalated dramatically. sistance from aging deacons, although It is possible to trace the history of by 1779 a gallery was placed in the American choral music from its two most church for “the singers”. It was Billings basic perspectives: who proclaimed: 1. Music that had a functional purpose (sacred) He who fi nds himself gifted with a tun- 2. Music created for artistic purposes able voice, and yet neglects to cultivate it, (secular) not only hides in the earth a talent of the highest value, but robs himself of that pe- In the early days of America, issues culiar pleasure, of which they only are con- such as food, shelter, and clothing were scious who exercise that faculty.13 foremost in the minds of the people. As William Billings, The New England Psalm-Singer, frontispiece engraved by Paul Revere America became more affl uent, the need It would seem that problems often faced for greater diversions increased. Music’s of a general negative attitude toward the Overview: the 18th century by today’s church choir directors were purposes reached beyond the amateur, arts, it nevertheless remains that their As the eighteenth century progressed, also present in the eighteenth century. and geographical tastes dictated ever- practice of church music could be sung in New England established a more solid, Extensive research in the music of this unison without accompaniment, and noth- changing styles and requirements. 4 humanized social identity, and it is here period has provided contemporary con- Of course the true native Americans ing more. where the true “art music” had its foun- ductors with understanding of the style, were American Indians, but their music The early pioneers who came to this dations. European thinking continued to and background for performance. Two remained localized. As an oral tradition, country brought with them two types of dominate the music, but because Ameri- important studies are Alan C. Buechner, preservation through notation was not music: religious and folk. Both played can amateurs were the creators and Yankee Singing School and the Golden a major factor. They and their culture major roles in the musical milieu, but re-creators, a less professional posture Age of Choral Music in New England, became a minority, and, in many regret- the functional need for church music evolved. These stalwart American com- 1760-1800,14 and Dickson D. Bruce, And table ways, an unfortunate footnote in helped promote choral works. Nearly posers began to create a new personality They All Sang Hallelujah: Plain-Folk American music history. For a detailed forgotten are the Huguenot settlements that represented their culture. Camp-Meeting Religion, 1800–1845.15 account of this true American music in Florida, which occurred almost fi fty Some of these “native” American mu- see Daniel Kingman, American Music: years before the landing of the Pilgrims; sicians are familiar to today’s choral di- Overview: the 19th century A Panorama,2 and “Native Pioneers” in their music was transplanted and cer- rectors, not because of the compelling In the late nineteenth century, a group Gilbert Chase’s American Music.3 Their tainly not an original American style. quality of their music, but more often as of composers came to be known as “The infl uence on the development of Ameri- The Puritans in seventeenth-century an historical contrast to the sophisticated Second New England School.” They in- can choral music is negligible, although New England imported the Psalm-sing- European music of that time. It is highly cluded George W. Chadwick (1854– twentieth-century composers have em- ing traditions of the Reformation. Since doubtful that most conductors who pro- 1931), Arthur Foote (1853–1937), ployed some of its characteristics in se- religion dominated their lives and the gram early American choral music do Mrs. H.H.A. Beach (1867–1944), and lected works. lives of everyone in the community so because they and their audiences are Horatio Parker (1863–1937). Parker, The veritable seeds of American mu- even if they were not members of the attracted to the beauty and ingenuity professor of music at Yale from 1894– sic can be found in the religious tradi- church, religious music naturally took of the music, but then that is true with 1919, was possibly the most important tions carried to the new world by trans- precedence over that of the secular many types of concert music. A high American choral composer of the cen- planted Europeans. The settlers came world. Percy Scholes, in The Puritans quality level of this music should not be tury. He, like many Americans, had been seeking religious freedom, but, in so and Music in England and New Eng- expected—these composers were “Yan- trained in Europe (Munich). His orato- doing, they helped create a narrowly fo- land, corrected the unfortunate stereo- kee tunesmiths”,6 as labeled by H. Wiley rio, Hora Novissima (1891), is a major cused view of choral music, which took type of the Puritans as being universally Hitchcock, because they did not have the work that established his place in the many years to nurture and broaden. In a opposed to music and the fi ne arts in cultural development and training of their history of American music. After its 1893 penetrating study, The Anthem in Eng- general.5 Folk music was used on spe- professional European counterparts. performances in New York, Boston, and land and America by Elwyn A. Wien- cial occasions, but church music was Some of the early American compos- Cincinnati, in 1899 it became the fi rst andt and Robert H. Young, the authors always present. The folk music that ers whose music remains modestly pres- work by an American to be performed point out: survived continued to be transformed ent in today’s choral repertoire include: at the famous Three Choirs Festival in throughout succeeding generations, Supply Belcher (1751–1836) Worcester, England. This resulted in Austerity also characterized Puritan re- and American folk art prospered and William Billings (1746–1800) commissions for prestigious English ligious musical expression. While it is true changed during the growth and expan- Elkanah Kelsay Dare (1782–1826) choir festivals and the acceptance of an that Puritans have been unjustly accused sion of the new civilization. Jacob French (1754–1817) American compositional school by the Christian Gregor (1723–1801) international community. Uri K. Hill (1802–1875) Parker’s music is rarely performed Oliver Holden (1765–1844) today and exhibits Teutonic rather than Jeremiah Ingalls (1764–1838) American tendencies, yet his infl uence Stephen Jenks (1772–1856) through his teaching of such noted com- Justin Morgan (1747–1738) posers as Douglas Moore (1892–1969), Timothy Olmstead (1759–1848) Quincy Porter (1897–1966), and the Daniel Read (1757–1856), and quixotic Charles Ives (1874–1954), in- Timothy Swan (1758–1842). directly makes him the father of twen- They had professions other than music. tieth-century American choral music. For example, Supply Belcher was a tavern Parker, and to a somewhat lesser degree keeper; William Billings, a tanner; Oliver Dudley Buck (1839–1909), serve as Holden, a carpenter; Justin Morgan, a transitional fi gures from the rudimen- horse breeder; and Daniel Read, a comb tary choral music that preceded them, maker. Their music is available in per- to the more solid styles and schools that forming editions because of the research came after them. In teaching Charles and effort of musicians in the last half of Ives, Parker’s conservatism proved to AHIGHER L EVEL of E XCELLENCE the twentieth century such as Leonard be more negative than positive, and Van Camp,7 Irving Lowens,8 Lawrence Ives eventually abandoned the Roman- Bennett,9 Kurt Stone,10 and others. tic spirit and style of Parker to become Great musicians need extraordinary instruments Today it is William Billings whose America’s fi rst great composer.16 music receives the greatest frequency Parker, a dedicated musician, wrote in to deliver magnificent performances. of performance, and he has become a a variety of genres, including orchestral standard representative for music of this and operatic; however, it is in church P.O.

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