“Singing Sedition” Review

“Singing Sedition: Piety and Politics in the Music of William Billings” by Charles E. Brewer

Continuing some background reading for my research into how music was used during the Revolutionary War in America.  First book is “Singing Sedition: Piety and Politics in the Music of William Billings” by Charles E. Brewer.  Pendragon Press, Hillsdale, NY 2017.

From the Prologue, “Through his singing schools and the performance of his works throughout New England during the later eighteenth century, William Billings came to influence and express the aspirations of his contemporaries.  In a very real sense, his works could become their “voice” in a way that newspapers, political pamphlets, and philosophical tomes could not” (xiii).

And also, “Since much of my work rests on my own interpretation of . . . original documents, I have felt it was important to the readers to provide them with as much of this original material to inform their own judgements and reflection, especially since I have used a number of unpublished manuscript resources in addition to the more accessible printed materials made available since the eighteenth century” (xiii).  I am hoping to come across these materials in the book.  I also am hoping to get ideas as to where to find these materials especially if they are available digitally and on the internet.

David Whitehouse – 2/14/19