Bayley: A New Royal Harmony - The Colonial Singers and Players

Bailey A New Royal Harmony liner notes

Daniel Bayley (1725?-1792?) of Newburyport, Massachusetts, was a potter, music publisher and organist. A New Royal Harmony was the second of two books of anthems and psalm tunes that he published in 1773. Discovered in a barn in the 1930's, A New Royal Harmony survives in only one square-shaped copy at the Library of Congress, and among its twelve anthems and six psalm or hymn tunes (not all presented on this recording) there are several compositions not found in any other eighteenth century American tune books. Perhaps the most startling of these unique pieces are the anthems "bow thine ear O Lord" and "We will rejoice in thy salvation" by English Renaissance composer William Byrd and eighteenth century English cathedral composer William Croft, respectively. Like other American compilers, Bayley drew on several English publications for most of the music in A New Royal Harmony and added a few compositions by Americans. In general, however, his book displays a more sophisticated harmonic and contrapuntal technique than is found in other eighteenth century American compilations, and A New Royal Harmony must be considered an anthology of Anglo-American parish church and cathedral music for choirs with advanced skills.