American Music Recordings Archive (AMRA)

To help preserve American music from the past through recordings

 

The AMRA Director is musicologist and music preservationist, Roger L. Hall.

It was established to help preserve American music history

by making available audio recordings.

The material has been collected from an extensive private collection

of LP albums, audio tapes, CDs, and related music materials.

See the weblinks below for links to recordings and related information.

 

 

The American Music Recordings Archive (AMRA) was established in 2009

on the 250th anniversary of the first American classical song,

"My Days Have Been So Wondrous Free."

 

 

It has been updated with four main categories of music:

 

 

Classical Music

 

Film Music

 

 

 

 

Popular Songs

 

 

 

Music of the Shakers

 

 

 

See these music listings in the AMRA collection:

 

American Music Recordings Collection (AMRC)
a listing of over 50 recordings -- click here

 

Essential American Recordings Survey (EARS)
a listing of 200 recordings -- click here

Multimedia American Music Series (MAMS)
-- click here

 

Preserving American Music Series (PAMS)
-- click here

 

 

 

 

 

 

Classical Music

 

The earliest known tune written in America is "100 Psalm Tune New"

from the 1720s.

That tune is included on

 

AMRC CD 0041:
"Shout to Jehovah" - Music of the Pilgrims, Puritans, Indians, Tunesmiths

 

 

The first American classical song was written in 1759 by Francis Hopkinson.

That tune is available along with other music on AMRC CD 0015:

"My Days Have Been so Wondrous Free" - Songs by Francis Hopkinson

 

 

 

One of the first popular patriotic songs was "Chester"

written during the American Revolution

by America's first prominent song composer, William Billings.

 

 

 

Help Celebrate the 250th Anniversary of

The American Revolution with songs from that era,

including "Chester" and

an original version of "Yankee Doodle" from about 1776

 

 

"Yankee Doodle" - American Patriotic Song Quartet

 

Read about the oldest continuous singing society in the USA, organized in 1786

Singing Stoughton!

 

 

American Music Recordings Collection (AMRC)

An archive of recordings available to musicians, teachers,

historians, researchers, students, and interested listeners.

 

The recordings from AMRA consist mostly of hard-to-find recordings of

classical music, film music, folk music, and popular songs.

 

 

 

 

 

AMRC CDs with music by earlier American composers

 

Amy Cheney Beach (0040)

 

George W. Chadiwck (0010), Edwin A. Jones (0029, 0030), Dudley Buck (0003)

 

The year 2024 marked the 150th anniversary of the birth of

American composer, Charles Edward Ives, born in Danbury, Connecticut

on October 20, 1874.

There are several early choral works by Ives in the AMRA collection

performed by The Old Stoughton Musical Society Chorus (OSMS)

on this AMRC CD 0003 --

"Praise Ye The Lord" - Music by Six Earlier American Composers

 

 

 

Listen to music from many American locations

click here

 

Shaker Music

 

 

The first Shakers arrived in America from England in 1774.

Over the next two centuries they composed

thousands of anthems, hymns and songs,

more than any communal sect in America.

Their earliest existing songs in America are from the 1780s

and their last known song was composed in 1959.

Some of the earliest religious music composed by women in America

was by the Shakers, including their most revered spiritual leader,

Mother Ann Lee (1736-1784).

One of her songs is included on this multimedia collection

with 100 audio examples and 10 videos:

 

 

 

2024 marked the 50th anniversary of American composer, Aaron Copland,

meeting several Shakers for the only time in Shaker Heights, Ohio,

introduced by Roger Hall. See his Zoom program

now available on YouTube titled:

"Tis the gift to be simple" - Aaron Copland Meets the Shakers in Shaker Heights"

It was co-sponsored by the Shaker Historical Society

and Shaker Heights Public Library.

Here is a book and CD including the Aaron Copland interview

speaking about his arrangements of the Shaker song, "Simple Gifts"

also information from Shaker singers speaking about their music.

  

 

Read about this beautiful religious dance song--

"Simple Gifts" (aka" Tis the gift to be simple)

written by Elder Joseph Brackett in Maine.

 

Read about music of the American Shakers -- here

 

 

 

Popular Songs

 

Here are two albums from the American Music Recordings Collection (AMRC) :

"Glory, Hallelujah" - Songs and Hymns of the Civil War Era (AMRC 0014)

 

"Swanee" - A Century o American Song, 1819-1919 (AMRC 0011)

 

"It's Magic - Sammy Cahn Centennial Concert

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Film Music

See the series with radio programs about these film composers:

Aaron Copland, Bernard Herrmann, Henry Mancini, Virgil Thomson. John Williams

See the latest edition of this popular ebook

 

 

 

Here is a long-running e-zine ideal for teachers, students, reviewers

and film lovers --

Film Music Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See the videos on the AMRA channel on YouTube -- click here

 

 

Roger Hall is Director of both AMRA and this educational service

Center for American Music Preservation (CAMP).

 

He is a musicologist and ASCAP composer with over 100 music compositions.

Read about his music compositions at PineTree Music (PTM)

Read about his collections in PineTree Music Editions (PTME)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you interested in sponsoring a webinar for your educational institution

or discussion group?

Here are several topics available --

"Goin' Home" - Remembering Music From Your Past

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Tis the gift to be simple" - The Story of SIMPLE GIFTS

This ebook is available -- here

 

See the complete list of music lectures and workshops available -- here