"A Dedication Concert"
In honor of the 100th Anniversary
of Stoughton Town Hall,
dedicated in 1881,
there was a Centennial Celebration
held there on Sunday, November 22, 1981,
in a program
led by Centennial Chairman, Roger Hall,
with speeches and prayers.
The day ended with the 195th Annual Concert
of
The Old Stoughton Musical Society -
America's oldest choral society
"A Dedication Concert"
Soloists:
Karen Pritchard, soprano
Jan Guillemette, soprano
Meredith Lays, mezzo-soprano
Peter Bradstreet, tenor
David Benjamin, bass
Old Stoughton Musical Chorus
Kenneth Yates, organist and pianist
Roger Hall, conductor
From the 1981 concert program with description from the
the OSMS Christmas Concert held on December 26, 1881:
"Under the gaslight, Stoughton's Town Hall presented a beautiful appearance. The ceiling is octagon in shape and the hall is lighted from the rotunda, aided by a strong reflector...The building is an ornament to the town,
and the people of Stoughton are proud of it.
When the hour for opening arrived, there were upwards of two hundred singers in the chorus seats, an orchestra of twenty pieces, a piano, and a large audience present...The Society was well pleased with this...and look forward to the next concert with much interest."
Audio album:
1. Concert announcement on "Music America" with Ron Della Chiesa on WGBH-FM in Boston.
2. National Anthem: The Star Spangled Banner (19th century choral version) –
Old Stoughton Musical Society (OSMS) Chorus
18th Century Composers:
3. +Anthem of Praise (1794)- Supply Belcher, born in Stoughton -
OSMS Chorus
4. Anthem For Thanksgiving (1794) -
William Billings from Boston
who taught a singing school in Stoughton in 1774
OSMS Soloists and Chorus
5. +Anthem: Behold, He Is My Salvation (1783) - William Selby from Boston
- OSMS Soloists and Chorus
Edwin Arthur Jones, 19th Century Stoughton Composer:
6. +Air: Savior, Like m Shepherd Lead Us -
Meredith Lays, mezzo-soprano
7. +Recitative: And When All Things/
Air: Immortal Honor -
Peter Bradstreet, tenor
8. +Quartet: In Heavenly Love Abiding -
Karen Pritchard,
Meredith Lays, Peter Bradstreet, David Benjamin
9. +Chorus: The Lord is King - OSMS Soloists and Chorus
Nos. 6-9 from the oratorio by E.A. Jones, EASTER CONCERT (published in Boston in 1890)
20th Century American Composers:
10. In Memorian: Let Down The Bars, O Death - Samuel Barber, 1942
(In memory of Samuel Barber, 1910-1981) - OSMS Chorus
11. +Peace - poem: Esther Talbot, 1814/
music: Roger Hall, 1981
FIRST CONCERT PERFORMANCE
Karen Pritchard, soprano soloist and OSMS Chorus
Read about how this poem was discovered and set to music --
go here
Audience Sing-Along with the OSMS Chorus:
12. My Country 'Tis Of Thee (1831)
13. Battle Hymn of the Republic (1862)
14. Prayer of Thanksgiving: We Gather Together (1894)
To listen to this song -- click here
15. Auld Lang Syne (New England version, 1855)
+ = First recording
Note: "The Gift Outright" with words by Robert Frost
and music by Randall Thompson was performed in this concert
in
memory
of US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy (died: November 22, 1963)
but that music was not recorded for this album.
For Historians, Singers, Researchers, Teachers,
and anyone interested in
American history!
Learn about the oldest choral society
in the United States of America,
organized on November 7, 1786
before
the U.S. Constitution was written!
Order your copy of "Dedication" -- go here
See also this special CD-ROM...
"Musick in Old Boston"
Music by William Billings, Dudley Buck, George W. Chadwick,
E.A. Jones and others -
celebrating the 350th Anniversary of the City of Boston in 1980
including a special concert in Boston
and the premiere of a Jubilee 350 song, "O Boston"
with the Old Stoughton Musical Society Chorus,
conducted by Roger Hall
American Music Preservation
American Music Recordings Archive [AMRA]
American Music Research Editions [AMRE]
New England Heritage Music [NEHM]
Old Stoughton Musical Society
Old Stoughton Musical Society (Official Site)
If you have any questions, write to:
Dedication Concert
