Samuel Holyoke

Life

Born: 15 October 1762, Boxford, Massachusetts

Died: 7 February 1820, Concord, New Hampshire

Biography Samuel Holyoke was an American composer and teacher of vocal and instrumental music. He was a Congregationalist and a Mason, and never married. After preparatory training at Phillips Academy, Andover, Holyoke matriculated at Harvard College in 1786. The source of his musical training is unknown, but he was composing music before he graduated from Harvard in 1789; in June of that year, a newspaper announcement of his proposed book, Harmonia Americana was said to be endorsed by the Singing Club of Harvard. A prolific composer, he composed some 700 pieces, including psalm tunes and anthems and occasional pieces, some with instrumental accompaniment. In three of his largest works, many compositions are not attributed, although they are "thought to be his" (Eskew and Kroeger 1998). In his compositions, "he aligned himself with the forces of musical reform" (Britton and others 1990).

In 1793, Holyoke helped to found Groton Academy (now called Lawrence Academy) in Groton, Massachusetts, where he served as the first headmaster.

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View the Wikipedia article on Samuel Holyoke.

List of choral works

• For works at CPDL sorted alphabetically by title, see Samuel Holyoke compositions

1. Psalm-Tunes

• Aldsworth  1803
• Andover  1791
• Arkham  1807
• Arnheim  1791
• Austria  1791
• Birmingham  1791
• Boxford  1791
• Brackley  1803
• Brownford  1803
• Burlington  1791
• Bushwick  1803
• Byfield  1803
• Calvary  1803
• Canada  1803
• Carthagena  1803
• The Christian's Warrant  1804
• Cyrene  1791
• Easton  1791
• Edenvale  1791
• Edinburgh  1791
• Elden  1791
• Ephesus  1791
• Fayetteville  1791
• Fernay  1791
• Germany  1791 1803
• Hague  1791
• Hampton  1803
• Hartfield  1804
• Hinsdale  1791
• Laindon  1791
• Loudon  1797
• Malabar  1803
• Medford  1804
• Mentz  1797
• Milbury  1791
• Montfort  1791
• Newington  1803
• Norham  1791
• Ohio  1791
• Orringford  1807
• Oxford  1791
• Parma  1803
• Ringe  1791
• Ryegate  1803
• Savoy  1803
• Sturbridge  1791
• Sunbury  1791
• Sweden  1791
• Syracuse  1804
• Vienna  1791
• Wellfleet  1791
• Wellington  1803
• Wenham  1791
• Western  1791
• Westford  1791
• Winthrop  1803
• Woodrow  1797
• Yarmouth  1791

2. Anthems

• Champlain  1791
• Copeland  1803
• Hillsborough  1803
• Palermo  1803
• Praise waiteth for thee  1791
• Rhone  1803
• Sandusky  1795
• Victors  1791

3. Set pieces

• Acworth  1803
• Arland  1803
• Boundbrook  1803
• Brixham  1803
• Caledonia  1803
• Castleton  1803
• Chelsea  1791
• Consolation  1791
• Deerfield  1803
• Eastborough  1803
• Funeral Dirge  1791
• Leicester  1803
• Maroneck  1803
• Norfolk  1791
• Orleans  1791
• Piedmont  1803
• Portland  1791
• Rosedale  1803
• Sterling  1803
• Submission  1803
• Thornhill  1803
• Tunis  1791
• Walbridge  1803
• Waterfield  1803

4. Secular Songs

• The Close of the Year  1791
• Brandon  1791

 

LIST BY FIRST LINE

Adieu to earth with all your joy Alas, how fast our moments fly Alas, the brittle clay All ye bright armies of the skies All-glorious God, what hymns of praise Almighty God! to thee And can this mighty King And let this feeble body fail And why will God neglect my call Angels, roll the rock away Awake, my soul, to sound his praise Behold the friend of sinners dies Behold the glories of the Lamb Blest are the souls that hear and know Blest is the man, forever blest Dear Lord! behold our sore distress Death, like an overflowing stream Deep in our hearts let us record Eternal power! whose high abode Farewell! A sad, a long farewell Far from my thoughts, vain world, begone Give thanks to God most high Glory to God the Father's name

God of my mercy and my praise Great God, while nature speaks thy praise Great Shepherd of thine Israel Hard heart of mine, O that the Lord Have mercy, Lord, on me Hear what the voice from heaven declares How shall the young secure their hearts I'll praise my Maker with my breath Indulgent God, with pitying eye In vain we lavish out our lives Jesus the Lord forever reigns Jesus, with all the saints above Let God the Father live Life is the time to serve the Lord Lo, he comes, in clouds descending Lord, hear the voice of my complaint Lord, if thou dost not soon appear Lord, thou hast seen my soul sincere Lord, thou wilt hear me when I pray Lord, we have heard thy works of old My sorrows, like a flood My thoughts surmount these lower skies My trust is in my heavenly Friend

Naked as from the earth we came No more, my God, I boast no more No sleep nor slumber to his eyes No songs of triumph now be sung Now let our lips with holy fear Now let the Lord my Savior smile Now plead my cause, almighty God O all ye nations, praise the Lord O blessed souls are they O God of mercy, hear my cry O how distressing was the scene O Lord, to our request give ear O! the delights, the heavenly joys Praise waiteth for thee Praise ye the Lord, our God to praise Praise ye the Lord, our God to praise Shall we go on to sin Shout to the Lord, and let our joys Show pity, Lord, O Lord, forgive Sing to the Lord Jehovah's name Sing the triumphs of your conquering Sing to the Lord Jehovah's name So fly our months and years

Stoop down, my thoughts, that use to rise The God of mercy be adored The Lord Jehovah reigns The Lord, the Sovereign, sends The scattered clouds are fled at last This is the day when Christ arose This spacious earth is all the Lord's Though troubles assail Thou sacred one, almighty three Thou wilt reveal the paths of life Thus saith the Ruler of the skies Thy pardoning love, so free, so sweet Thy wonted goodness, Lord, repeat Too mean this little globe for me What is our God, or what his name When shall the sovereign grace Why will ye die, O wretched man Ye heavens, with sounds of triumph ring Ye that delight to serve the Lord Ye that obey the immortal King

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Publications

• Holyoke, Samuel. 1791. Harmonia Americana. Boston, Massachusetts: Isaiah Thomas and Ebenezer T. Andrews. 120 pp.
• Holyoke, Samuel. 1800. Hark! from the Tombs, etc., and Beneath the Honors, etc. … for the Memory of our Beloved Washington. Exeter, New Hampshire: Henry Ranlet. 12 pp.
• Holyoke, Samuel, 1803. The Columbian Repository of Sacred Harmony. Exeter, New Hampshire: Henry Ranlet. 472 pp.
• Holyoke, Samuel. 1804. The Christian Harmonist. Salem, Massachusetts: Joshua Cushing. 199 pp.
• Holyoke, Samuel. 1807. The Vocal Companion. Exeter, New Hampshire: Norris and Sawyer. 176 pp.

External links

Scans of books by Samuel Holyoke at IMSLP

References

• Anonymous. 1802. The Essex Harmony, Part II. Salem: Joshua Cushing. 99 pp.
• Britton, Allen P.; Irving Lowens; and Richard Crawford. 1990. American Sacred Music Imprints 1698-1810: A Bibiography. Worcester, Massachusetts: American Antiquarian Society. 798 pp.
• Eskew, Harry; and Karl Kroeger. 1998. Samuel Holyoke (1762-1820) and Jacob Kimball (1761-1826): Selected Works. New York, New York: Garland. 256 pp.
• Gram, Hans; Samuel Holyoke; and Oliver Holden. 1795. The Massachusetts Compiler of Theoretical and Practical Elements of Sacred Vocal Music. Boston: Isaiah Thomas and Ebenezer T. Andrews. 71 pp.
• Mann, Elias, Compiler. The Northampton Collection of Sacred Harmony. Northampton: Daniel Wright. 139 pp.
• Ranlet, Henry, Compiler. 1796. The Village Harmony, or Youth’s Assistant to Sacred Music, Second Edition. Exeter: Henry Ranlet. 187 pp.
• Ranlet, Henry, Compiler. 1797. The Village Harmony, or Youth’s Assistant to Sacred Music, Third Edition. Exeter: Henry Ranlet. 197 pp.
• Steel, David Warren; and Richard H. Hulan. 2010. The Makers of The Sacred Harp. Urbana, Illinois. University of Illinois. 322 pp.