William Tans'ur facts for kids
William Tans'ur (born November 6, 1706, in Dunchurch – died October 7, 1783, in St. Neots) was an English musician. He was known for writing hymns (church songs), composing a type of music called West gallery music, and teaching music. He wrote about 100 hymn tunes and settings for psalms (songs from the Bible). His music textbook, A New Musical Grammar (published in 1746), was very popular even many years after he wrote it.
William Tans'ur's Life Story
William Tans'ur was born in Dunchurch, a town in Warwickshire, England. His father, Edward Tanzer, was a labourer, and his mother was Joan Alibone.
In 1730, William Tans'ur married Elizabeth Butler. They moved to Ewell, which is a town near Epsom. They had at least two sons.
William Tans'ur taught psalmody, which means teaching people how to sing psalms or church songs. He taught in different places in the south-east of England. Later, he moved to St Neots in Cambridgeshire. There, he worked as a bookseller and continued to teach music. He lived in St Neots for the last 40 years of his life.
What William Tans'ur Wrote
William Tans'ur created many musical works and books about music. Here are some of his important publications:
- A Compleat Melody, or The Harmony of Sion, 1734
- The Melody of the Heart, 1737
- Heaven on earth, or the Beauty of Holiness, 1738
- Sacred Mirth, or the Pious Soul's Daily Delight, 1739
- Poetical Meditations, 1740
- The Universal Harmony, containing the Whole Book of Psalms, 1743
- A New Musical Grammar, 1746 – This book taught people how to understand and write music.
- The Royal Melody Compleat, 1754–5 – This book was very popular and had eight different versions. It was even updated and called The American Harmony in 1771.
- The Psalm Singer's Jewel, or Useful Companion to the Book of Psalms, 1760
- Melodia Sacra, or the Devout Psalmist's Musical Companion, 1771
- The Elements of Music Displayed, 1772
How Tans'ur Influenced American Music
William Tans'ur had an impact on early American church music. Some American composers, often called "Yankee tunesmiths," learned from English musicians like Tans'ur. These American composers, including William Billings, studied the works of English psalmodists (people who wrote psalm music) such as William Tans'ur and Aaron Williams. Many musical styles that seem unique to American psalm music actually came from their British relatives.
