Music of the United States - MUH 3633 (Spring 2020) - Warfield

Review Sheet # 1 - Introduction and Chapter 1, "Nature Must Inspire the Thought": Sacred Music in the European Colonies

Any of the following concepts and terms (as well as any not specifically listed, but indicated in these review questions) may be included on the first test in MUH 3633. Know these concepts and terms, including their (1) spelling, (2) pronunciation, and (3) definition (if appropriate).

In addition to your notes and the daily PowerPoint slides, remember thtat there are links on the course home page that provide explanations and even audio and video demonstrations of many of the terms and concepts listed below.

    Introduction (pp. 4-17), "Talking About Music"

  1. Make sure that you know and are able to use all technical vocabulary for the description of music.

    2. Chapter 1

  2. Know the general division of North America by its colonizing countries, i.e., which European countries settled in which particular areas of the New World?

    3. Catholic Music in Spanish Colonial North America

  3. Which European nations were most responsible for introducing Catholicism into North America and into which particular regions?
  4. How and why was Catholicism supported by Spanish settlers in North America?
  5. How did music in Spanish missions compare to that used in European (Catholic) churches? What are the musical traits of mission music?
  6. Know the music example "O que suave!" (LG 1.1). What are its primary sounding traits, especially as compared to European Catholic music?
  7. [NB. You are not responsible at this time for p. 23 "European Descriptions of American Indian Music"]

    8. Calvinist Music in British North America

  8. What were some of the basic issues that created the split between Protestants and Catholics in Europe?
  9. Who were the Calvinists, and how did their beliefs compare to those of other Protestants? How were these beliefs reflected in their musical practices?
  10. How were Calvinism and the Puritans related, and how did this group come to be in North America?

    11. Psalmbooks in English

  11. What were psalms and the practice of psalmody like in New England?
  12. What are the specific structural and sounding traits of psalmody? How do these traits uphold Calvinist doctrine?
  13. Know the music example "Old Hundred" (LG 1.2). What are its primary sounding traits? What is the relationship of the text to the melody?
  14. What was the Ainsworth Psalter, and why was it replaced with the Bay Psalm Book? What is the historic significance of the Bay Psalm Book?
  15. What are the contents of the Bay Psalm Book, and what is new or noteworthy about those contents? How would they have been used by Puritans, i.e., describe how one sang from the BPB?

    16. The Old Way versus Regular Singing

  16. What was the "Old Way" of singing psalms? Who was in charge, how did the congregation respond, etc.? What is another name for this practice?
  17. Know the music example "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah" (LG 1.3). What are its primary sounding traits, and how does this modern example represent the "Old Way" of singing psalms?

    18. The Singing School Movement

  18. Why might some ministers have objected to the "Old Way", and why would they have promoted "Regular Singing" instead (and what was "Regular Singing")?
  19. What was the purpose of the "Singing School Movement", what were Singing Schools, and how did these "schools" operate?
  20. Who were John Tufts and Thomas Walter, and what are their relationships or importance to the Singing School Movement?
  21. What were tunebooks, and what might their contents include?

    22. A Philadelphia Tunebook

  22. What is the historical importance of Urania..., and what is significant about its contents?
  23. Who was James Lyon, beyond the creator of Urania?

    24. William Billings, American Composer

  24. Who was William Billings, what sort of music training did he have, and what sorts of work did he do?
  25. What was The New-England Psalm-Singer...., and what is the historic importance of this publication?
  26. What did Billings mean when he wrote: "Nature is the best Dictator...", and what does that tell you about Billings' compostitional technique?
  27. Know the music example "Chester" (LG 1.4). What are its primary sounding traits? What is the relationship of its individual parts, and which part carries the melody?
  28. How and why might some of Billing's works have a political content?

    29. Protestant Music Outside the Calvinist Orbit

  29. What were some of the other religious groups that settled in North America, and how might they have been musically unique?
  30. Who were the Moravians, and how did their music-making reflect European traditions?
  31. Know the music example "Ich will dir ein Freudenopfer thun" (LG 1.5). What are its primary sounding traits? How does it reflect European practices?

To supplement your textbook reading, make sure that you read the following primary documents in To Stretch Our Ears:

(updated 13 January 2020)