Title: Select harmony : containing the necessary rules of psalmody
Description: T.p. of 1st issue (dated 1783) used with this 2nd issue, probably 1784 (ASMI 131A); imprint information also suggested by ASMI 131A.<br />
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Title page engraved by Isaac Sanford; title information is inset and encircled by a canon for 4 voices, with text beginning "Welcome, welcome ev'ry guest;" rest of t.p. depicts the interior of a meeting house/church, noteworthy for view of the balcony, with male singers on the left, females on the right, leader with pitchpipe in the center, reproduced in NG Dictionary of American music (v. 1, p. 431), as representative of American performance practice of the period.<br />
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Very rare 2nd issue, the only complete copy known of this, or the 1st issue (1783) (J. & J. Lubrano).<br />
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Includes pref., advertisement (prelim. p. 1), "Informing and tuning the voice (prelim. p. 2-3), "General remarks" (prelim. p. 3-4), texts for 6 hymns (prelim. p. 5-6), index (prelim. p. 7), explanation of the gamut, "notes and their proportions", and time signatures (p. 1-4), and the score (p. 5-84).
Subjects: Psalmody; Hymns, English--United States; Anthems; Tune-books