be. How lavish was I of
encomium on this my infant production! 'Welcome, thrice Welcome, thou
legitimate Offspring of my brain, go forth my little book, go forth and
immortalize the name of your Author: may your sale be rapid and may you
speedily run through ten thousand Editions,' said I, 'Thou art my
Reuben, my first born; the beginning of my Strength, the Excellency of
my Dignity, and the Excellency of my power.' But to my great
mortification I soon discovered it was Reuben in the sequel, and Reuben
all over; I have discovered that many pieces were never worth my
printing or your inspection.

"It is the duty of Christians to praise God publicly by singing of
psalms together in the congregation, and also privately in the family.
In singing of psalms the voice is to be audible and gravely ordered;
but the chief care must be to sing with understanding and with grace in
the heart, making melody unto the Lord. That the whole congregation may
join therein, every one that can read is to have a psalm-book, and all
others not disabled by age or otherwise are to be exhorted to learn to
read. But for the present, where many in the congregation cannot read,
it is convenient that the minister or some fit person to be appinted by
him and the other ruling officers, do read the psalms line by line,
before the singing thereof."

Billings's other publications were "Music in Miniature," "Psalm Singers'
Amusement," "Suffolk Harmony," and "Continental Harmony." Though the
crudest of musical works, for he was entirely unacquainted with harmony
and musical rules, they had an immense influence. He was the pioneer, and
the path he cleared was soon crowded with his successors. The most
prominent of these were Andrew Law, born at Cheshire, Conn., in 1748, who
published many books and taught in most of the New England States; Jacob
Kimball, born at Topsfield, Mass., in 1761, who published the "Rural
Harmony;" Oliver Holden, of Charlestown, Mass., who published the
"American Harmony," "Union Harmony," and "Worcester Collection," and
wrote the favorite tune "Coronation;" Samuel Holyoke, born at Boxford,
Mass., in 1771, author of the "Harmonia Americana" and "Columbian
Repository;" Daniel Reed, born at Rehoboth, Mass., in 1757, who published
the "American Singing-Book" and "Columbian Harmony;" Jacob French, born
at Stoughton, Mass., in 1754, who issued a work entitled "Harmony of
Harmony;" Timothy Swan, bo