It was the first book printed in british north america. It was written by rev john cotton to attempt to influence the adoption and universal use of the bay psalm book. The 1640 edition of the bay psalm book is the earliest surviving product of the dayes press, and was immediately adopted by nearly every congregation in massachusetts bay hence the volumes familiar name. The bay psalm book, a collection of sacred music, was in fact the first book published in englishspeaking colonies.
Its early editions are, of course, choice items of americana for. Preface to the 1640 bay psalm book the singing of psalms, though it breath forth nothing but holy harmony, and melody. Despite the puritan love for psalm singing, an inevitable consequence of the use of the. Bay psalm book, byname of the whole booke of psalmes faithfully translated into english metre, 1640, perhaps the oldest book now in existence that was published in british north america. The authentic prose remains lyrical and lovely as it. The sabbath in puritan new england, chapter 12 the reformed. History of the puritans in north america wikipedia. The puritan divines of the massachusetts bay colony set out to produce a translation from the hebrew that was reflective of their unique brand of calvinism and more. Printed in cambridge, massachusetts, on a press set up by stephen day, it included a dissertation on the lawfulness and. It was also meet that the first book published by the puritan theocracy should be a psalmbook. The bay psalm book the first book printed in america.
This is what the puritans would have sung in their churches. The congregationalist puritans who emigrated to massachusetts bay in search of religious freedom quickly set about to translate and produce a version of the book of psalms that was a closer paraphrase of. It was prepared by puritan leaders of the massachusetts bay colony. To help them understand and decode the bible, the puritans listened to sermons at least twice each week. The bay psalm book was the collaborative project of over twelve leading puritan divines and the first publishing venture of the massachusetts colony.
It seems most proper that the first book printed in new england should be now its rarest one, and such is the case. Recently, the new york public library digitized in its entirety one of its great treasures, the 1640 printing of the whole booke of psalmes faithfully translated into english metre. The communal singing of the psalms from the bay psalm book served to instill a strong sense of unity among puritans of the day. Psalm 23 bay psalm book, 1698, by john playford 1623. In 1640 the puritans of massachusetts bay colony printed the bay psalm book. In 1640, within ten years of their arrival in america, the puritans of massachusetts bay produced their first book and printed it on their own press. A london printer, stephen daye, came with the press and established a printing office in cambridge.
Mar 01, 2007 in 1640, they produced the bay psalm book the first book ever published in the american colonies. To the puritans, this great number of new tunes appeared fairly monstrous, and formed the signal for bitter objections and fierce quarrels. Nov 27, 20 the bay psalm book was published in 1640, more than a century and a half after the first gutenberg bibles and 20 years after the pilgrims had landed at plymouth. Published on may 10, 2020 stark old colonial american version of psalm 100, from the massachusetts bay colony bay psalm book of 1640. The bay psalm book 1640 and the new england primer 1683.
That the bay psalm books compilers were aware of this state of affairs can perhaps be inferred from a careful reading of the admonition to the reader added. The volume was the bay psalm booka literary monument of the cultural and religious aspirations of the early settlers of the country. The pastor then preached for an hour or more, and the teacher ended the. Courtesy new york public library the puritans were a varied group of religious reformers who emerged within the church of england during the middle of the sixteenth century. That title highlights the puritan desire for a psalm book that clearly reflected the original hebrew poetry of the psalms. The sabbath in puritan new england, chapter 12 the. This is a good example of the puritan notion of exclusive psalmody singing just the psalms. The bay psalm book, formally titled the whole book of psalmes faithfully translated into english metre 1640, was the first book printed on angloamerican soil. The bay psalm book in 17thcentury new england jstor. The whole booke of psalmes faithfully translated into english.
The puritan translation and printing of the whole booke of psalmes was not simply coincident with the founding of americain a very real way. Dec 02, 20 the key date for the bay psalm books backstory is not 1621 but 1630, the year john winthrop, simon and anne bradstreet, and other puritans arrived in boston harbor on the arbella. The bay psalm book is a metrical psalter first printed in 1640 in cambridge, massachusetts. Sailing the open ocean, the puritans set their night watches with a psalm, and sang loud of gods mercy in the morning. It was written by rev john cotton to attempt to influence the adoption and universal use of the bay psalmbook. The puritan divines of the massachusetts bay colony set out to produce a translation from the hebrew that was reflective of their unique brand of calvinism and more literal than the most popular psalter. For decades, this book set the tone for communal devotion. The 1700 copies of the first edition provided puritans with a plain and familiar translation designed to represent more faithfully the hebrew psalms than did the version used by the. The bay psalm book is a religious and cultural manifesto of the puritan fathers and a towering icon of the founding of the united states. Bay psalm book, 1640, perhaps the oldest book now in existence that was published in british north america. The key date for the bay psalm books backstory is not 1621 but 1630, the year john winthrop, simon and anne bradstreet, and other puritans arrived in boston harbor on the arbella. Bonyfingered bigots, incapable of, and spiteful against, the pleasures and the artstheirs is not an inviting myth. The translations are not particularly polished, and not one has remained in use, although some of the tunes to which they were sung have survived.
Preface to the 1640 bay psalm book reformed theology at a. Puritans are much easier to trace culturally than most other groups. The bay psalm book played a central role in both public services and domestic devotions for over a century, since puritans. Bay psalm book being a facsimile reprint of the first edition, printed by stephen daye at cambridge, in new england in. Bay psalm book to jonathan edwards study guide by ilovesdk25 includes 52 questions covering vocabulary, terms and more. The bay psalm book, as it is known, is essentially sacred text to be sung during the liturgy. The bay psalm book, as this work is commonly known, is the first book printed in british north america. Originally published in 1640 as the whole booke of psalmes faithfully translated into english metre. The bay psalm book was the first book to be printed in north america, twenty years after the arrival of the pilgrims in massachusetts. The bay psalm book offered english translations of the psalms to be sung at church services. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades. Though often the butt of literary critical abuse, the bay psalm book has been recognized as highly artful by the few schol. The sabbath in puritan new england, chapter 15 the. The whole booke of psalmes faithfully translated into.
It was also meet that the first book published by the puritan theocracy should be a psalm book. The book is a metrical psalter, first printed in 1640 in cambridge, massachusetts. Puritan education the instruction and training of children were considered heavy responsibilities, and parents prayed that children would become a source of glory to their lord. However, its production, just 20 years after the pilgrims arrival at plymouth, massachusetts, represents a considerable achievement. Neither cottons essay nor the poems have been attended to by modern critics. The bay psalm book was published in 1640, more than a century and a half after the first gutenberg bibles and 20 years after the pilgrims had landed at plymouth.
Bay psalm book to jonathan edwards flashcards quizlet. Heath anthology of american literaturethe bay psalm book. That the bay psalm book s compilers were aware of this state of affairs can perhaps be inferred from a careful reading of the admonition to the reader added. Certainly, in one respect, the bay psalm books achievement was excep tional. The pastor opened the service with prayer for about 15 minutes, the teacher then read and explained the selected bible passage, and a ruling elder then led in singing a psalm, usually from the bay psalm book. The whole booke of psalmes universally known as the bay psalm book was produced in the virtual wilderness of massachusetts bay colony by the congregationalist puritans who left england in search of religious freedom.
Preface to the 1640 bay psalm book reformed theology at. Psalm 23 bay psalm book, 1698, by john playford 16231686. Bay psalm book offers valuable insight into how colonial divines shaped the ideal of religious purity to fit the cultural, social, and religious circum stances of the new colony. Bay psalm book being a facsimile reprint of the first edition, printed by stephen daye at cambridge, in new england.
Old hundred from the bay psalm book 1640 margaret dodd. The reverend jesse glover imported the first printing press to the massachusetts bay colony in 1638, some 18 years after the first english settlers landed at plymouth rock. Today, only eleven copies are still in existence and fetch as much as fourteen million dollars at auction, making it also the most expensive book in the world. No new nation was ever created as deliberately or as fast as the nation established between 1630 and 1640 by a wave of settlers who selfconsciously established a new england with a distinctive and highly developed intellectual purpose, carried out by a public school system, a national. The following is the preface to the bay psalm book. New york, 12 april 20 on 26 november 20, sothebys new york will auction one of the finest surviving copies of the bay psalm book the first book printed in what is now the united states of america. Of an edition of 1,700 copies, just 11 copies survive, of which this is one of only 6 that retain their original titlepage. The puritan divines of the massachusetts bay colony set out to produce a translation from the hebrew that was reflective of their unique brand of calvinism and more literal than the most popular psalter of the day. The original title was the whole booke of psalms faithfully translated into english metre.
The psalms in it are metrical translations into english. A new poetical translation of the psalms, intended to express the hebrew original, was made by the leading scholars and. In 1647 a tract had appeared on churchsinging which had attracted much attention. Nov 06, 2017 recently, the new york public library digitized in its entirety one of its great treasures, the 1640 printing of the whole booke of psalmes faithfully translated into english metre. These people had been part of the church of england in one way or another but were on their way to what would become congregationalism in new england. The singing of psalms, though it breath forth nothing but holy harmony, and melody. Better known as the bay psalm book, this work is significant in that it was the first book printed in british north america. Father and i went down to camp yankee doodle, 1776. The puritan divines of the massachusetts bay colony set out to produce a translation from the hebrew that was reflective of their unique brand of. Magnolia sets forth the opinion held of it by the puritans of the bay colony in the following words. Tried again and fell into the tune of the 199th psalm. In 1698 the ninth edition of the bay psalm book presented new england with the first music printed in the colonies. Psalm 23 and the bay psalm book the music that shaped. The leaders of puritan churches were quite literate, and books of puritan psalm songs are among the oldest colonial artifacts.
The 1640 cambridge, massachusetts, whole booke of psalmes, or bay psalm book. The bay psalm book s nearest equivalent in england, a psalter by the puritan parliamentarian francis rous, completely failed in its bid, despite official backing, although the scottish kirk did adopt a revised version of it in 1650. In the morning i set york tune and in the second going over the gallery carried it irresistibly to st. Dec 03, 2012 the bay psalm books publication in 1640 came at a time when few could read and write words, never mind musical notation, and there were few copies of the book created to share in churches. Bay psalm book, although it was never so designated on the title page. Yea though in valley of deaths shade i walk none ill ill fear. The bay psalm books nearest equivalent in england, a psalter by the puritan parliamentarian francis rous, completely failed in its bid, despite official backing, although the scottish kirk did adopt a revised version of it in 1650. Tradition has allowed the puritans very little of human understanding or aesthetic cheer. The psalm book, written and printed by the puritans of massachusetts bay colony in 1640, was designed to allow a whole congregation to sing psalms together. Book published in 1640 sets a record at auction the new. The psalm book, written and printed by the puritans of massachusetts bay colony in 1640, was designed to allow a whole congregation to sing psalms together in church and at home. Pilgrims, puritans and tunesmiths amrc 0041 album producer. In 1640, they produced the bay psalm bookthe first book ever published in the american colonies. Ten years after the landing at plymouth the puritans, an aristocratic group of.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Originally, the colonys residents looked to a committee of thirty men led by john eliot, thomas welde, and richard mather to translate all 150 psalms from hebrew into english. As such, puritans developed the practice of lining out the psalmhaving a deacon or clerk read each line of text before it was sung. The bay psalm book the first book printed in america is. The bay psalm books publication in 1640 came at a time when few could read and write words, never mind musical notation, and there were few copies of the book created to share in churches. The authentic prose remains lyrical and lovely as it carries the puritans simple message of gods grace. Nov 19, 2012 the socalled bay psalm book was a project of extraordinary ambition, undertaken by the puritans of massachusetts not long after they crossed the atlantic and began to live around boston. Apr 28, 2010 the first book printed in america was the whole book of psalms or bay psalm book, a metrical version of davids psalms printed in 1640. The socalled bay psalm book was a project of extraordinary ambition, undertaken by the puritans of massachusetts not long after they crossed the atlantic and began to live around boston.
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