JAMES TURNER
James Turner (fl. Boston, ca. 1744-52 or longer; d. Philadelphia, Pa., ca. Dec. 1759) was an engraver and silversmith. He was active in Boston, advertising himself in 1745 as a 'Silversmith & Engraver.' The collection of psalm tunes he brought out there in 1752 is his only known involvement in music. He moved to Philadelphia by 1758 and worked as an engraver, dying the next year from smallpox.
Bio-bib. Also Stauffer 1907, p. 278-79; Wolfe 1980, p. 133n., which assigns to the fall of 1743 Turner's business advertisement from the Boston Evening-Post that actually appeared in the issue of 24 June 1745. Death reported in Boston Evening-Post, 10 Dec. 1759.
A COLLECTION OF PSALM-TUNES, 1752
This item is an untitled tune supplement designed to be bound at the back of a metrical psalter. It was apparently prepared for binding with John Barnard, A New Version of the Psalms of David (Boston: J. Draper for T. Leverett, 1752); of the seven copies located, five are bound with copies of Barnard.
ASMI 502
[A Collection of Psalm-Tunes, with an introduction 'To learn to sing.' Across the bottom of p. 1-2 is the imprint:] Engrav'd printed & sold by James A. Turner near the town house-Boston 1752.
16 numbered 1.16 x 9.5 cm. Engraved throughout by Turner; printed on alternate facing versos & rectos.
Boston Weekly News Letter, 1 March 1753, advertises Barnard's A New Version 'With a Sett of Tunes neatly engraven' as just published. L. 1, instructions & rudiments, headed 'To learn to sing, observe these Rules'; 1. 2-16, music.
49 compositions for 3 voices; textless. No attribs. 10 1st Am. pr. identified (BRISTOL, COMMUNION HYMN, CONSECRATION HYMN, HUMPHREY'S, MARBLEHEAD, PSALMS 51 NEW, 108, QUERCY, ST. EDMUND'S, TE DEUM). 12 American tunes (Anthem, SOUTHWELL NEW), 41 traced to non-American sources, 6 unidentified (BRISTOL, CоOMMUNION HYMN, MARBLEHEAD, PSALM 51 NEW, PSALM 108, TE DEUM).
15 Core Repertory.
E6820 (MWA). CtHC (w. Barnard, 1752), MB (2; 1 b.w. Barnard; 1 b.w. Brady and Tate, New Version, without t-p.), MHi (2; 1 b.w. Barnard; 1 b.w. Brady and Tate, 1754), MWA* (2; 1 b.w. Barnard), NN (b.w. Barnard).
ASMI p. 590.