Composer William Billings (1746–1800) wrote many of early America’s most treasured hymns. The multitalented artist was a singer, visionary psalmist, and leader among influential figures in colonial times. During his lengthy career, he wrote more than 300 songs.
Cultivating a Love of Music
Born on Oct. 7, 1746 in Boston, Massachusetts, Billings was no stranger to difficulty early on. He only had vision in one eye and problems with his legs, which reportedly resulted in one eventually being amputated. Despite these life-altering realities, Billings dedicated his life to virtuous pursuits.
In his boyhood, he took an early interest in music. His parents arranged arranged for him to study under a local choirmaster, though most of his knowledge of music theory was self-taught. He read and studied any psalm books that he could find.
As a young man, he became a tanner and helped process leather for various goods. He also accepted a position in Stoughton, Massachusetts as a voice teacher. In between his various classes and work, he crafted his own compositions, molding hymns and psalms when he wasn’t helping his students.
First American Professional Composer
By the late 1760s, Billings was known as a “singing master” and his dedicated work to original compositions garnered him the recognition of being America’s preeminent composer of original psalms and hymns.
With the respect of his fellow worshippers and musicians, he felt comfortable enough to release his debut collection of compositions in 1770. Known as the “New England Psalm-Singer,” his debut work received extensive praise from both Massachusetts communities and beyond. Also alternatively titled the “American Chorister,” the book featured more than 120 of the musician’s hymns, and psalm-tunes now known as “the Billings psalms.”
While Billings’s hymns within the book impressed communities, they also enjoyed an illustration found inside. For his debut collection of compositions, his good friend Paul Revere had taken the time to specially design the book’s frontispiece (an illustration in a book that faces the inside title page).
Billings’s legacy as an ardent patriot would become an important part of revolutionary culture during America’s fight for independence.
An Unofficial American Anthem
Not long after Billings’s music book debut, America declared independence from England. As the Revolutionary War got underway, soldiers used many of Billings’s songs as a comfort and spiritual reinforcement while fighting for freedom.
As a passionate patriot and supporter of American independence, he was good friends with many influential patriots, including Samuel Adams. As the fighting continued, he decided to do what he could to support the cause. He took several of his songs from his book collection and revised the lyrics, turning his hymns into military songs. Soldiers loved his new renditions, often singing them alongside their brothers during downtime at their camps.
A Perennial Influence
Today, the music school where Billings first taught voice lessons is known as the “Old Stoughton Musical Society.” It has preserved the important history of early American music for more than 200 years. According to the Guinness World Records, it “is the oldest continuous operating choral society in America.”The Boston native passed away in his hometown in 1800, but his perennial influence remains. An expert singer, sacred music composer, and dutiful teacher, Billings’s early contributions helped define American folk music culture. And his hymns written so long ago are still sung as messages of praise in churches across the country today.
