Early American Choral Music, Vol. 1 [Import, Original recording reissued]

William Billings (Composer), Paul Hillier (Conductor), His Majestie's Clerkes (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Conductor: Paul Hillier
• Composer: William Billings
• Audio CD (May 8, 2001)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Original recording reissued
• Label: Hmf Classical Exp.
• ASIN: B000059WLJ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #154,974 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great find--worth more than its price, September 2, 2004

By 

Joel Buursma - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Early American Choral Music, Vol. 1 (Audio CD)

This is all music by William Billings, one of the giant figures of early American church music. It is sung by a fine group that specializes in early music. The music is often hearty and pleasing, and the textual themes deal with early colonial life (e.g., harvest & the coming winter) and sometimes complex theology (e.g., pietistic interpretations of the Song of Solomon). The overall sound of the music is straightfoward, as it was no doubt to appeal to the common folk (new world Protestants). But don't let that fool you--there's high quality construction in these hymns that elevates them above folk music. Some of the songs really grab you & stay with you. This is a gift & an important part of our American heritage & culture.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and Lovely Music, February 24, 2004

By 

R. Albin (Ann Arbor, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Early American Choral Music, Vol. 1 (Audio CD)

This CD was issued originally as "A Land of Pure Delight" on the Harmonia Mundi label. Billings was the first major American composer, an apparently self taught composer with a distinctive and powerful style. A real American original, Billings' work has several interesting features. He did wonderful things writing for choirs and some of his work seems to sound like earlier, polyphonic music. This recording has features a selection of fine pieces. Lovely performances.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars this was our country's music c.30 decades ago!, October 16, 2001

By 

Daniel Ponder (WAKE FOREST, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Early American Choral Music, Vol. 1 (Audio CD)

I am fairly new to this series, but I now own 3 cds in this series: Anna Mag. Bach Book, Festive barouque christmas and now this one. I have been looking for a cd with this kind of music, and now my search is done. I enjoy this cd very much, but the only down side is that this cd is too short.