William

Billings
Dr. Lara Housez
School of the Arts
McMaster University

William Billings (1746-1800)

American composer
Tanner
Self-taught musician
First publication: The New-England Psalm-
Singer (1770) enjoyed great commercial
success; it was the 1st published collection of
musical works by an individual American-born
composer
Published more than 300 compositions, almost
all for 4-part chorus
Died in poverty

Chester (1770)
Genre: song
Title comes from the name of a town in
Massachusetts
This patriotic song stirred the hearts of
colonialists Pighting for freedom from Great
Britain. It became the unofPicial anthem of the
American Revolution (1775-1781)
Melody
Sung by the tenor
Mostly conjunct

 Texture
Homorhythmic, following the conventions of a
hymn, with 4 voices moving for the most part
together; largely syllabic with few melismas
Billings originally published Chester for 4 parts
throughout. On our recording, however, the
texture thickens and the harmonies richen as
parts enter in succession:
1st verse: tenors and basses; 2-part harmony
2nd: sopranos (doubling tenor), tenors, and basses; 2-
part harmony
3rd: sopranos, altos (new line), tenors, and basses; 3-part
harmony
4th and 5th: sopranos (new line), altos, tenors, and basses;
4-part harmony

Listen

Periodic Phrase Structure

1st verse: Let tyrants shake their iron rod,
And Slavry clank her galling chains,
We fear them not, we trust in God,
New Englands God forever reigns.
Billings mirrored the grammatical structure of
the text in the music
Animated melody
Antecedent Consequent
Antecedent 1 Antecedent 2 Consequent 1 Consequent 2

Review
Make a list of keywords
Make a timeline with the dates of our main
composers (Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Billings)
and their compositions; also include important
world events (American and French Revolutions)
Focus on listening. Consider for each of the 6
listening tracks (as applicable):
Title, composer, dates, genre, instrumentation, melody,
rhythm, harmony, texture, timbre, dynamics, form,
word-music relationships, where and for whom it was
Pirst performed, etc.

Sample Questions (from the

Review Sheet posted on Avenue)
I. True/False (20 questions; 20 points; 10 minutes)
1. Sonata form contains three sections: the exposition,
development, and recapitulation.
a. True
b. False

2. In the recapitulation, the themes repeat in the keys
in which they were originally presented in the
exposition, usually the tonic and the dominant.
a. True
b. False

3. Mozart died in poverty.

a. True
b. False

4. Concertos were very popular during the Classical era.
Their contrasts in texture and timbre and the opportunities
for virtuosic display delighted audiences.
a. True
b. False

5. The 4th movement of a Classical string quartet is
generally in a slow tempo and follows one of the following
forms: sonata form, theme and variations, or ABA.
a. True
b. False

II. Multiple Choice (20 questions; 20 points; 20

minutes)
6. Which of the following instruments usually make up a
string quartet?
a. 1 violin, 1 viola, 1 cello, 1 double bass
b. 1 violin, 1 viola, 1 cello, 1 harpsichord
c. 2 violins, 1 viola, 1 cello
d. 2 violins, 1 cello, 1 double bass

7. Cosa sento resembles which of the following forms?
a. Binary
b. Rounded binary
c. Rondo
d. Double-exposition concerto form

8. The sound created by multiple notes played or sung

simultaneously is called:
a. Melody
b. Rhythm
c. Harmony
d. Texture

9. In O Canada, the melodic shape of the opening phrase,
which sets the words of the title, O Canada, is best
described as:
a. Conjunct and mostly upward
b. Conjunct and mostly downward
c. Disjunct and mostly upward
d. Disjunct, upward, and downward

10. The following genre Plourished during the Classical era:

a. Operas
b. Symphonies
c. Concertos
d. All of the above

11. What happens during the tutti exposition?
a. The soloist improvises on themes heard earlier in the
movement
b. The orchestra presents themes in the tonic and in a
new key area
c. The orchestra and soloist present themes in the tonic
d. The orchestra alone presents themes in the tonic

12. The portrait below

is a likeness of which
composer?
a. Mozart
b. Handel
c. Bach
d. Haydn

III. Listening (20 questions; 20 points; 20 minutes)

13. Identify the title:
a. Symphony No. 102 in B-Plat Major, 3rd or 4th mvts.
b. Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550, 1st mvt.
c. String Quartet in C Major, op. 76, no. 3, 2nd mvt.
d. Piano Concerto in A Major, K. 488, 1st mvt.

14. Identify the composer:
a. Mozart
b. Haydn
c. Handel
d. Billings

15. Identify the genre:

a. Concerto
b. String quartet
c. Symphony
d. Sonata form

16. Identify the decade in which this piece was
composed (for example, 1998 = the 1990s):
a. 1760s
b. 1770s
c. 1780s
d. 1790s

17. Identify which instruments are playing

during this excerpt (pick one):
a. fortepiano only
b. strings only
c. winds (clarinets, oboes, bassoons) only
d. full orchestra

For Friday
Read: pp. 233-239