AZARIAH FOBES
Azariah Fobes (b. Bridgewater, Mass., 28 Oct. 1770; d. Anne Arundel County, Md., 16 Nov. 1824) was a singing master. On 30 Oct. 1794 Fobes married Olive Leach of Bridgewater in Middleborough, Massachusetts. By 1796, when the first of the couple's eight children was born, they had apparently left Bridgewater, for none of their offspring were born there. Fobes's only tunebook (1809) lists him as a 'teacher of psalmody, in Wilmington, Delaware, and a memo in the Fobes genealogy says he taught singing in Philadelphia, Washington, and Georgetown as well.
Bio-bib. Also Fobes n.d. Marriage date from Bridgewater Records 1916, p. 133; birth not listed in vol. 1 or 2 of Bridgewater Records 1916.
THE DELAWARE HARMONY, 1809
ASMI 191
The Delaware Harmony: a collection of psalm and hymn tunes, from the most approved authors: together with several tunes never before published: containing the rudiments of music on a plain and concise plan. By Azariah Fobes, teacher of psalmody, in Wilmington.
And they sung together by course, in praising and giving thanks to the Lord. Ezra, Chap. iii, Verse 10.
Philadelphia: printed and sold by W. M'Culloch, No. 306, Market-Street: sold also by the publisher, Wilmington. M,DCCC, IX.
6 p., 11., [7]-100 p. 13.5 x 22.5 cm. Leaf engraved.
Copyright granted, 10 Dec. 1808, District of Delaware, to Fobes as author. That notice (but with date of 10 Nov. 1808), reprinted in Wilmington Museum of Delaware, 14 Jan. 1809, and in later issues to 11 Feb., but no specific notice of publication has been found. p. [1], t-p.; p. [2] blank; p. [3], 'Preface'; p. [4], copyright notice; p. [5]-6, 'Index'; 1. recto & verso, "The Gamut'; p. [7]-12, 'The Rudiments of Psalmody'; p. 13, two hymn texts; p. 14, 'General Observations on Singing'; p. 15-16, 'Lessons'; p. 17-100, music. "The principal design of the Compiler in collecting the following sheets has been to form a school-book containing tunes calculated for public worship. Having often been called upon to sing, in different worshiping societies, where particular metres are commonly in use, he has had frequently to sing a hymn almost or entirely alone. Therefore he has selected one or more approved tunes for each of the particular metres most frequently used, which he now presents to a generous public, without comment.' (Extract from Preface.)
105 compositions for 3 & 4 voices; full text. Attribs. to Babcock (3), Belcher (2), Benham, Billings (9), Deolph, Doolittle, Fisher, Goff, Grealy (7), Hall (2), Holden (5), Holyoke (4), Jenks, Maxim (3), Munson (3), Parmeter, Read (11), Ripley, Slone [Stone], Stone (3), Sumner, Swan (3), West (4), Williams, Wood (3).18 1st pr. identified (ANTIPHONE, DEITY, ESSEX, FUTURITY, JUBIL'S TRUMP, MILFORD NEW, PARADISE, SPRING), also 4 1st Am. pr. (ENTREATY, INVITATION, NEW CASTLE, RELIANCE). 85 American compositions, 12 non-American, 8 unidentified [ENTREATY, INVITATION, LIVONIA, MILES LANE NEW, NEW CASTLE, OXFORD, RELIANCE, VERMONT] (72 attrib. Americans, 13 traced; 1 attrib. non-American, 11 traced [BRISTOL, FEVERSHAM, HARWICH, KIBWORTH, LEONI, NEW SABBATH, PORTUGAL, PSALM 112, ST. CLAVES, SHOEL, TRURO]).
13 Core Repertory.
S17517 (MWA). DeWI, ICN, InU, MWA (front matter inc.), NN* (b.w. Adgate, Philadelphia Harmony, 8th ed., 1803), PP.
NOTE: Fobes's The Delaware Harmony appeared again after 1810 in a second edition (Philadelphia: W. M'Culloch, 1814).
ASMI pp. 274-275.