b. 1771d. 1815
Daniel Belknap
An early American composer and book compiler, Daniel Belknap was one of the first American composers to write secular songs.
About
Born in Massachusetts, Belknap was a farmer and mechanic by trade, but also attended singing school from the age of 18.
Most of his 85 known compositions were published in tune books. Of particular note is Belknap’s devotion to an American musical idiom devoid of influence that comes from European training. His 1797 The Harmonist’s Companion demonstrates this unique quality, and many of his compilations are devoted solely to American music.
Belknap’s only known instrumental composition, Belknap’s March, was published in 1809 in The Middlesex Songster.
–Christie Finn
Related Information
Wikipedia: Daniel Belknap
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_BelknapRecords
2005
Under an American Sky
Daniel Belknap, Charles Ives, William Grant Still
Books
Daniel Belknap (1771-1815): The Collected Works (Music of the New American Nation: Sacred Music from 1780 to 1820)
Daniel Belknap
Sheet Music