tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post271350774404582481..comments2024-03-28T04:26:30.557-05:00Comments on Boston 1775: “The Liberty Song” with a “Set of Notes”Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-9773482916168330362018-02-01T22:44:52.570-05:002018-02-01T22:44:52.570-05:00The M.H.S. and A.A.S. have webpages devoted to the...The M.H.S. and A.A.S. have webpages devoted to the particular documents I referred to in the posting. The Colonial Society doesn’t. Instead, it’s put its entire publication series online, including two volumes of articles on music in colonial Massachusetts, some of them copiously illustrated with period documents and musical scores. So yes, that link can’t lead directly to the image in question. But it’s a resource for people interested in the larger topic.<br /><br />Your analysis of the musical staffs is in accord with mine, but some folks who apparently looked at the original printings (as opposed to digital and photographic images of them) suggested the words were engraved and then rubbed out. J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-37662654341769328742018-02-01T15:05:22.989-05:002018-02-01T15:05:22.989-05:00Based on the appearance of both images -- the one ...Based on the appearance of both images -- the one posted at the top of today's entry, and the "Massachusetts Song of Liberty" from the AAS website -- the lyrics and other words are clearly set in regular type, and are not part of the engraved staves. Text that is part of an engraving has an entirely different appearance; compare the poetic verses at the bottom of Revere's Boston Massacre print.<br /><br />The engraving probably consists of three separate plates, one for each staff. That would be cheaper than engraving the lyrics, and would allow for easily changing the text. After all, this tune was borrowed; it had already been used with other lyrics. No one would have paid an engraver to etch in a text, when there's a likelihood that another parody would be written a few weeks later. The engraved lyrics would be rather permanent; typeset ones could be easily altered.<br /><br />(By the way, the link "image courtesy of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts" leads me to a page with numerous sublinks, some of which have dozens of images on them. I couldn't find this particular image on any of those links, but maybe I just got overwhelmed by trying to scroll down so many pages.)Charles Bahnenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-31224521295591410282018-02-01T13:24:02.357-05:002018-02-01T13:24:02.357-05:00Well, this is from the same period that thought th...Well, this is from the same period that thought the tune of “The Star-Spangled Banner” would be great for men to sing in a tavern after dinner. J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-12838144985342183892018-02-01T10:17:04.231-05:002018-02-01T10:17:04.231-05:00I am surprised to see that this is not the easiest...I am surprised to see that this is not the easiest song to sing: some octave jumps, an unusual downward cadence (E C A, not E C G), and a range of an octave and a half. Why did I think it would it would be simple, like "Love Me Tender" or "Jesus Loves Me"? Was the ordinary person a pretty good singer and music-reader?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com