Today Christians observe Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Traditionally, Ash Wednesday services include the reading or singing of Psalm 51 – in Latin, Miserere Mei – a psalm of humility and repentance. There are numerous settings of this text; more than that, there are numerous GOOD settings of this text. Many, though, believe that Gregorio Allegri’s is by far the best.

Without a doubt, African-American Spirituals are the most influential compositions in the history of American Art and popular music. From their influence on the 19th century songs of Stephen Foster and the like, to the explosion of Jazz, blues, and ultimately everything from Gershwin to Elvis to Motown, Madonna, and yes, even Justin Bieber. Originally the songs of slaves, this heartfelt music is rich with the full expression of human emotion. It was orally passed down through the years until the late 19th century, when composers like Harry T. Burleigh began to write it down and bring it into concert halls and churches. It continues to inspire and feed the hungry soul to this day.

Colonial New England was largely literate for its time. Besides a Bible, many families might have owned a copy of the Psalms set to poetic verse by Isaac Watts. The region, being poor, lacked the musical instruments available to European audiences, and so, singing was the primary form of music-making. Everybody sang, and singing-masters made their living travelling from town to town, teaching people to read music, sing, and selling their scores.

William Billings is one of my favorite composers; you might even call him the first great American composer. His music and life perfectly embody the revolutionary American spirit. He was a tanner by trade, but found his passion in composing and singing. He had only one eye, one of his legs was shorter than the other, was unkempt, and probably stunk. His music is rough and angular, lacking any grace that might be found in late 18th century European music.

There is a tradition of giving hymn tunes names; very often, the name of a city – for example, there are hymn tunes named London, Cranham, Richmond. This is why one of Billings’ best loved tunes is called Africa, a place to which I’m sure he never traveled. Its bold melody (found in the tenor voice – not the top note) skyrockets into the high range, capturing the spirit of Watts’ emotional outpouring.

This style of music-writing and singing is today known as Sacred Harp. It is an uniquely American invention, a sort of degenerate grandson of English choral music. And it’s fun to sing, so much so that Sacred Harp singings now occur all over the world. This video comes from a singing in Ireland.