Commentary

Adams Text att.: Words by Dr. Watts. The fifth stanza of Watts, Psalms, Psalm 84. Since Billings begins with the fifth stanza, only the remaining two stanzas of the seven-stanza hymn are supplied. Stanza 5 has been designated stanza 1, and the remaining verses renumbered accordingly.

Orig., m. 7, text, all parts: Billings’s substitution of “joys” for “joy” has not been retained; mm. 8–9, text, all parts: Billings’s substitution of “besides” for “beside” has not been retained; m. 14, Counter: the repeated notes under the slur on “courts” should be articulated.

Bellingham Text att.: Words by Dr. Watts. The first and second stanzas of Watts, Hymns II, No. 69. The entire text supplied from this source. Since Billings set two stanzas of text, the remaining stanzas have been renumbered accordingly. Since Watts’s poem contains nine stanzas, of which only eight will fit Billings’s music, the odd stanza—in this case the seventh—has been omitted. It is as follows:

He said – Let the wide heav’ns be spread;

And heav’n was stretch’d abroad;

Abra’m – I’ll be thy God – he said –

And he was Abra’m’s God.

Orig., m. 10, text: Billings’s substitution of “mighty” for “mightier” has not been retained.

Broad Cove Text att.: Words from Dr. Watts. First stanza of Watts, Hymns II, No. 58. The entire text supplied from this source.

Orig., m. 12, Tenor: the whole-note is B-flat; m. 13, Treble: an extra B-flat eighth-note at the end of the note group on beat 1 has not been retained.

Claremont Text att.: Words Anon. The first stanza of a hymn found in Tans’ur 1755, p. 152.

The entire text supplied from this source.

Orig. heading: Clarimont. A Hymn for Easter. Tune name spelled Claremont in index.

Orig., beginning, Tenor: time signature of 6/2 has not been retained; m. 3, text, all parts:

Billings’s substitution of “low” for “dull” has been retained.

Cobham Text att.: Words by Dr. Watts. The first and second stanzas of Watts, Psalms, Psalm 39, Part 2. The entire text supplied from this source. Since Billings set two stanzas of text, these have been designated stanza 1, and the remaining stanzas have been renumbered accordingly.

Orig., m. 6, text, all parts: apostrophe supplied for “life’s”; m. ii, text, all parts: Billings’s substitution of “that” for “which” has been retained.

Cobham appears in the Waterhouse Ms, p. 13, as Raynham, in Tenor and Bass parts only. It follows a piece dated March 16, 1781. Except for the omission of accidental sharps, there are no significant differences between the two versions in these parts.

Cohasset Text att: Words by Dr. Watts. First stanza of Watts, Hymns I, No. 88. The entire text supplied from this source.

Orig., mm. 18–23, Tenor and Bass: in these measures Billings provides only the first four words of the text, followed by an et cetera sign (the complete text is given under the Counter). Three lines of text are needed to complete the text underlaid, but only two are given. Therefore, one of the two lines must be repeated. The editor has chosen to repeat the first, reserving the second for block-chord singing by all the voices; but Billings may have intended the second line to be repeated.

Creation Text att.: Words by Dr. Watts. First stanza of Watts, Psalms, Psalm 139, Part ii, C.M. version, followed in m. 23 by the third stanza of Watts, Hymns II, No. 19. Creation’s length and its text—constructed from parts of two different poems—identify it as a set-piece, so no further stanzas are here supplied.

The first 15 measures were published by Billings in MIM, p. 3 (see WBII, p. 276). The MIM version differs by being in G major and having significantly different Treble and Counter parts.

Orig., m. 10, text, all parts: apostrophe supplied for “’tis”; m. 42, Tenor: note on beat 1 is A; mm. 48–53, Treble and Tenor repeated notes on one syllable are to be articulated.

Cross-Street Text att.: Words from Addison. First stanza of Joseph Addison’s paraphrase of Psalm 23, first published in The Spectator, July 26, 1712 (see Julian, p. 17). The entire text supplied from Bentley, Hymn 35.

Orig., beginning, Treble and Counter: whole-rests instead of quarter-rests in pickup; mm. 18–19, Treble and Tenor: the sixteenth-note followed by a dotted eighth, retained here, may be an unconnected printing error for an intended dotted eighth followed by a sixteenth (Billings rarely used the “Scotch snap,” and never in a context that so cloyed the rhythm as here); m. 19, Tenor: sixteenth-note flag omitted on second note in measure; m. 24, Tenor: note head for last note is missing, E is assumed.

Dedham Text att.: Words by Dr. Watts. Fifth stanza of Watts, Psalms, Psalm 24. Since Billings begins with the fifth stanza, only the two remaining stanzas of the seven-stanza hymn are supplied. Stanza 5 has been designated stanza 1 and the remaining verses have been renumbered accordingly.

Orig., m. 5, Treble: the half-note on beat 2 is a quarter-note; mm. 18, 27, 29, 31, 33, text: Billings’s substitution of “and” for “the” has been retained.

East Sudbury Text att.: Words from Dr. Watts. First stanza of Watts, Psalms, Psalm 146. The entire text supplied from this source.

Orig., m. 7, Tenor: natural sign has been supplied editorially; text: the direction PAUSE which occurs between v. 4 and v. 5 has not been retained.

Egypt Text att: Words by Dr. Watts. The third stanza of Watts, Psalms, Psalm 66. The text beginning with stanza 3 provided from this source. Since Billings set the third stanza of the Psalm, this has been designated stanza 1 and the remaining verses have been renumbered accordingly.

Orig., mm. 10, 12–13, 15, 28, text: apostrophe supplied for “Moses’.”

Gilead Text att.: Words by Dr. Watts. First stanza of Watts, Hymns I, No. 88. The entire text supplied from this source.

Orig., m. 16, Counter: note on beat 1 is G; v. 3, text: the spelling of “eccho” has not been retained.

Great Plain Text att.: Words from Dr. Watts. Tenth stanza of Watts, Horae Lyricae, “Come, Lord Jesus.” Since Billings begins with the tenth stanza, only the two remaining stanzas in the poem are supplied. Stanza 10 has been designated stanza 1 and the remaining verses renumbered accordingly.

Billings appends a note (orig., p. 48) reading: “Part of this tune is very badly bar’d, but I will leave it for the observation of the reader.” Mm. 13–16 are here rebarred to correct musical and textual accents, with original barring indicated over the Treble part. However, short of barring each part individually, there appears to be no satisfactory way of repairing the false accents in the Treble and Tenor in the fuge (mm. 18–28), so they are left as Billings published them.

Orig., m. 15, Treble: the eighth-note lacks a flag; Bass: last note in measure is C; m. 16, all parts: repeat sign omitted.

Hopkinton Text att.: Words from George Whitefield. The author of the text is John Cennick (see Julian, p. 681). The entire text supplied from Whitefield, Hymns, p. 164. Orig., beginning, Bass: the time signature 4/2 has not been retained.

Invocation No text att. This verse appeared on the title page of SMA. Not found in standard collections of religious verse and is probably by Billings himself.

Orig., m. 1, Counter: whole-rest instead of half-rest; m. 28, Treble and Counter: last note in measure lacks dot.

Lewis-Town Text att.: Words by Tate and Brady. The text is a composite of Brady and Tate, New Version, Psalm 133, stanza 1, and Watts, Psalms, Psalm 133, stanza 4, followed by stanza 3. Lewis-Town’s length and text—constructed from two different poems—identify it as a set-piece, so no further stanzas have been supplied.

Orig., m. 10, Counter, Tenor, and Bass: the second half-rest notated as two quarter-rests; m. 12, text, all parts: Billings’s substitution of “dew” for “dews” has not been retained; the substitution of “That fell” for “Which fell” has been retained; m. 15, Tenor: the note on beat 4 is G; m. 19, Bass: the note on beat 6 is B; m. 27, second ending, Treble: a C is probably intended below the E, as in the first ending.

Note that the third section of this tune is largely a rhythmic recasting of the first section. The question of why Billings notated the third section in 6/8 meter when there is no basic change of tempo is puzzling. It may be that he was reverting to an earlier practice where the dotted half-note in 6/4 time equalled M.M. 60 and the dotted quarter-note in 6/8 time equalled M.M. 80. (See, for example, Judea in SMA, WBII, pp. 52–53.) However, there seems to be no textual reason for an increase in tempo between the second and third sections.

Morning Hymn Text att.: Words by Dr. Watts. First stanza of Watts, Hymns II, No. 6. The entire text supplied from this source.

Orig., m. 3, Tenor: slur moved from half-note and quarter-note to the two quarter-notes to conform to the text declamation in other voices; m. 12, Counter, m. 14, Treble, Tenor, Bass: Billings’s substitution of “that” for “who” has been retained; mm. 12–13, Counter, Tenor, mm. 19–21, Treble, Counter, Tenor, Bass: repeated notes under a slur should be articulated; mm. 16–18, text: words in these measures are not underlaid, but indicated by an et cetera sign.

New-Plymouth Text att.: Words by Tate and Brady. The first and second stanzas of Brady and Tate, New Version, Psalm 44. The entire text supplied from this source. Because Brady and Tate numbered their lines according to Biblical verses, the stanzas have been renumbered according to the poetic meter of the verse and Billings’s setting. Stanzas 1 and 2 in Brady and Tate have been designated stanza 1, and each eight lines thereafter have been numbered as another stanza. Verses 24 and 25 of Brady and Tate’s original make up a stanza of four additional lines, as follows:

O! wherefore hidest Thou thy Face

From our afflicted State,

Whose Souls and Bodies sink to Earth

With Grief’s oppressive Weight?

Orig., m. 5, text, all parts: Billings’s substitution of “The” for “Thy” has not been retained; v. 5, text: the spelling of “antient” has not been retained.

Norfolk Text att.: Words by Dr. Watts. First stanza of Watts, Hymns II, No. 21. The entire text supplied from this source.

Orig., m. 2, text: Billings’s substitution of “heathen” has not been retained; m. 20, Treble: the slur between beats 1 and 2 is editorial; in the original, the two quarter-notes are slurred, but this has been changed to agree with the other parts (cf. also m. 18).

Revelation Text att.: Words by Dr. Watts. First stanza of Watts, Psalms, Psalm 119, Part 7. The entire text supplied from this source.

The first 15 measures were published by Billings in MIM, p. 29 (WBII, p. 320). The MIM version differs only slightly from CH.

Orig., m. 12, Counter: sharp on beat 2 is supplied editorially.

Rochester Text att.: Words by the Rev. George Whitefield. First stanza of Hymn 50 in Whitefield Hymns. The author of the text is actually Charles Wesley (see Julian, p. 1297). The entire text supplied from Whitefield’s collection.

Rocky-Nook Text att.: Words from Dr. Watts. First stanza of Watts, Hymns I, No. 41. The entire text supplied from this source.

Orig., m. 1, text: Billings’s substitution of “those” for “these” has been retained.

St. Andrew’s Text att.: Words by Dr. Watts. First stanza of Watts, Hymns I, No. 1. The entire text supplied from this source.

Orig., m. 13, Bass: the sixteenth-note lacks flag, notated as eighth-note.

St. Enoch No text att. First stanza of Brady and Tate, New Version, Psalm 98. The entire text supplied from this source. Because Brady and Tate numbered their lines according to Biblical verses rather than poetic structure, the stanzas have been renumbered here according to the poetic meter of the verse.

Orig. heading: St. Enoch. For a Thanksgiving, after a Victory; v. 7, text: the spelling of “ecchoing” has not been retained.

St. John’s Text att.: Words by Dr. Watts. First stanza of Watts, Hymns II, No. 154. The entire text supplied from this source.

Orig., mm. 1–17, text: only the first four words are underlaid; the rest of the words are here supplied from the text source; mm. 3, 14, Counter: although nonsynchronous declamation is not rare in Billings’s music, because of the frequent division of the measure into 3 quarter-notes plus 1 quarter-note, the slur between the 2 quarter-notes in these measures may have been intended between the half- and quarter-note; m. 6, Bass: natural sign on the last note supplied editorially.

St. Thomas Text att.: Words from Dr. Watts. The text for the first 15 measures is unlocated. It is the same text set to Crucifixion by Harris in AMM, No. 6, p. 26. The text beginning at m. 16 is Watts, Hymns II, No. 95, v. 1, 4–5. St. Thomas’s length and its text—constructed from parts of two different poems—identify it as a set-piece, so no further stanzas are here supplied.

Orig., at bottom of first system on p. 129: “☞ Observe that this tune will contain four verses.”; m. 20, Tenor: because of the consistent use of B natural throughout this section, Billings may have intended a natural sign before the last note; m. 27, Tenor: dot omitted on dotted quarter-note; m. 42, Counter: flat sign on B after beat 1 supplied editorially.

The first 15 measures were published in MM, p. 29, as Calvary (see WBII, p. 319).

South-Boston Text att.: Words by Dr. Watts. First stanza of Watts, Hymns I, No. 150. The entire text supplied from this source.

Orig., m. 2, Treble: only 3 beats in measure, quarter-note G on beat 1 supplied editorially; mm. 5, 7, text: Billings’s substitution of “that” for “which” has been retained; m. 6, Treble: only 3 beats in measure, quarter-note C on beat 1 has been supplied editorially.

Sudbury Text att.: Words by Mr. John Peck. The first two stanzas of “On the Resurrection” from Peck, pp. 29–31. The entire text supplied from this source. Since Billings set two stanzas of text, they have been designated stanza I and the remaining stanzas renumbered accordingly.

The title on the music is given as West-Sudbury, but a note in the index says “This tune should be named Sudbury, not West-Sudbury.”

Orig., m. 10, Bass: slur omitted between the second and third quarter-notes; m. 17, text: Billings’s substitution of “skies” for “stars” has not been retained; m. 17, second ending, Treble: the E may be a misprint for C, as in the first ending.

Thomas-Town Text att.: Words by Dr. Biles [Mather Byles]. Two stanzas of a poem from Byles, p. 58. The poem has 14 verses, of which Billings set v. 1 and v. 13. Because of his precise construction of the text, no other verses are provided here.

Thomas-Town is found in Mann 1797, p. 19, and in the MHi Ms under the title Deerfield. It is also found in fragmentary form in the NN Ms, which may date from the mid-1770s.

Orig., m. 6, Counter: sharp is supplied editorially; m. 9, Treble: second note in measure is D; m. 14, Counter: first note in measure is F; m. 19, Tenor: because of the consistent use of F-sharp as a leading-tone throughout the piece, a sharp has been supplied for the last note of the measure.

Victory Text att.: Words by Dr. Watts. The first and second stanzas of Watts, Psalms, Psalm 18, Part 2. The entire text supplied from this source. Since Billings set two stanzas of text, they have been designated as stanza 1 and the remaining verses renumbered accordingly.

Orig., m. 10, Counter: tie between half-note and eighth-note editorially supplied; m. 17, text, all parts: apostrophe supplied for “’Tis.”

Victory is found in the Waterhouse Ms in B major, set for Tenor and Bass voices only, dated March 17, 1781, and attributed to “Wm B.” Except for a few small discrepancies in pitch and rhythm, there are no significant differences in these voices between the two settings.

Washington-Street Text att.: Words by Dr. Watts. First stanza of Watts, Hymns I, No. 39. The entire text supplied from this source.

Orig., m. 19, Counter: third note lacks eighth-note flag.

West-Sudbury Text att.: Words from Mr. John Peck. First two stanzas of “A Poem on Death” from Peck, pp. 27–29. The entire text supplied from this source. Since Billings set two stanzas of text, they have been designated stanza 1 and the remaining stanzas renumbered accordingly. Orig., mm. 17–18, Treble: the repeated notes on one syllable should be articulated.

Weymouth Text att.: Words by Dr. Watts. First stanza of Watts, Hymns I, No. 106. The entire text supplied from this source.

Orig., m. 8, Counter and Bass: the diminished octave on beat 3 is intended (see Medfield, WBII, p. 66, m. 9, for similar passage), natural sign in Counter has been supplied editorially; m. 33, all parts: first and second ending added to correct notation.

ANTHEMS

Anthem: Deliverance, I Will Love Thee Orig. heading: Deliverance, An Anthem[,] Words from sundry scriptures, &c. Text from Bible, Authorized Version, Psalms, Psalm 18:1, 6–7, 9, 13, 17, 38, 41; Watts, Psalms, Psalm 116, Part II, v. i; and some words probably by Billings himself. (The words between mm. 144–148, though related to Psalm 18:38, are a paraphrase that Billings may have supplied.)

Orig, m. 12, text, Bass: Billings’s spelling of “cry’d” has not been retained; m. 22: the designation “Chorus” standing over beat 1 has not been retained; m. 31, all parts: time signature omitted; mm. 35–36, Bass: words omitted; m. 45, text, Counter: the spelling of “heav’n’s” has not been retained; mm. 58–59, Treble, Tenor, Bass: the repeated notes under the slur on “fly” should be articulated; mm. 69–76, all parts: the repeat of the chorus is verbally directed by the words “See Chorus”; mm. 83–86, Bass: words omitted; m. 98, all parts: the wedge-shaped symbols are “marks of distinction” (see this volume, p. lviii, for discussion of their interpretation); mm. 102–109, all parts: the repeat of the chorus verbally directed by the words “See Chorus”; m. 115, Treble: slur omitted between the two eighth-notes on beat 1; mm. 135, 138, 140, text, all parts: Billings’s spelling of “cry’d” has not been retained; m. 141, Counter: the second eighth-note is E; m. 151, Treble: only three quarter-note beats in measure, a second C has been supplied editorially; m. 156, Treble: the eighth-notes are G and E respectively; m. 166, Bass: the E may be a misprint for C, since a cadence on a first inversion chord is virtually unprecedented in Billings’s music; m. 172, Treble: in Tans’ur 1772, p. 216, “Swell” is defined as “to strengthen,” with the meaning to increase the sound. It was used by psalmodists to signify a crescendo; m. 184, Treble: “Forte” stands over m. 185, beat 3.

Anthem: Hark! Hark! Hear You Not Orig. heading: An Anthem for Christmas[,] Words from Luke 2d. and elsewhere. Text from Bible, Authorized Version, Luke 2:10–14; Matthew 21:9; Watts, Home Lyricae, “The Nativity of Christ,” v. 7–8. The text between mm. 1–31 is found in Matthew Wilkins, Book of Psalmody (Great Milton [ca. 1750]), but because it is unlikely that Billings knew of or had access to this obscure English tunebook, Billings’s source of the text remains unlocated. (This also applies to the Commentary for hadley [see WBII, p. 386].)

Orig., note at bottom of p. 117: “N.B. Set this piece one note lower.”, Billings tells the performers to sing the piece in B (or possibly B-flat) major rather than C major; m. 11, text, all parts: Billings’s use of the plural verb “make” has not been retained; m. 27, Tenor: second eighth-note is C; m. 32, all parts: first and second endings added to correct notation; repeat sign at m. 15 adjusted accordingly; m. 53, text, Tenor: Billings’s substitution of “who” for “which” has not been retained; m. 71, Bass: time signature is 4/2; C lacks ledger line; mm. 75–82, text, all parts: Billings’s use of the plural noun “angels” has not been retained; mm. 78–86, text, all parts: Billings’s use of the plural noun “hosts” has not been retained; mm. 81–82, Tenor, Bass: words omitted; m. 86, all parts: repeat sign omitted; m. 87, all parts: time signature omitted; Treble: whole-rest instead of half-rest; mm. 115, 119, text, all parts: apostrophe supplied for “angels’”; m. 135, all parts: time signature omitted; m. 138, all parts: first ending adjusted to correct notation, repeat sign at m. 134, second ending adjusted accordingly; m. 151, Counter: the note on beat 1 is D; mm. 152–155, all parts: repeat of chorus is verbally directed by the words, “See Chorus”; m. 156, all parts: time signature omitted; m. 185, Treble, Tenor: the augmented octave is intended, natural sign editorially supplied to Tenor; m. 186, Treble: natural sign supplied editorially; m. 187, Treble: natural sign supplied editorially; m. 192, 203, text, all parts: apostrophe supplied for “angels’”; m. 193, Tenor: the note on beat 1 is F; m. 204, Bass: the note on beat 3 lacks stem.

The first 32 measures of the anthem appear as Hadley, a fuging-tune, in the CtHT-W Ms and MiU-CMs3 (see WBIII, pp. 322–323), probably dating from the 1770s or early 1780s.

Anthem: Hear, Hear, O Heav’ns Orig. heading: An Anthem, for Fast Day Isaiah, Chap. 1st. Text from Bible, Authorized Version, Isaiah 1:2–4, 16, 18, and Isaiah 56:1.

Orig., at head of m. 1: “Set this piece in E,” indicating that it should be sung a half-step lower than notated; m. 28, Counter and Tenor: pitch and rhythm altered to agree with same passage in m. 49 and m. 76; m. 56, Bass: word omitted; m. 63, Tenor: A-flat instead of G; m. 70, Tenor: D-flat on beat 4 is probably intended; m. 82, Treble: the flat on the last note is editorial; m. 87, Bass: note on beat 2 lacks eighth-note flag; note on beat 3 lacks dot; m. 89, Counter: note on beat 3 lacks dot; m. 91, Treble: last note in measure lacks eighth-note flag; m. 101, Tenor: natural sign after beat 1 is editorial; m. 108, Counter: last note in measure is G; m. 116, text: Billings’s spelling of “read” has not been retained.

Anthem: I Am Come Into My Garden Orig. heading: An Anthem Solomon’s Songs, Chap. 5th. Text from Bible, Authorized Version, The Song of Solomon 5:1–2, 6; 2:5 and 8:14.

Orig., m. 23, Counter: the sharp has been supplied editorially; m. 39, Bass: slur omitted on beat 2; m. 59, Tenor: the dotted eighth-note after beat 2 is beamed as a sixteenth-note; m. 63, Treble: the sixteenth-note on beat 1 lacks flag (notated as eighth-note); m. 98, “Vigoroso” stands over m. 99; m. 106, text: “and” omitted; m. 109, Treble and Counter: the diminished octave after beat 2 is intended (see Medfield, WBII, p. 66, m. 9, for similar passage), natural sign in Counter has been supplied editorially; m. 118, all parts: repeat sign omitted.

Anthem: I Charge You, O Ye Daughters Orig. heading: An Anthem Solomon’s Songs. Text from Bible, Authorized Version, The Song of Solomon, 2:7 and 5:8–12, with some words and phrases omitted.

Throughout this anthem Billings changes meter frequently between 3/4 and 2/4 and once between 2/4, 6/8, and 3/4. Normally, these meter changes would also signal tempo changes, but the editor believes that Billings wanted a steady tempo with changing accent patterns. That Billings was not always strictly bound by tempo implications of his time signature is demonstrated by the anthem “Except the Lord Build the House” (WBIII, pp. 240–241), where he designates a 2/4 passage to be performed “no faster than Largo.”

Orig., m. 3, Treble: the sixteenth-note after beat 1 lacks flag, notated as eighth-note; mm. 16–17, Tenor: rhythm on first beat of eighth-note followed by dotted sixteenth-note; m. 20, Counter: dotted quarter-note notated as eighth-note tied to a quarter-note; m. 28, text: Billings’s substitution of “her” for “him” has been retained; mm. 48, 53, Treble: rhythm on first beat is eighth-note followed by dotted sixteenth-note; mm. 51, 76, text: Billings’s substitution of “chief” for “chiefest” has been retained; m. 59, Counter: sixteenth-note lacks flag, notated as eighth-note; m. 60, Treble: although the dotted eighth- and sixteenth-note figure on beat 2 seems clear and unequivocal, two eighth-notes may have been intended, for at other appearances these words are set to two eighth-notes (cf. mm. 15–16, 35–36, and 91–92); m. 73, Treble: rhythm on beat 1 is eighth-note followed by dotted sixteenth-note.

Anthem: Mourn, Mourn Orig. heading: An Anthem, for Fast Day Some of the words from scripture. Text from Bible, Authorized Version, Joel 2:18–19; Joel 2:21; the rest of the words appear to be by Billings.

Orig., m. 39, Tenor: the time signature 2/3 has not been retained; m. 42, Bass: a dot following the half-note on beat 3 has not been retained; m. 49, Treble: the flat on beat 1 has been supplied editorially; m. 61, all parts: repeat sign omitted; m. 62, all parts: a change of key signature from C minor to C major appears to have been omitted at this point. Hans Nathan, in his “Introduction” to CH Facsim., p. xi, fn.7, also recommends a change of key signature. According to Nathan, the presence in m. 142 of F-sharp, the raised fourth scale degree, which Billings employed only in the major mode, signals that a shift from C minor to C major should take place in m. 110. However, an F-sharp is also found in m. 92, suggesting that C major was already established by that time. The C major conclusion (mm. 60–61) of the opening section, which was in C minor and E-flat major, strongly suggests that the change of key should take place in m. 62; mm. 95–108, text, all parts: Billings’s spelling of “satisfy’d” has not been retained; mm. 96–97, Bass: text omitted; m. 116, Bass: a third repetition of the word “shout” appears to have been omitted and has been supplied to make the text fit the music; m. 129, Tenor: dot omitted on the second dotted eighth-note; m. 140, all parts: repeat sign omitted.

Anthem: O God, My Heart Is Fixed. Orig. heading: An Anthem Psalm 108 For Thanksgiving Day Morning. Text from Bible, Authorized Version, Psalms, Psalm 108:1, 5, 12–13, and Bible, Psalms, Common Prayer Version, Psalm 108:2; Hallelujah, Amen chorus added by Billings.

Orig., m. 17, Treble: the second and third notes are a dotted sixteenth-note followed by a sixteenth-note; m. 18, Counter: the two eighth-notes are E and D, respectively; m. 50, all parts: first and second ending added to correct notation, repeat sign before m. 34, beat 3, moved to m. 35, beat 1; m. 81, all parts: natural sign supplied editorially at change of key signature; m. 95, Counter: the repeated note under the slur on “vain” should be articulated; m. 101, all parts: natural signs supplied editorially at change of key signature; m. 120, Treble: note on beat 1 is a dotted quarter-note; m. 122, Counter: sixteenth-note after beat 1 lacks flag, notated as eighth-note; eighth-note after beat 2 is F-sharp; m. 126, Counter: sixteenth-note lacks flag, notated as eighth-note.

Anthem: O Praise the Lord of Heaven Orig. heading: An Anthem, for Thanksgiving[,] Psalm 148. Text from Bible, Psalms, Common Prayer Version, Psalm 148 1–2, 5, 7–8, 10–12, with additional text from Roscommon 1717, p. 55, v. 8, and by Billings.

Orig., m. 29, Counter: only 3 beats in the measure, the note on beat 1 is an eighth-note, but changed to dotted quarter to conform with a similar rhythmic figure in Bass in m. 21 and Tenor in m. 32 (Billings obviously wanted to change to duple meter at the beginning of this strain. The missing beat offers only two possibilities: either supply a quarter-rest on beat 1, or change the first eighth-note to a dotted quarter-note. His normal practice was to begin a phrase either on a strong beat [1 or 3 in 4/4 time], or on beat 4 as a pick-up. Beginning a phrase on beat 2 is almost unprecedented in his music, while a dotted quarter-, eighth-note figure is quite common.); m. 40, all parts, text: the spelling of “dargons” has not been retained; in a footnote Billings credits the phrase to “Roscommon”; mm. 42–46, text: the substitution of “abodes” for “retreats”, “dire” for “fierce”, and “heav’nly” for “joyful” have been retained; mm. 49–50, Treble and Counter: tied notes between measures indicated by a slur from m. 48 to m. 50; mm. 52–63, all parts: repeated notes set to one syllable should be articulated; m. 68, Tenor and Bass: the eighth-notes on beat 1 set to one syllable should be articulated.

Anthem: O Thou To Whom All Creatures Bow Orig. heading: An Anthem for Ordination. Words from Tate & Brady, Scripture, &c. Text from Brady and Tate, New Version, Psalm 8:1; Bible, Authorized Version, Malachi 3:3; Bible, Psalms, Common Prayer Version, Psalm 132:17; Psalm 68:11; Psalm 115:1; Bible, Authorized Version, Isaiah 35:5; Isaiah 52:7; Luke 2:14; Billings also sets some of his own words.

Orig., m. 40, Bass: the note on beat 2 is a quarter-note; m. 61: “Piano” (abbreviated Pia.) stands over beat 2; m. 63: “Forte” stands over beat 2; m. 80, Bass: the note on beat 3 is A; m. 124, Treble: the eighth-rest notated as quarter-rest; m. 127, Treble: “the” substituted for “he”; Counter: Billings’s spelling of “worrd” has not been retained; m. 136, Treble: note on beat 2 is an eighth-note (only 3 eighth-notes in measure), dot and sixteenth-note B supplied to conform to other voices; m. 149: the 3/2 time signature, introduced here to accommodate textual accents in one measure, does not seem to call for the tempo it usually implies (𝅗𝅥 = M.M. 60); m. 149, the spelling of “mountaints” has not been retained; m. 165: “Sym” stands for “Symphony,” which Billings defined in SMA as “An air, which is played, or sang without words, before the song begins, and sometimes such airs are in the middle of a peice or at the end” (see WBII, p. 28); m. 187, Treble: the spelling of “jubelee” has not been retained; mm. 190–192, 197–198, all parts: repeated notes under a slur on “joy” should be articulated; m. 198, all parts: first and second endings supplied editorially to correct notation; m. 199, all parts: unnecessary one-flat key signature has not been retained; mm. 199–202, Tenor and Bass: the absence of text marks this passage as a “symphony” similar to mm. 165–168, though it is not so labeled; mm. 204–205, Bass: no words appear, but because the figure is the same as one sung in mm. 206–207 by the Counter, text is supplied from that voice.

Two sections from this anthem were previously published by Billings: mm. 144–164 are essentially the same as mm. 164–181 of the anthem, Retrospect (WBII, pp. 241–242), and mm. 215–239 are substantially the same as the ending of Billings’s anthem Peace (WBIII, pp. 274–275). (See Daniel, p. 108.)

Anthem: Sanctify A Fast Orig. heading: An Anthem, Joel, 1st and 2d Chap.[,] Suitable for Fast. Text from Bible, Authorized Version, Joel 1:14, 17–20; Joel 2:15, 17, 21, 23–24, 26, 32; with some words and phrases omitted or added by Billings.

Orig., m. 9, Counter: quarter-note on beat 2 is D; m. 42, Treble: slur omitted on first two quarter-notes; m. 43, Bass: a D, which appears beneath the F on beat 2, seems to be an imperfection in printing and has not been retained; m. 54, Bass: whole-rest omitted; m. 72, Counter: five quarter-note beats appear in the measure, the final two of which (a dotted quarter- and eighth-note) are interpreted as a dotted eighth- and sixteenth-note; m. 106, all parts: natural signs supplied for change of key signature; the designation “sharp key,” standing above the Treble, has not been retained; m. 148, text, Treble: the spelling of “vats” as “fats,” even though it is spelled thus in the Bible, Authorized Version, has not been retained; m. 151, Bass: the quarter-note is F-sharp; m. 166, Treble: the note group on beat 1 is a dotted eighth-note, two sixteenth-notes, and an eighth-note; m. 241, Tenor: A instead of G.

Anthem: Sing Praises Orig. heading: An Anthem. For Thanksgiving Day Morning. The text is a composite of lines from Psalm 30, verses 4 and 5, drawn from both Bible, Authorized Version and Bible, Psalms, Common Prayer Version.

Orig., mm. 1 and 8, all parts, first ending: the repeat has been altered to correct notation; m. 17, Tenor: the notes on beat 2 are a dotted quarter- and eighth-note, altered to conform with Billings’s consistent use of the rhythmic motive 𝅘𝅥.𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥 elsewhere in the anthem (see, for example, m. 19, Tenor, m. 21, Treble, m. 21, Bass; mm. 44–49 is a parallel passage); m. 32, Counter: the G on beat 3 notated as a half-note; m. 35, all parts, first ending: the repeat has been altered to correct notation; m. 38, all parts: repeat sign omitted (see mm. 13–25 for parallel passage); m. 60, Treble: dot omitted on dotted half-rest; m. 78, Counter: the spelling of “indure” has not been retained; m. 83, Treble: beam omitted between first and second notes; m. 84, Tenor: dot omitted on dotted half-note; m. 92, second ending, Tenor: both notes in measure are E, altered to C to agree with the cadence of the first ending. (It is unprecedented for Billings to conclude the melody of a composition on any note other than the tonic.)

Anthem: Sublimity, The Heavens Declare the Glory of God Orig. heading: Sublimity, an Anthem Psalm 19[.] This subject is both Praise and Prayer, it may answer for Thanksgiving or Fast. Text from Bible, Psalms, Common Prayer Version, Psalm 19:1–2, 4, 8, 14, and Bible, Authorized Version, Psalms, Psalm 19:3; Hallelujah, Amen chorus added by Billings.

Orig., mm. 7–9, Treble and Tenor: duet passages in octaves are almost unprecedented in Billings (but see mm. 10–11 in The Lark [WBIII, p. 232]). Since most duet passages in Billings’s music are in parallel thirds, the treble in these measures has been altered from m. 7, beat 2 to read a tenth higher than the Tenor. The original pitches are as in the Tenor part; m. 19, first ending, all parts: repeat adjusted to correct notation, repeat sign moved from m. 14, beat 2, to m. 15, beat 1; m. 20, all parts: unnecessary [2/2] time signature has not been retained; m. 32, Counter: the second quarter-note is unclear, G may have been intended; m. 36, Counter: the quarter-note notated as a half-note; m. 41, Treble: word omitted on beat 1; m. 43, all parts: repeat sign omitted; m. 48, Counter: note on beat 1 is a dotted quarter-note; m. 75, Bass: Billings’s substitution of “meditations” for “meditation” has not been retained.

Anthem: The Dying Christian’s Last Farewell, My Friends, I Am Going Orig. heading: The dying Christian’s last farewell[,] Spoken in the tenor. (Rather than a performance indication, the rubric seems intended to suggest that the Tenor’s pronouncements in mm. 1–10 and mm. 52–62 are the words of the title’s “dying Christian.”) Text anon.; it appears in an earlier setting by Jacob French in French 1789 and French 1793.

Orig., m. 3, text, Tenor: the phrase “going a long journey” is correct, also found in French’s setting; m. 7, Counter: it was Billings’s normal practice to repeat motives at the octave or at the fifth. Repetition of motives at the seventh is almost unprecedented in his works. (But see Lamentation Over Boston in SMA, WBII, p. 143, mm. 91–94.) Perhaps Billings intended this phrase to be sung by the Tenor, where the pitches would duplicate those in the Treble a measure later, but the typographer mistakenly set it in the Counter; m. 15, Tenor: the notes on the last half of beat 2 are a dotted sixteenth-note and an eighth-note; m. 16, text, all parts: “troubling” is sung on three syllables; m. 18, second ending, all parts: unnecessary repetition of 3/2 time signature has not been retained; m. 19: repeat sign omitted (The repeat sign at m. 51 lacks an antecedent and m. 19 is the logical place for one.); m. 24, Counter: Billings’s substitution of “pleasure” for “pleasures” has not been retained; m. 32, Tenor: the spelling of “fade” as “fad” has not been retained; m. 49, Counter: Billings’s substitution of “joy” for “joys” has not been retained; m. 62, Tenor: Billings’s substitution of “friend” for “friends” has not been retained (see m. 10 for a parallel passage); m. 68, text, all parts: “troubling” is intended to be sung in three syllables; m. 70, second ending, all parts: unnecessary repetition of 3/2 time signature has not been retained; m. 71, Bass: the [2/2] time signature has been altered to 𝇍 to agree with other parts; Treble: “Minum beating,” directing the performers to beat half-notes, stands over mm. 72–73.

The suggested metronome settings in mm. 57–62 are somewhat speculative. It is clear from the words “Affettuoso” and “Languishing” used by Billings at this point that he wanted the death-bed scene here to be particularly tender and affectionate. A slackening of the strict tempo maintained to this point seems both musically and dramatically appropriate.

Anthem: Universal Praise, O Praise God Orig. heading: Universal Praise: An Anthem, for Thanksgiving Day, taken from Psalm 149, &c. Except for the first 10 measures, the text of which was taken from Bible, Psalms, Common Prayer Version, Psalm 150 (not Psalm 149), the words seem to be Billings’s own paraphrase of Bible, Authorized Version, Psalms 148 and 150.

Universal Praise was also issued separately with the following caption title: Universal Praise: An Anthem, for Thanksgiving Day, taken from Psalm 149, and elsewhere. By William Billings (n.p., n.d., but advertised in Boston by Thomas & Andrews on October 16, 1793—see Nathan, William Billings, p. 59). The music for both versions seems to have been printed from the same type set-up; except for the caption title, no differences are found between them.

Orig., m. 15, Counter: whole-rest instead of half-rest; m. 17, Bass: three lower C choosing notes supplied editorially (see mm. 39, 86, 102, and 124 where such choosing notes appear in the orig.); mm. 20–21, all parts: the three quarter-notes under the slur on “fire” should be articulated; m. 42, Bass: lower C choosing note supplied editorially (see mm. 25, 89, 105, 127, 146, and 157 where such choosing notes appear in the orig.); m. 64, Tenor: note on beat 2 is E; m. 65, Treble: repeated notes under the slur on “roll” should be articulated; m. 68, Counter: “s” omitted from “drums”; mm. 73–74, Treble, Counter and Bass: repeated notes under the slur on “roll” should be articulated; m. 83, Tenor: second quarter-note is C; mm. 88–89, Bass: lower note of dyads lack dot; m. 95, Bass: upper note of dyad on beat 6 is A; m. 98, Tenor: quarter-note is F; m. 101, Treble and Counter: change of time signature omitted; m. 104, Bass: lower note of dyad lacks dot; m. 107, Bass: lower G choosing note supplied editorially (see mm. 27, 44, 91, 129, 148, and 159 where such choosing notes are in the orig.); m. 154, Bass: lower note of dyad on beat 1 is A; m. 156, Bass: lower F choosing note supplied editorially (see mm. 24, 41, 88, 104, 126, and 145 where such choosing notes are in the orig.); m. 157, Bass: lower note of dyad lacks dot; m. 160, Counter: E choosing note supplied editorially below G (see mm. 28, 45, 92, 108, 130, and 149 where such choosing notes are in the orig.) (Billings seems to be using this section as a refrain-like passage and only in this measure does the cadence chord lack the third supplied elsewhere by the lower choosing note); m. 163, Bass: the natural sign on beat 3 supplied editorially; m. 164, Bass: the first two notes are sixteenth-notes, altered to agree with Tenor rhythm; m. 166, text, Tenor: first syllable of “Amen” omitted; m. 177, second ending, Counter: upper note of dyad lacks dot.

Anthem: Variety, Without Method, O God, Thou Hast Been Displeased Orig. heading: Variety, without Method An Anthem Psalm 60. Text from Bible, Psalms, Common Prayer Version, Psalm 60:1–2, 4–5, 9–11; and Bible, Authorized Version, Psalms, Psalm 60:12, with some words and phrases omitted and added by Billings. (Billings substituted “disturbed” for “divided” in v. 2; the text between mm. 59–72 is a paraphrase of v. 5; “forth” substituted for “out” in v. 10, and v. 11 altered.)

Orig., mm. 34–35, Treble: repeated notes under the slur on “shaketh” should be articulated; mm. 37–38, Treble and Tenor: repeated notes under the slur on “shaketh” should be articulated; m. 45, Counter, Bass: repeated notes under the slur on “Triumph” should be articulated; Tenor: the sixteenth-note after beat 2 lacks flag, notated as an eighth-note; m. 74, Treble: the notation “Crotchet beating,” meaning to beat quarter-notes (see Billings’s Introduction, Lesson VI, this volume, p. 9, for explanation), stands over beat 3 of measure; mm. 78–80, all parts: the change of key signature has been consolidated. In Billings’s score, natural signs on E and A appear before beat 4 in m. 78, the B-flat at the beginning of m. 80. They have all been moved to the beginning of m. 79 where the modulation takes place; m. 79, Counter: a precautionary natural sign before beat 1 has not been retained; m. 81, Bass: half-rest instead of whole-rest; m. 86, all parts: unnecessary key signature of 1 flat has not been retained; mm. 127–128, text: the spelling of “Halleiujah” has not been strengthen,” with the meaning to increase the sound. It was used by psalmodists to signify crescendo.

Anthem: We Have Heard With Our Ears Orig. heading: An Anthem Psalm 44th[.] Suitable to be sung on the anniversary of our Fore-fathers’ landing, and for Thanksgiving. Text from Bible, Authorized Version, Psalm 44:1–4, 23; Psalm 11:2; Psalm 32:5 (paraphrased); I Kings 8:30; Psalm 45:3; Exodus 15:9–10, 18 (paraphrased); and Psalm 106:48; Billings also sets some of own words.

Orig., m. 9, Tenor: the natural sign on B warns singers not to raise it (see commentary for Bethlehem, WBII, p. 354, for a similar situation); m. 25, Treble: the repeated notes under the slur on “sword” should be articulated; m. 36, Tenor and m. 39, Treble: the natural sign on the A warns singers not to raise it; m. 45, Counter: two whole-rests instead of half-rests; m. 52, all parts: natural signs supplied editorially at change of key signature; the designation “[flat] key” standing above the Treble has not been retained; m. 63, text: Billings’s substitution of “so” for “lo” has not been retained; m. 66, Tenor: the quarter-note notated as eighth-note; m. 77, all parts: the repeat sign standing in the middle of the measure has been moved to the beginning of the measure; m. 79, Tenor: dot omitted on dotted quarter-note; m. 88, Counter: quarter-note lacks dot; m. 95, all parts: the repeat sign between m. 94 and m. 95 has been moved one measure later; mm. 100–105 have been rebarred to align musical and textual accents; m. 164, Tenor: beam omitted on the two eighth-notes; m. 170, 172, Tenor: Billings’s substitution of “then” for “them” has not been retained; mm. 171–172, Tenor: Billings may have intended “devour” to be sung in three syllables, since no slur appears between the two quarter-notes in m. 172; mm. 174–180, Treble, Counter, Tenor: the repeated notes under the slurs should be articulated; m. 187, all parts: “Fortissimo” stands over beat 1 of m. 188; m. 188, Treble: quarter-note on beat 1 lacks dot; m. 195, second ending, Treble: rhythm reversed, whole-note precedes half-note; m. 207, Treble: rhythm is a most unlikely 𝅘𝅥.𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥, altered here to agree with Tenor; m. 210, Tenor: text reads “Praise thou the Lord,” not retained; m. 214, Treble: the text, “praised, the,” altered to agree with other parts.

Anthem: When The Lord Turn’d Again Orig. heading: An Anthem Psalm 126. The text is a composite from Bible, Psalms, Common Prayer Version, Psalm 126:1–6 and Bible, Authorized Version, Psalms, Psalm 126:1–5, with some words omitted and added by Billings.

Orig., mm. 7, 14, 27, and 33, text, all parts: Billings’s substitution of “mouths” for “mouth” has not been retained; m. 48, text, Treble, mm. 54, 58, text, Counter, m. 56, text, Treble, Tenor, Bass, m. 62, text, all parts: Billings’s substitution of “they” for “we” has been retained; m. 63, Treble: numbers indicating first and second ending reversed; mm. 87, 92, Tenor: the final two eighth-notes in each measure notated as sixteenth-notes.

APPENDIX

Connection No text att. Words probably by Billings. Three stanzas underlayed. Connection appears in circular form as a frontispiece in CH and was obviously intended for illustration rather than performance. It is musically almost identical with the same tune published in SMA (see WBII, pp. 256–257). It is reprinted here because of the new text.