Born in Massachusetts, Oliver Holden served in the Revolutionary
War and was a carpenter after the war, rebuilding the city of
Charlestown, Massachusetts and becoming a prominent figure
there. Not only did he found his own church and serve as
minister in Charlestown, he also was a town official and
Massachusetts representative in the state government. In 1783,
Holden had a few months of musical training and then began his
own singing school later that year. As a composer, he was fairly
conservative, contributing to the pro-European Massachusetts
Compiler of Theoretical and Practical Elements of Sacred Vocal
Music (1795). He is most famous for his "Coronation" hymn,
deemed the oldest American hymn that is still popular today.
Holden also composed A Dirge, or Sepulchral Service for the
memorial service of George Washington in 1800.