Aaron Williams (composer)


Aaron Williams was a Welsh teacher, composer, and compiler of West Gallery music, active in Britain during the 18th century.

Life

Williams was probably born in Caldicot, Monmouthshire, the son of William Morgan. He served as clerk of the Presbyterian Scots Church, London Wall.

Publications

Williams's publications include:The Universal Psalmodist, 1763
  • , The Royal Melody Complete, 3d ed., Boston, 1767.Royal Harmony; or, The Beauties of Church Music, ca. 1765Psalmody in Miniature, 1769 The New Universal Psalmodist, 1770 An Ode or Anthem for the New Year, 1770Two New Anthems for Christmas-Day, 1770Comfort ye, my people: A new Christmas anthem, 1775British Psalmody, London, ca. 1785
These publications included several fuguing tunes. Six of his anthems were included in Thomas Williams's Harmonia Coelestis.

Influence on early American sacred music

Harmonic idiom

The unorthodox harmonic idiom of the Yankee tunesmiths shows the influence of English composers such as Williams and William Tans'ur:
For the most part the Yankee composer's source of information about harmonic practices derived from the music and writings on music of such comparatively unskilled English composers as William Tans'ur and Aaron Williams, who were themselves somewhat outside the mainstream of European sacred music. Many of the traits that may be thought unique to American psalmodists in fact characterize the compositions of their British cousins too.

In particular, "it is clear that had studied the works of English psalmodists such as William Tansur and Aaron Williams."

St. Thomas

Williams's tune "St. Thomas" was originally the second quarter of his longer "Holborn," published in his Universal Psalmodist and attributed to him based on the statement there, "never before printed." It was first published in its shortened form in Thomas Knibb's The Psalm-Singer's Help, included by Williams in his 1770 New Universal Psalmodist, and printed again in Isaac Smith's A Collection of Psalm Tunes.
In the United States, "St. Thomas" was published in several shape note tunebooks, including the following: