The Singing School: An American Tradition :: essays research papers

The Singing School An American TraditionThe Singing School was an institution that was uniquely American. it wasestablished to serve a dual purpose the relish to create music and the need forsociability. Generations were taught to read and sing music by itinerant singingmasters, who developed characteristic methods and materials of instruction, anddistinctive performance practices. Through this institution, more people weregiven the opportunity to participate in music, either as a singer, a teacher, oras a composer. The Singing School foreshadowed the learning of church choirsand musical societies.Early settlers in this country brought with them their native Englishmusic, both sacred and secular. They made use of various Psalters compiled inEurope. It was not until 1640, however, that the prude ministers in Americamade their own translation of the psalms. The Bay Psalm Book was the first bookprinted in British North America and was widely used. The most distinguishingfeature of this book was its rhymed and metered English poetry. This allowed afew tunes, having the same rhythms as the poetry, to be used as melodies formany psalms. In addition, the textual matter employed the vernacular, and consequentlypromoted memorization. The ninth edition of the Bay Psalm Book, published in1698, was the first edition published with tunes. This edition had printed theletters F-S-L-M, representing the solmization syllables fa, sol, la, and mi, at a lower place the notes. This indicates that there was a familiarity with and aninterest in music instruction as applied to psalmody.It was not until the early 18th century, however, that as a direct go of agitation by ministers for a reformation in congregational singing,arguments were advanced promoting regular singing and the eventual establishmentof singing schools.The singing school grew step forward of the employment by the churches in NewEngland of regular singing. Records indicate that the first singing school wasproba bly established in Boston, the most advanced town in New England, around1720.The singing school gradually spread throughout New England during thenext twenty-five years. Throughout the eighteenth century, the scope and baffle ofthe singing schools continued to grow. The advent of the 19th century sawsinging schools established from Maine to Pennsylvania.The first singing schools were church-oriented, due to the face that theoriginal purpose of the schools was to alter congregational singing. Afterselecting a date (usually two to four weeks during the winter or betweenplanting and harvesting of crops), a teacher was secured (in most cases, the topical anaesthetic school master or an itinerant singing teacher), and location wasestablished (either in the local school house or some other world building).