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HISTORICAL HARMONIES |
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www.HistoricalHarmonies.org |
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This collection is a sampling of songs sung in taverns (Revelry), sacred music (Reflection), and songs designed to incite and support America’s struggle for independence (Revolution).
CD's and individual tracks may be purchased at the following sites:
 
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Now We Are Met |
A canon by Samuel Webbe |
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Pleasant and Delightful |
A sailor's "foc'sle" song, composed either in the 1760s, when the British sent a fleet to the West Indies to assault Cuba, or later in the century, during colonization of the East Indies.
Soloists: Don Cheetham, Jason Gagliardi, Diana Gagliardi |
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Sports of May |
A canon from Thomas Warren's Collection, 1775 |
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Nottingham Ale |
The melody is a variation of Lillibulero, an Irish fiddle tune dating to at least the 17th century. Given the eloquence of the lyrics and the references to Classical mythology and medicinal abstinence of alcohol, this version was very likely written in the mid- to late-1700s, when Lillibulero was at the height of its popularity.
Soloists: Don Cheetham, Ruth Sheets, Jason Gagliardi |
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He That Will An Alehouse Keep |
From Melismata by Thomas Ravenscroft, 1611 |
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The Barley Mow |
This drinking song appeared in Thompson's Compleat Collection of Country Dances, vol. 4, ca. 1780, and has been part of the traditional harvest celebrations in Cornwall and Devon through the centuries since.
Soloists: Linda Gagliardi, Elena Santangelo, Will Hoskins, Ruth Sheets |
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Christchurch Bells |
AHenry Aldrich, a dean of Christchurch College, Oxford, wrote this catch in 1673. The version presented here was published in the Second Book of the Catch Club, London, 1733. |
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Phoebus |
Words by Isaac Watts, music by William Billings, 1770 |
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When Jesus Wept |
Words and music by William Billings, 1770
Soloist: Ruth Sheets |
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Geneva |
John Cole, 1800 |
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How Great is the Pleasure |
A catch for three voices by Henry Harrington in the Philadelphia Songster, 1789 |
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Chester |
Words and music by William Billings, circa 1775, arranged in 3 parts by Elena Santangelo |
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Fish and Tea |
The traditional English song "Derry Down" was very popular on both sides of the Atlantic in the 18th century. The author of this version about taxation is unknown, but it was likely penned in New England in early 1775.
Soloists: Elena Santangelo, Jason Gagliardi, A.J. Gagliardi, Dianne Sheets |
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Blow The Candles Out |
The earliest printed version appeared in Thomas D'Urfey's Wit & Mirth: Pills to Purge Melancholy, 1720 under the title "The London Prentice." This variant from Suffolk was arranged as a duet by Elena Santangelo.
Soloists: Linda Gagliardi, Elena Santangelo |
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Johnny Has Gone For A Soldier |
In the late 17th century, Irish families mourned the drafting of their sons into the British army with the original version of this song, set to the traditional Gaelic tune, "Shule Aroon." The next century, the words were changed as Irish youth were sent fight for the British in North America. Americans picked it up and the song became so well-loved, it was sung during ensuing conflicts, including the American Civil War. Harmonies by Bob Rowland.
Soloists: Linda Gagliardi, Melissa Shaner, Dianne Sheets |
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Yankee Doodle |
The words to this popular fife tune were penned by Minuteman Edward Bangs after July 1775 when Washington took command of the American Army in Boston. Originally published as a broadside titled "The Farmer and His Son's Return from a Visit to the Camp." The fourth verse is a later, more complimentary variant of Bangs's original verse about Washington. The last verse was written anonymously sometime during the Revolution and became quite popular. |
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A Toast |
Words and music by Francis Hopkinson, Pennsylvania Packet, April 8, 1778
Soloists: Dorrie McGrath, Will Hoskins, Diana Gagliardi |
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God Save Our Thirteen States |
Printed in the Pennsylvania Packet, 1779 where the words were attributed to "a Dutch lady at the Hague, for the sailors of the five American vessels at Amsterdam." The tune is the British anthem "God Save the King."
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