This dissertation asserts the value of James Lyon's Urania to the field of American music history as a vital contribution to the development of music in the British colonies prior to the War for Independence. While previous scholarship acknowledges Urania's importance as the first publication in America to contain music by a native-born composer, this study argues that its subscription list and selection of anthems (both of which were new to the field of American music publishing) contribute to the status this compilation is due. The confluence of the English chapel tradition and American singing school tradition contributes to the theological universality and accessibility of its twelve anthems. An introductory chapter discusses the secondary literature upon which this study is based - notably that of Oscar Sonneck and Richard Crawford - and posits applications for the idea presented herein beyond the field of musicology. Chapter 2 provides biographical information on James Lyon and contextualizes Urania within the broader framework of the English chapel tradition and the American singing-school tradition. Chapter 3 discusses the marketability of music in colonial America and explores the biographies of the subscribers to Urania using modern databases. Chapter 4 concerns the confluence of music and sacred text by placing Urania as a spiritual and cultural descendant of the theological universality preached during the Great Awakening. It concludes with an analysis of the anthems, taking into account both text and music. Chapter 5 concludes the study by showing how Urania affected music in the generations after its publication. My dissertation concludes with four appendices. Appendix A is an annotated list of Lyon's subscribers. Appendix B parses out basic information on the anthems, notably the texts. Appendices C and D provide critical notes and editions of the anthems, respectively.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc1707400 |
| Date | 08 1900 |
| Creators | La Spata, Adam |
| Contributors | McKnight, Mark, 1951-, Geoffroy-Schwinden, Rebecca Dowd, Ragland, Catherine |
| Publisher | University of North Texas |
| Source Sets | University of North Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | vi, 232 pages : illustrations, music, Text |
| Coverage | 17XX |
| Rights | Public, La Spata, Adam, Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights Reserved. |
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