Jacob French

Life

Born: 15 July 1754, Stoughton, Massachusetts

Died: May 1817, Simsbury, Connecticut

Biography

Jacob French was an American composer, singing master, farmer, and compiler of music books in the last half of the eighteenth century, and shortly into the nineteenth. In 1774 he attended a singing school taught by William Billings in Stoughton. He served several times in the Continental Army between 1775 and 1781. He apparently was a singing school master in several towns in Massachusetts during the last part of the century. He was the compiler of three tune books, and many of his songs were printed by other compilers.

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NOTE. New works added to this page should be automatically placed in the correct position below. Listing by First Line should be added manually.

List of choral works

• For works at CPDL sorted alphabetically by title, see Jacob French compositions

1. Psalm-Tunes

• Abyssinia 1789
• Aspiration 1789
• Association 1802
• Athens 1789
• Attention 1789
• Babylon 1802
• Baggaduce 1789
• Beauty 1789
• Berwick 1786
• Bethany 1789
• Buxton 1789
• Caelestis 1802
• Carolina 1789
• Castile 1789
• Castle Island 1789
• China 1789
• Colchester 1802
• Connecticut 1802
• Coventry 1802
• Creation 1802
• Dauphin 1793
• Declaration 1793
• Delley 1789
• Dissolution 1802
• Dormant 1802
• Fairhaven 1789
• Farmington 1802
• Farnum 1789
• Funeral Hymn 1789
• Hollowall 1789
• Italy 1789
• Jerusalem 1789
• Massachusetts 1789
• Messiah 1802
• Middlesex 1802
• Minden 1802
• Monmouth 1793
• Northampton 1802
• Oakhampton 1789
• Ohio 1789
• Persepolis 1789
• Persia 1789
• Preparation 1789
• Providence 1802
• Queensborough 1789
• Resolution 1789
• Resurrection 1802
• Russell 1789
• Sunderland 1789
• Syena 1789
• Terror 1802
• Vanity 1802
• Venice 1789

2. Anthems

• An Anthem for Ordination 1802
• Dedication Anthem 1789
• The Fall of Babylon 1789
• Farewell 1783
• The Heavenly Vision 1786
• Lamentation for Jerusalem 1789
• Rebellion 1797
• Righteous art thou, O Lord 1789
• Thanksgiving Anthem 1789

3. Set pieces

• Annapolis 1789
• Ascension 1802
• Babel 1789
• Belgorod 1789
• Bellingham 1802
• Christianity 1802
• Communion 1789
• Conviction 1802
• Devotion 1789
• Eastford 1789
• Exhortation 1789
• Gratitude 1802
• Inspiration 1789
• Lamentation 1789
• Merrifield 1789
• Mount Vernon 1802
• North Bolton 1802
• Pawtuxet 1789
• Philadelphia New 1789
• Proclamation 1802
• Reception 1802
• Relley 1789
• The Sabbath 1789
• Supplication 1789
• Winthrop 1802

4. Secular Songs

• Association 1802
• Attention 1789
• Spring 1789

 

LISTED BY FIRST LINE

Alas, my aching heart Along the banks where Babel's current flows And can this mighty King And is the lovely shadow fled And now the scales have left mine eyes Awake, my soul, and with the sun Be merciful, O God, to me Blest is the man whose piercing mind Broad is the road that leads to death Come, dearest Lord, descend and dwell Come, let us sing unto the Lord Come, let us join our cheerful songs Come, let us sing unto the Lord Content, thou dear desire of all our desires Death! 'Tis a melancholy day Descend from heaven, celestial Dove Down headlong from their native skies Father, we wait to feel thy grace Give thanks aloud to God God in the great assembly stands God's temple crowns the holy mount Great God, attend, while Zion sings Great God, the heavens' well-ordered frame Great God, whom heavenly hosts obey Greatly beloved Had not the Lord, may Israel say Hail the day that saw him rise Hark! from the tombs a doleful sound Hear, O heavens

Hence from my soul, my sins, depart He reigns! the Lord, the Savior reigns He reigns! the Lord, the Savior reigns How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord How pleasant 'tis to see I beheld and lo! a great multitude I in the burying place may see Jesus is gone above the skies Let every creature join Let sinners take their course Let those who bear the Christian name Lift up your heads, O ye gates Lo! what a glorious sight appears Man has a soul of vast desires Mark how it snows! How fast the valley fills Mourn, mourn ye saints, as if you see My friends, I am going a long and tedious My lot is fallen in that blest land No sleep nor slumber to his eyes Not to our names, thou only just and true Now after these things O all ye nations, praise the Lord O come, loud anthems let us sing O, if my soul were formed for woe O Israel's shepherd, Joseph's guide O Jesus my hope O praise the Lord with one consent O sing unto the Lord Often I seek my Lord by night Our days, alas! our mortal days

Rejoice, ye shining worlds on high Rise, my soul, and stretch thy wings Show pity, Lord, O Lord, forgive Silent I waited with long-suffering love Sing to the Lord a new-made song Sleep! downy sleep! come close my eyes Some trust in horses trained for war Speak, O ye judges of the earth Sun, moon and stars convey thy praise Sweet is the day of sacred rest Teach me the measure of my days Teach us, O Lord, how frail is man The joyful day is coming on There was an hour when Christ rejoiced The sun may set beyond the main Touch, heavenly Word, O touch Twas by an order from the Lord We are a garden walled around Weary world, when will it end Welcome, sweet day of rest Welcome, sweet day of rest What if the saint must die What shall I render to my God When God revealed his gracious name When marching to thy blest abode Whom then in heaven, but thee alone Why do we mourn departing friends Why dost thou sit solitary Ye nations round the world, rejoice Ye sons of Adam, vain and young

Publications

• French. Jacob. 1789. The New American Melody. Boston: John Norman. 100 pp.
• French, Jacob. 1793. The Psalmodist's Companion. Worcester, Massachusetts: Leonard Worcester and Isaiah Thomas.
• French, Jacob. 1802. Harmony of Harmony. Northampton, Massachusetts: Andrew Wright.

References

• Britton, Allen P.; Irving Lowens; and Richard Crawford. 1990. American Sacred Music Imprints 1698-1810: A Bibliography. Worcester, Massachusetts: American Antiquarian Society. 798 pp.
• Jones, Daniel C. L. 1998. Jacob French (1754-1817): The Collected Works. New York, New York: Garland Publishing. 331 pp.

External links

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