I had intended to write something about the American tradition of shaped-note hymn singing, but as I explore the subject, I decided to put it off for a later post. I have found interesting material on an English composer who appears to have had more influence on musical life in colonial America, including the important composer William Billings, than anyone else. I expect that hardly any of my readers have ever heard of William Tans’ur. That is partly because the history of church music in the eighteenth century has been written almost exclusively about music for various courts and major … Continue reading →

“Every turnip green, every kidney bean,Every plant grows according to the plot;But with childerin, it’s bewilderin’. Just as soon as you think you know what kind you’ve got,It’s what they’re not.” — The Fantasticks (from memory) This blog is only about two months old. I hoped it would be more like a kidney bean than the teenagers the two fathers in The Fantasticks bemoaned. It has become like a fast-growing baby that outgrows clothes with reckless abandon. I have all the instincts of an academic writer. Blogging requires something much different. Posts must be both much shorter and much more … Continue reading →