William Billings

This American composer, whose entire life was spent in Boston, is considered to be "the" American composer of the 18th century. Although his fame depreciated after the early 1780s and his grave-site is unknown, Billings had an important influence on American music. He is claimed to have stated that a composer should not have to follow any specific rules but find her/his own path; he also had a special attraction to the fugue. The two foremost works in Billings' writings included "The New-England Psalm-Singer" and "The Singing Master's Assistant". Paul Revere engraved the front piece to the former and Samuel Adams contributed lyrics to the latter. Not the lyricist, Billings was a proponent (though not the founder) of fugal-tunes. Instrumental and organ accompaniments are rare in his compositions; he was limited by the insistence of the Congregationalist clergy to "a capella" pieces. ~ Keith Johnson