Music of the American Revolution: The Birth of Liberty

Sherrill Milnes (Performer), Anonymous (Composer), William Billings (Composer), English Anonymous (Composer), Scottish Traditional (Composer), Abraham Wood (Composer), Traditional (Composer), Thomas Pyle (Conductor), Neely Bruce (Conductor), American Fife Ensemble (Performer), Liberty Tree Wind Players (Performer), Jon Spong (Performer), James Richman (Performer), Seth McCoy (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Sherrill Milnes, American Fife Ensemble, Liberty Tree Wind Players, Jon Spong, James Richman, et al.
• Conductor: Thomas Pyle, Neely Bruce
• Composer: Anonymous, William Billings, English Anonymous, Scottish Traditional, Abraham Wood, et al.
• Audio CD (July 9, 1996)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: New World Records
• ASIN: B0000030FQ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,639 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #14 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Hymns
  • #28 in Music > Miscellaneous > Marches
  • #30 in Music > Classical > Sacred & Religious > General

Editorial Reviews

CD features Sherrill Milnes (Performer), Anonymous (Composer), William Billings (Composer), English Anonymous (Composer), Scottish Traditional (Composer), Abraham Wood (Composer), Traditional (Composer), Thomas Pyle (Conductor), Neely Bruce (Conductor), American Fife Ensemble (Performer), Liberty Tree Wind Players (Performer), Jon Spong (Performer), James Richman (Performer), Seth McCoy (Performer).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good source of enjoyment and education, February 22, 1999

By 

F. Behrens "Frank Behrens" (Keene, NH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Music of the American Revolution: The Birth of Liberty (Audio CD)

We will never know exactly how these songs sounded when the citizens of Boston were darting black looks to the British regulars on the streets, but I would wager quite a bit that these renditions come pretty close. Of course the "American" accents are an anachronism; but most listeners might be puzzled to hear British accents used for these anti-British songs (with one exception, composed by a British regular!)I have already used selections from this CD to a groups of 3rd and 5th graders and they loved it. So teachers, take note, but be sure they have the words in front of them. A very valuable educational tool that also happens to be a very enjoyable program to hear for its own sake. And as with most New World releases, the annotations alone are worth the price of the product.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Protest Songs of the 1770s, January 23, 2002

By 

Jeffery S. Anderson (Tigard, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Music of the American Revolution: The Birth of Liberty (Audio CD)

The music that was composed and performed during the American Revolution is presented on this 1 hour CD. Since I was a child, I've enjoyed hearing the drum and fife corps on the Fourth of July and during the Presidential inaugurations, and this CD has several good drum and fife marches. Other selections are 18th century protest songs about taxation ("A taxing we will go...} and British tyranny. There are also some good harpsichord numbers contained on this CD. The musicians are excellent and the sound is clear. I don't know how many common people got to hear music like this during the Revolution, but at least this CD gives the 21st Century listener the opportunity enjoy the "popular" music of 200 years ago. Classical music lovers will enjoy this CD too.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Important work of musical heritage, February 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Music of the American Revolution: The Birth of Liberty (Audio CD)

I fell in love with this CD from the first track.The music of the American Fife Ensamble is stirring, I felt positivly rebelious. The satarical songs based on the tunes "British Grenadires" and "Hearts of Oak" are like the paintings of W. Hogarth set to music. You should have more than a cursory knowledge of the 18th century though, to fully enjoy this CD