The Grounds and Rules of Musick Explained (Thomas Walter)

General information

Title: The Grounds and Rules of Musick Explained

Full title: The Grounds and Rules of Musick Explained: Or, An Introduction to the Art of Singing by Note Fitted to the Meanest Capacities

Editor – Compiler: Thomas Walter

Publications using VolumesEditions

1 – Published 1721 – by J. Franklin for S. Gerrish in Boston; 24 tunes; reprinted in 1723 (Ed. 2) and 1746 (Ed. a)

2 – Published 1723 – by J. Franklin for S. Gerrish in Boston; 24 tunes, identical tunes as Ed. 1

3 – Published 1740 – by J. Draper for S. Gerrish in Boston; 38 tunes

b – Published 1759 – by Benjamin Mecom for Thomas Johnston in Boston; 32 tunes; reprinted in 1760 (Ed. d)

c – Published 1759 – by Benjamin Mecom for Thomas Johnston in Boston; 40 tunes; reprinted in 1760 (Ed. e) by Mecom, and in 1764 (Eds. f and g) by Johnston

h – Published 1765 – by Thomas Johnston in Boston; 53 tunes

i – Published 1766 – by Thomas Johnston in Boston; 66 tunes, 1 anthem, 1 canon

Description: One of the earliest books of music published in the American colonies. Edition numbering after Nicholas Temperley in The Hymn Tune Index. Some of tunes reprinted in Bayley 1764. Temperley (1997) says that Walter's tune Southwel New from 1721 is the earliest known American composition.

External websites:

• Scan of Edition 1 (1721) at Archive.org
• The Grounds and Rules of Musick Explained (Thomas Walter) at the Petrucci Music Library (IMSLP)
• Scan of Edition a (1746) at Archive.org
• Scan of Edition e (1760) at Archive.org
• Scan of Bayley (1764) at Archive.org
• The Hymn Tune Index

References

• Bayley, Daniel. 1764. A new and complete introduction to the grounds and rules of musick, in two books. Book I. Containing the grounds and rules of musick; or, An introduction to the art of singing by note, taken from Thomas Walter, M.A. Book II. Containing a new and correct introduction to the grounds of musick, rudimental and practical; from William Tans'ur's Royal Melody Complete Newbury, Connecticut: Daniel Bayley.
• Gates, J. Terry. 1988. Samuel Gerrish, Publisher to the "Regular Singing" Movement in 1720s New England. Notes, Second Series 45(1):15-22.
• Temperley, Nicholas. 1997. First Forty: The Earliest American Compositions. American Music 15(1): 1-25.

Works at CPDL

Edition 1 (1721)

Title	Composer	Lyricist	Subgenre	Year	First Line	Meter	Vo.	Voices
Southwell New	Thomas Walter	William Kethe	Psalm-tunes	1721	Behold, and have regard	66. 86 (S.M.)	3	STB