| Sing Billings in West LA area | 
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Site map |
| Sing Billings in West LA area |
|
Site map |
|
Tune name (Links to PDF file on this site) |
Availability in Shape Notes (Links to PDF files on other sites) |
| Africa | In The Sacred Harp, page 178 Now shall my inward joys arise,And burst into a song; (The New England Psalm Singer, 1770). |
| Amherst | Harmonia Sacra page 192t Lord of the worlds above, how pleasant and how fair, |
| Andover | Awake, my heart; arise, my tongue, Prepare a tuneful voice;
In God, the life of all my joys Aloud will I rejoice.
William Billings The Psalm-Singer’s Amusement (1781). |
| An Anthem, for Fast Day | From Isaiah, chapter 1 Hear, hear O heav'ns, and give ear O earth for the Lord hath spoken I have nourish'd and brought up children and they have rebell'd |
| An Anthem, for Thanksgiving | From Psalm 148 O praise the Lord of Heaven |
| Aurora | Billings wrote the words Awake my soul look up and view the glorious sun who has begun his daily task anew. |
| Andover | Awake, my heart; arise, my tongue, Prepare a tuneful voice;
In God, the life of all my joys Aloud will I rejoice.
William Billings The Psalm-Singer’s Amusement (1781). |
| Assurance | In The Sacred Harp, page 91 |
| Beneficence | In The Sacred Harp, page 486 |
| Bear Creek | In The Sacred Harp, page 269 Clear two-page version for those who yearn to see the syllables neatly matched with the notes. |
| Bellingham | Isaac Watts (1707) Begin my tongue some heavn'ly theme, And speak some boundless thing, |
| Bethlehem | Norumbega Harmony, page 4 (While shepherds watched their flocks) |
| Bolton | The Singing Master's Assistant(1778)
Rejoice, the Lord is King! Your Lord and King adore |
| Boston | Norumbega Harmony, page 6 |
| Brookfield | Norumbega Harmony, page 3 |
| Chester | In The Sacred Harp, page 479 |
| Cohasset | The Continental Harmony, 1794 Life is the time to serve the Lord, The time t’insure the great reward Words: Isaac Watts (Hymns and Spiritual Songs, 1707-9), Part 1, no. 88. |
| Connection | Hail! Sacred Music hail!
We offer at thy shrine One perfect round complete in sound, celestial and divine.
The Continental Harmony, 1794 |
| Creation | Norumbega Harmony, page 44 |
| David’s Lamentation | In The Sacred Harp page 268 |
| Dudley | Isaac Watts (1719) Psalm 13 How long, O Lord, shall I complain, Like one that seeks his God in vain? Music in Miniature, 1779 |
| Easter Anthem | In The Sacred Harp, page 236 With a slightly different version in Norumbega Harmony page 38. |
| Egypt | Isaac Watts: Psalm 66 Come see the wonders of our God, How glorious are his ways In Moses' hands he puts his rod, and cleaves the frighted seas |
| Funeral Anthem | In The Sacred Harp page 320 |
| Great-Plain | Isaac Watts (Horae Lyricae; 1706-1709) Ye slumbr'ing saints a heav'nly host, stands waiting at your gaping tombs, let ev'ry sacred sleeping dust, leap into life for Jesus comes. |
| Hull | Norumbega Harmony page 17 |
| Heath | Thomas Flatman (1674) Awake my soul! Awake my eyes! Awake my drowsy faculties Awake and see the new born light Sprang from the darksome womb of night |
| Independence (The States, O Lord) | Anthem (11 pages): Billings paraphrases Isaac Watts and Tate & Brady The states O Lord with songs of praise shall in Thy strength rejoice And blest with thy salvation raise to heav'n their cheerful voice. |
| Invocation | words by Billings (The Continental harmony, 1794) Majestic God, our muse inspire, And fill us with seraphic fire Augment our swells, our tones refine, Performance ours, the glory Thine. |
| Jargon | Let horrid Jargon split the Air and rive my nerves asunder. Let hateful discord greet my ear as terrible as Thunder.
The Singing Master's Assistant (1778) With different words by singer Tom Malone Performance on YouTube with original words described as "Solfege fun at the Longy School of Music!" |
| Jordan | In The Sacred Harp page 66. YouTube of 3 generations leading this song in Pickney, Missouri. Nice full congregational sound. |
| Judea | Missouri Harmony page 178 |
| Kittery | Norumbega Harmony page 14 Missouri Harmony page 172 (arranged by P. Dan Brittain) |
| Lilypond file: Lamentation over Boston | |
| Lamentation over Boston |
By the Rivers of Watertown we sat down and wept The Singing Master's Assistant (1778) YouTube Except for the bass solo, it sounds to me like an all-female choir, where the trebles and tenors drown out the altos, and the bass(es) seem mostly absent.
Laura Conrad has a MIDI file of this piece. Dan Harper (Palo Alto) offers this version of a Billings round as more suitable to be passed around in a Shape Note group. |
| Lebanon | Norumbega Harmony page 2 |
| Madrid | James Relly (1722-1778) How charmingly sounds the word of the Lord where witness abounds that man is restored Dan Harper's website has disccusion and PDF file. |
| Majesty | In The Sacred Harp page 291 Different version Norumbega Harmony page 8. 2-page PDF file (much easier to read). |
| Maryland | Norumbega Harmony page 10 |
| Mendom | Missouri Harmony page 103 |
| Mendon |
Harmonia Sacra page 212 (Charles Wesley) |
| Morpheus | Thomas Flatman (1674) Sleep! downy sleep! come close my eyes, Tired with beholding vanities! Sweet slumbers come and chase away The toils and follies of the day: Music in Miniature, 1779 |
| Newingham/New Hingham | Hesperian Harp page 263b Death O the awful sound, what horrors in it dwell, The second death is here implied, which sinks our souls to hell. |
| North Providence | Missouri Harmony page 147 |
| Oxford | Isaac Watts (1709) Psalm 113, altered Ye saints and servants of the Lord, The triumphs of his name record; His sacred name for ever bless. Music in Miniature, 1779 |
| Paris | Missouri Harmony page 51 |
| Petersburg | In The Sacred Harp page 174 |
| Petersburg | Hesperian Harp page 445 thus saith the high and lofty One, I sit upon my holy throne My name is God, I dwell on high, Dwell in my own eternity. |
| Phoebus | In The Sacred Harp page 173 |
| Pumpily | Tate & Brady Psalm 148 (1696) Ye boundless realms of joy, exalt your Maker's fame; His praise your song employ above the starry frame. Singing Master's Assistant, 1778 |
| Richmond | Norumbega Harmony page 16 |
| Rocky-Nook | Isaac Watts (1707) hymn 1:41. Those glorious minds how bright they shine, whence all their bright array, How came they to the happy seats of everlasting day? |
| Rose of Sharon | In The Sacred Harp page 254 |
| Saybrook | Isaac Watts (1709) Psalm 139 third part My God, what inward grief I feel When impious men transgress thy will! I mourn to hear their lips profane Take thy tremendous Name in vain. Music in Miniature, 1779 |
| Shiloh | Missouri Harmony page 126 |
| Sudbury | Norumbega Harmony page 36 Missouri Harmony page 137 (arranged by William Hauser) |
| Sunday | Norumbega Harmony page 12 |
| Thomas Town | Great God how frail a thing is man, How swift his minutes pass,
His age contracts within a span, He blooms and dies like grass.
William Billings: The Continental Harmony (1794) |
| Union | Southern Harmony page 39b From whence does this union arise, That hatred is conquered by love? It fastens our souls with such ties, That distance and time can't remove. |
| Vermont | In The Sacred Harp, page 180 |
| Wake every breath
|
A canon (round) (8s)
Wake every breath and every string,
To bless the great Redeemer King; William Billings (words and music) The New England Psalm Singer (Boston, 1770) Original copperplate engraving of this song, with artwork by Paul Revere. |
| Walnut | The first stanza (8.7 8.7) is the same as "Jargon" (1781), but then a second stanza (common meter) is added.
Let harmony be banish'd hence and Consonance depart;The Psalm-Singer’s Amusement (1781). |
| Wareham | Isaac Watts, 1707 (same words as "Boylston") My God, my life, my love, To Thee, to Thee I call; I cannot live if Thou remove, For Thou art all in all. |
Come sing compositions by William Billings with us on Thursday evenings!Contact: David Olson (310) 410-9033 for more details.
Another Billings fan in Los Angeles.A Billings project in Minnesota.
Link to other singings in Los Angeles area
More information on Shape Note Singing in general
