Chronological History Of

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6 Chronological History Of

American Music And American Songs

The Afro Slaves and English Pilgrims Brought Music to America

By Maximillien de Lafayette

THE COLONIAL ERA: From 1606 To 1776

The very first kind of music and songs in America was the “Religious Music” of the early colonists. This early kind of music and songs consisted of hymns brought to America by English settlers and pilgrims from Plymouth and Southhampton. They were first published in Holland in 1612 and were referred to as “The Ainsworth Psalter”.

In 1612 in Amsterdam, Henry Ainsworth published his “Book of Psalms” for the use of English congregations and included 39 tunes from England, France and Holland. The “Ainsworth Psalter” was brought to Plymouth Colony in 1620 by pilgrims and was used by those congregations which separated from the mother church in the homeland. At that time in history, another kind of psalmody was developed in other regions in the form of a non-metrical Anglican chant.

The non-metrical system was created in order to avoid any alteration in the biblical texts. An Anglican chant usually begins with a first portion of a line to be “harmoniously” sung on a sustained pitch ending with final syllables in minimal series of chords. The Anglican chant was strictly observed and highly recommended, for it preserved the authenticity of the Hebraic psalms. In America, a metrical system was used by the Episcopal Church until the 19^th century.

Photo: You are looking at America’s first priceless treasure: “The Bay Psalm Book” which is the very first book of hymns printed in America in 1640 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by Stephen Daye, first printer of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. This is the very first book ever printed in the United States.

The very first Christian Illuminated Manuscripts Book (Psalms and Biblical Texts) was printed in 1521 in Yerevan, Armenia. The earliest Christian Religious Songs and Psalms was printed in 1100 in Antioch, Syria and Byblos, Lebanon by the Early Christian Lebanese monks in Syriac (A Form of Aramaic, the native tongue of Jesus Christ. Jesus did not speak Hebrew. He spoke Aramaic). In all cases, the religious hymns in all the Christian countries were the very first form and kind of songs ever sang by an individual, a choir or a community.