William Billings, one of the first true American composers
(1746-1800), was a tanner and a "singing master" – that is, a
person who taught choirs and small vocal ensembles to read music
and to sing in parts. His tune "Chester" was the Revolutionary
War's equivalent of "Over There." The "singing schools," perhaps
the greatest force in the musical life of the colonies and the
early republic, split into two branches, reflecting a cultural
split in the country itself: New England vs. the South. The
music is vocal, mostly choral, and intended mainly for use in
churches. Most of the composers in both schools did other things
to make a living. Justin Morgan, a highly original composer of
the Southern school, among other things raised and bred horses.
Very few composers had more than rudimentary training. As a
result, the music sounds like a stitching-together of half-
remembered Baroque counterpoint, Renaissance modes, and Bay
Psalm hymnody – handmade, the opposite of slick. This resulted
in a vigorous music, at its