Del Borgo’s variations are based on William Billings’ patriotic hymn Chester. Primarily a self-trained musician, Billings is considered the most prominent composer from the First New England School. Blind in one eye and with uneven legs, the Boston native was a leather tanner by trade. As a teenager, Billings took music lessons from a local choirmaster and by the age of twenty-two, Billings had become a well-respected singing school teacher.
At the age of twenty-four, Billings published the New England Psalm Singer, the first collection of entirely American music. Interestingly, Billings’ good friend Paul Revere engraved the front piece of the songbook (Crawford & Hamberlin, 2013). The New England Psalm Singer reflected both the musical and political changes in New England culture. As Crawford and Hamberlin stated, “By 1770, although some Puritan influence persisted, the region’s moral purpose had a new focus: resistance to Britain’s rule of her American colonies” (p. 34). …show more content…
However, in the case of Chester and a few other hymns, Billings penned his own text. As a result, Billings’ fervent patriotism is wholly apparent in Chester’s lyrics. The political subtext and dissonant harmonies of Billing’s composition appealed to rebels and eventually became the unofficial anthem of the American Revolution. Billings lyrics, which had been written about the American triumph in the 1776 Siege of Boston, demonstrated how a Puritan influenced hymn could be quickly turned into a patriotic
At the age of twenty-four, Billings published the New England Psalm Singer, the first collection of entirely American music. Interestingly, Billings’ good friend Paul Revere engraved the front piece of the songbook (Crawford & Hamberlin, 2013). The New England Psalm Singer reflected both the musical and political changes in New England culture. As Crawford and Hamberlin stated, “By 1770, although some Puritan influence persisted, the region’s moral purpose had a new focus: resistance to Britain’s rule of her American colonies” (p. 34). …show more content…
However, in the case of Chester and a few other hymns, Billings penned his own text. As a result, Billings’ fervent patriotism is wholly apparent in Chester’s lyrics. The political subtext and dissonant harmonies of Billing’s composition appealed to rebels and eventually became the unofficial anthem of the American Revolution. Billings lyrics, which had been written about the American triumph in the 1776 Siege of Boston, demonstrated how a Puritan influenced hymn could be quickly turned into a patriotic