Daniel Read › Tunes

Short Name: Daniel Read
Full Name: Read, Daniel, 1757-1836
Birth Year: 1757
Death Year: 1836

Daniel Read; b. 1757, Rehoboth, Mass.; d. 1837, New Haven, Conn.An American composer and a primary figure in early American classical music. He was one of the “Yankee Tunesmiths” (1st New England School of Music) when classical music was popular in Europe. Read was a private in Massachusetts militia and later a comb maker and owner of a general store in New Haven, CN. He was only the 3rd composer in the U. S. to put out a collection of his own music. His work, “The American Singing Book” went through 5 editions, making him the most popular composer in the nation. Others often plagarized his tunes in those days. Tunebook sales supplemented his general store income, including “The Columbian Harmonist” (3 volumnes) with 3 revisions, and “The New Haven Collection of Sacred Music” 1818. Read also published “The American Musical magazine” in 12 annual issues in 1786 and 1787. In later years he came to appreciate European music more and imitated that styling in devotional music. Some of Read's music is still being performed, and selections have been published in “The Sacred Harp”, 1991 Edition, and the “Stoughton Music Society” (Centennial Collection 1980).

John Perry

Wikipedia Biography

Daniel Read (November 16, 1757 – December 4, 1836) was an American composer of the First New England School, and one of the primary figures in early American classical music.

Tunes by Daniel Read (20)sort ascendingAsInstancesIncipit
WINTER (Read)Reed (Composer)815565 15316 54321
WINDHAMDaniel Read (Composer)15013455 32113 23543
WESTFORD (Read)Daniel Read (Composer)211656 54321 51112
CHARLESTOWNDaniel Read (Composer)212325 32156 71653
SUFFERING SAVIOR (Read)Daniel Read (Composer)211234 54321 15171
STAFFORD (Read)Daniel Read (Composer)551232 14321 53434
SHERBURNE (Read)Daniel Read (Composer)753166 65615 31432
RUSSIA (Read)Daniel Read (Composer)813217 13225 54322
NORWALK Daniel Read (Composer)2
MORTALITY (Read)Read (Composer)415176 54345 65432
LISBON (Read)Daniel Reed (Composer)12816512 33214 32511
BARTIMEUS Daniel Read (Composer)212325 32156 71653
HEDDING (Read)Daniel Read (Composer)333212 35556 33562
GREENWICH (Read)Read (Composer)355175 17121 17176
DEVOTION (Read)Read (Composer)251127 12312 32176
DERBY (Read)Read (Composer)213567 16534 32535
DANBURY (Read)Read (Composer)2
CALVARY (Read)Read (Composer)311512 32343 22543
BARTIMAEUS (Jenks)Daniel Read (Composer)912321 56716 53256
AMITY (Read)Daniel Read (Composer)213127 13215 45532

Data Sources

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