PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH

TUNES SUITED TO THE PSALMS AND HYMNS OF THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, 1786


The first General Convention of the American Protestant Episcopal Church, held in Philadelphia in September and October of 1785, appointed a committee to revise the liturgy. The committee's work produced a revision of The Book of Common Prayer, published in Philadelphia in April 1786. Correspondence between the chairman of the committee, Dr. William Smith, and the presiding officer of the convention, Dr. William White, reveals that Francis Hopkinson selected the music for the eight-page tune supplement included in the book. On 17 Jan. 1786 Smith reported to White that some tunes had been selected and that 'Mr. Hopkinson is beginning to copy them for the engraver.' (See Smith 1880, 2, p. 166.) Frequent references to Hopkinson in Smith and White's correspondence in subsequent months show that he was often consulted in matters relating to psalmody and hymnody. (See Smith 1880, 2, p. 172-73, 175, 179, 187, 191.)

ASMI 409 

Tunes Suited to the Psalms and Hymns of the Book of Common Prayer. 

1 p.l., 8 p. 116 x 9 cm. p. 1-8 engraved.

[1786.] This item is a tune supplement bound in at the end of: Protestant Episcopal Church in the U.S., The Book of Common Prayer . . .  revised and proposed to the Use of the Protestant Episcopal Church (Philadelphia: Hall and Sellers, 1786), 358 p., 1 1., 8 p. The larger vol. carries on p. [2] a copyright notice, County of Philadelphia, dated 1 April 1786. p p.l. recto, t-p.; verso blank; p. 1-8, music.

          20 compositions, incl. 2 chants, for 2 voices; textless (1 w. full text). Attrib. to F.H. [Francis Hopkinson]. 1 1st pr. identified [PSALM 96], also 2 1st Am. pr. (PSALM 50 PROPER, SHIPHAM) & 1st Am. pr. of chants. 1 American composition, 14 non-American, 3 unidentified [MORNING HYMN, PSALM 50 PROPER, SHIPHAM] (1 attrib. American; 14 traced to non-Americans; chants untraced).

10 Core Repertory.

          E19940 (MWA). DLC, ICN, MB (2), MWA*, PPL. All b.w. The Book of Common Prayer.

NOTE: The larger work, the 'proposed' Book of Common Prayer, is the subject of Hatchett 1972.

ASMI p. 492.