Jacob French

Life

Born: 15 July 1754, Stoughton, Massachusetts

Died: May 1817, Simsbury, Connecticut

Biography

Jacob French was an American composer, singing master, farmer, and compiler of music books in the last half of the eighteenth century, and shortly into the nineteenth. In 1774 he attended a singing school taught by William Billings in Stoughton. He served several times in the Continental Army between 1775 and 1781. He apparently was a singing school master in several towns in Massachusetts during the last part of the century. He was the compiler of three tune books, and many of his songs were printed by other compilers.

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List of choral works

• For works at CPDL sorted alphabetically by title, see Jacob French compositions

1. Psalm-Tunes

• Abyssinia (Jacob French)
• Annapolis (Jacob French)
• Ascension (Jacob French)
• Aspiration (Jacob French)
• Association (Jacob French)
• Athens (Jacob French)
• Attention (Jacob French)
• Babel (Jacob French)
• Babylon (Jacob French)
• Baggaduce (Jacob French)
• Beauty (Jacob French)
• Belgorod (Jacob French)
• Bellingham (Jacob French)
• Berwick (Jacob French)
• Bethany (Jacob French)
• Buxton (Jacob French)
• Caelestis (Jacob French)
• Carolina (Jacob French)
• Castile (Jacob French)
• Castle Island (Jacob French)
• China (Jacob French)
• Christianity (Jacob French)
• Colchester (Jacob French)
• Communion (Jacob French)
• Connecticut (Jacob French)
• Conviction (Jacob French)
• Coventry (Jacob French)
• Creation (Jacob French)
• Dauphin (Jacob French)
• Declaration (Jacob French)
• Delley (Jacob French)
• Devotion (Jacob French)
• Dissolution (Jacob French)
• Dormant (Jacob French)
• Eastford (Jacob French)
• Exhortation (Jacob French)
• Fairhaven (Jacob French)
• Farmington (Jacob French)
• Farnum (Jacob French)
• Funeral Hymn (Jacob French)
• Gratitude (Jacob French)
• Hollowall (Jacob French)
• Inspiration (Jacob French)
• Italy (Jacob French)
• Jerusalem (Jacob French)
• Lamentation (Jacob French)
• Massachusetts (Jacob French)
• Merrifield (Jacob French)
• Messiah (Jacob French)
• Middlesex (Jacob French)
• Minden (Jacob French)
• Monmouth (Jacob French)
• Mount Vernon (Jacob French)
• North Bolton (Jacob French)
• Northampton (Jacob French)
• Oakhampton (Jacob French)
• Ohio (Jacob French)
• Pawtuxet (Jacob French)
• Persepolis (Jacob French)
• Persia (Jacob French)
• Philadelphia New (Jacob French)
• Pilgrim's Farewell (Jacob French)
• Preparation (Jacob French)
• Proclamation (Jacob French)
• Providence (Jacob French)
• Queensborough (Jacob French)
• Reception (Jacob French)
• Relley (Jacob French)
• Resolution (Jacob French)
• Resurrection (Jacob French)
• Russell (Jacob French)
• The Sabbath (Jacob French)
• Sunderland (Jacob French)
• Supplication (Jacob French)
• Syena (Jacob French)
• Terror (Jacob French)
• Vanity (Jacob French)
• Venice (Jacob French)
• Winthrop (Jacob French)

2. Anthems

• An Anthem for Ordination (Jacob French)
• Dedication Anthem (Jacob French)
• The Fall of Babylon (Jacob French)
• Farewell (Jacob French)
• The Heavenly Vision (Jacob French)
• Lamentation for Jerusalem (Jacob French)
• Rebellion (Jacob French)
• Righteous art thou, O Lord (Jacob French)
• Thanksgiving Anthem (Jacob French)

3. Set pieces

• Annapolis (Jacob French)
• Ascension (Jacob French)
• Babel (Jacob French)
• Belgorod (Jacob French)
• Bellingham (Jacob French)
• Christianity (Jacob French)
• Communion (Jacob French)
• Conviction (Jacob French)
• Devotion (Jacob French)
• Eastford (Jacob French)
• Exhortation (Jacob French)
• Gratitude (Jacob French)
• Inspiration (Jacob French)
• Lamentation (Jacob French)
• Merrifield (Jacob French)
• Mount Vernon (Jacob French)
• North Bolton (Jacob French)
• Pawtuxet (Jacob French)
• Philadelphia New (Jacob French)
• Proclamation (Jacob French)
• Reception (Jacob French)
• Relley (Jacob French)
• The Sabbath (Jacob French)
• Supplication (Jacob French)
• Winthrop (Jacob French)

4. Secular Songs

• Association (Jacob French)
• Attention (Jacob French)
• Spring (Jacob French)

 

LISTED BY FIRST LINE

Alas, my aching heart Along the banks where Babel's current flows And is the lovely shadow fled And now the scales have left mine eyes Awake, my soul, and with the sun Be merciful, O God, to me Blest is the man whose piercing mind Broad is the road that leads to death Come, dearest Lord, descend and dwell Come, let us sing unto the Lord Come, let us sing unto the Lord Content, thou dear desire of all our desires Death! 'Tis a melancholy day Down headlong from their native skies Father, we wait to feel thy grace Give thanks aloud to God God in the great assembly stands Great God, attend, while Zion sings Great God, the heavens' well-ordered frame Great God, whom heavenly hosts obey

Greatly beloved Hail the day that saw him rise Hark! from the tombs a doleful sound Hear, O heavens Hence from my soul, my sins, depart He reigns! the Lord, the Savior reigns He reigns! the Lord, the Savior reigns How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord I beheld and lo! a great multitude I in the burying place may see Jesus is gone above the skies Let sinners take their course Let those who bear the Christian name Lift up your heads, O ye gates Lo! what a glorious sight appears Man has a soul of vast desires Mourn, mourn ye saints, as if you see My friends, I am going a long and tedious My lot is fallen in that blest land No sleep nor slumber to his eyes Now after these things

O all ye nations, praise the Lord O come, loud anthems let us sing O, if my soul were formed for woe O Israel's shepherd, Joseph's guide O Jesus my hope O praise the Lord with one consent O sing unto the Lord Often I seek my Lord by night Our days, alas! our mortal days Rejoice, ye shining worlds on high Rise, my soul, and stretch thy wings Show pity, Lord, O Lord, forgive Silent I waited with long-suffering love Sing to the Lord a new-made song Sleep! downy sleep! come close my eyes Some trust in horses trained for war Speak, O ye judges of the earth Sweet is the day of sacred rest Teach me the measure of my days Teach us, O Lord, how frail is man

The joyful day is coming on There was an hour when Christ rejoiced The sun may set beyond the main Touch, heavenly Word, O touch We are a garden walled around Weary world, when will it end Welcome, sweet day of rest Welcome, sweet day of rest What if the saint must die What shall I render to my God When God revealed his gracious name When marching to thy blest abode Whom then in heaven, but thee alone Why do we mourn departing friends Why dost thou sit solitary Ye nations round the world, rejoice Ye sons of Adam, vain and young

Publications

• French. Jacob. 1789. The New American Melody. Boston: John Norman. 100 pp.
• French, Jacob. 1793. The Psalmodist's Companion. Worcester, Massachusetts: Leonard Worcester and Isaiah Thomas.
• French, Jacob. 1802. Harmony of Harmony. Northampton, Massachusetts: Andrew Wright.

References

• Britton, Allen P.; Irving Lowens; and Richard Crawford. 1990. American Sacred Music Imprints 1698-1810: A Bibliography. Worcester, Massachusetts: American Antiquarian Society. 798 pp.
• Jones, Daniel C. L. 1998. Jacob French (1754-1817): The Collected Works. New York, New York: Garland Publishing. 331 pp.

External links

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