Supply Belcher

Supply Belcher (March 29, 1751 – June 9, 1836) was an American composer, singer, and compiler of tune books. He was one of the members of the so-called First New England School, a group of mostly self-taught composers who created sacred vocal music for local choirs. He was active first in Lexington, Massachusetts, then eventually moved to Farmington, Maine. Like most of his colleagues, Belcher could not make music his main occupation, and worked as tax assessor, schoolmaster, town clerk, and so on; nevertheless, he was considerably well known for his musical activities and even dubbed 'the Handell [sic] of Maine' by a local newspaper. Most of his works survive in The Harmony of Maine, a collection Belcher published himself in Boston in 1794.

Biography

Belcher was an early American composer in the New England psalmody tradition: he was born in Stoughton, Massachusetts, and later moved to Farmington, Maine. Most of his music was published in his collection The Harmony of Maine (1794).

View the Wikipedia article on Supply Belcher.

 

List of choral works

1. Psalm-Tunes

• Pittston
• Topsham
• When God revealed his gracious name

2. Anthems

• Hail Thou King of saints
• The Power of Musick

2. Secular Music

• The Power of Musick

LIST BY FIRST LINE

• Dearest of all the names above
• Hail Thou King of saints
• Hark! some soft swell pants
• Now may my head be lifted high
• When God revealed his gracious name

 
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Publications

• Belcher, Supply. 1794. The Harmony of Maine, Boston: Isaiah Thomas and Ebenezer T. Andrews. 104 pp.
• Holden, Oliver, Editor. 1797. The Worcester Collection of Sacred Harmony, Sixth Edition. Boston: Isaiah Thomas and Ebenezer T. Andrews. 143 pp.

References

• Davenport, Linda. 1996. Supply Belcher (1751-1836): The Collected Works. New York: Routledge. 144 pp.

External links

• The Harmony of Maine at the Petrucci Music Library (IMSLP)