1000 Songs/When Jesus Wept (William Billings)

When Jesus Wept (William Billings)

1000 Songs

Text

Author

William Billings 1746-1800

Translations/Challenges

None (American Hymn)

Music

Tune

When Jesus Wept, in Long Meter

Arrangements

Text with vocal chart here; however second and third stanzas seems to have been added in by another author.

Background

Author biography

Born in Boston in 1746, Billings was a tanner by trade and a self-taught musician. Billings purportedly wrote "the first collection of music entirely by an American" which is called New England Psalm-Singer. Click here for a good website to read about Billings' music career and reflections from other musical authors and articles. It is said (from multiple sources including Wikipedia and this link)that he was described as a gargoyle by others in his time, with him having one eye, a short leg and a withered arm.

Cultural setting

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