Samuel Babcock

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Life

Born: 18 February 1760

Died: 23 November 1813

Biography

Samuel Babcock was an early American composer of sacred music. He was born in Milton, MassachusettsLink to the English Wikipedia article, and spent most of his working life as a hatter in WatertownLink to the English Wikipedia article. In March 1813, he enlisted in the artillery company under Rufus McIntireLink to the English Wikipedia article (in the War of 1812Link to the English Wikipedia article): he died in November of the same year from a fever, at French Mills, New YorkLink to the English Wikipedia article.

Babcock's musical works were mainly published in his own collection The Middlesex Harmony: the first edition of this work was published in 1795, and an enlarged second edition was published in 1803. In addition, some of Babcock's music was published in collections compiled by others, including Daniel Belknap's The Evangelical Harmony (1800).

Sampsel (2009) has suggested that "the few pieces first printed with the ambiguous attribution 'Babcock' are very likely by Lemuel Babcock," Samuel's older cousin.

List of choral works

LISTED BY TITLE

1. Psalm-Tunes

3. Set Pieces

2. Anthems

LISTED BY FIRST LINE

 
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Publications

  • Babcock, Samuel. 1795. The Middlesex Harmony, Being an Original Composition of Sacred Music in Three and Four Parts. Boston: Isaiah Thomas and Ebenezer T. Andrews. 56 pp.
  • Babcock, Samuel. 1803. The Middlesex Harmony, Second Edition. Boston: Isaiah Thomas and Ebenezer T. Andrews. 110 pp.

References

  • Sampsel, Laurie J., Editor. 1999. Samuel Babcock (ca. 1760-1813): The Collected Works. Garland Publishing, 184 pp. Reprinted 2014 by Routledge, New York.
  • Sampsel, Laurie J. 2009. Samuel Babcock (1760-1813), Archetypal Psalmodist of the First New England School of Composers. Ph. D. Thesis, University of Pittsburgh, 430 pp.

External links