The Continental Harmony

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One of the few important early American composers, William Billings was a primitive, without the insipidity of the lesser Europeans; The Continental Harmony (1774) includes his finest work. Since original editions are rare and expensive, anyone interested in American music will welcome this fine facsimile. Billings, a tanner by trade, unable at first to afford paper, chalked out tunes on leather; in 1774 he started a school which gave rise to the oldest American musical organization.