66 PART 1 | FROM COLONIZATION THROUGH THE CIVIL WAR
a different time, so that the text overlaps. (Because this is not quite the same
as a proper European fugue, the Americans’ idiosyncratic spelling is often used
to make the distinction; the words are pronounced the same way.) The evenly
accented notes of Read’s “fuge” subject lend themselves to an energetic, even
ecstatic vocal expression. Both the words and the act of singing joyfully praise
God; it hardly seems to matter whether the singers are inside the meeting house
or not. More a piece to be sung than listened to, Sherburne offers its singers
more than a little sheer pleasure.“ANCIENT MUSIC” AND REFORM
In a reaction against the lively singing of homegrown compositions like Sher-
burne, a musical reform movement, based in New England, promoted a “cor-
rect” Europeanized taste. The clearest account of reform was written in the 1850s
by Nathaniel D. Gould, a reformer and singing master. According to Gould, in
the “dark age” ushered in around 1770 by Billings, people eager to hone musical
skills for their own sake had wrested the control of singing from the clergy and
the people. By 1800 public worship was plagued by nonsinging congregations,
outspoken choir members, and a sprightliness in choral singing that encouraged
competitiveness and pride. In that state of crisis, true Christians realized that
the time had come to regulate and desecularize the singing in worship services.
Beginning shortly after 1800 in Massachusetts, clergymen and other commu-
nity leaders joined forces with “prominent singers” to advocate “ancient music,”
which they found ideal for kindling what they took to be a genuine religious
spirit among congregation members.
By ancient music, Gould meant European tunes composed decades, even
centuries, earlier, and newer tunes whose simple style resembled that of the
older favorites. Whereas American-composed psalmody was a recent creation,
written by self-taught locals ignorant of proper harmony, ancient music was the
work of Europeans and Old World training, embodying musical “science” that
could withstand the test of time. And whereas some New England psalmody
exhibited an infectious rhythmic snap, ancient music moved with a gravity bet-
ter suited to the solemnity of public worship.
Old Hundred (LG 1.2) was the quintessential piece of ancient music. “I have
been informed,” the reformer Andrew Law wrote in an essay, “that Handel said,
he would give all his oratorios, if he might be the author of Old Hundred.”
Although Handel is not known to have said any such thing, Law’s statement
carries a fi gurative truth. The pious sentiments of an oratorio like Handel’s Mes-
siah required many skilled musicians for their expression, but such sentiments,
which Law valued above all else, lay open to anyone, trained or not, who sang
Old Hundred.
New Englanders of the early 1800s often formed associations devoted to
various causes. Debating societies, missionary societies, professional societies,
and societies for moral improvement fl ourished throughout the region. So did
sacred music societies—the Essex Musical Association in Salem and the Middle-
sex Musical Society in Boston, for example—and these groups helped reform-
ers win more public attention and support than an individual like Andrew Law
could ever hope to match. And ancient music, embodied in Old Hundred and
other tunes like it, gave reformers a rallying point.Nathaniel D. Gould“ancient music”sacred music societies172028_03_063-085_r3_ko.indd 66 23/01/13 8:12 PM