1000 Songs/When Jesus Wept (William Billings)

When Jesus Wept (William Billings)

1000 Songs

Author
William Billings 1746-1800

Translations/Challenges
None (American Hymn)

Tune
When Jesus Wept, in Long Meter

Arrangements
Text with vocal chart here; however second and third stanzas seems to have been added in by another author.

Author biography
Born in Boston in 1746, Billings was a tanner by trade and a self-taught musician. Billings purportedly wrote "the first collection of music entirely by an American" which is called New England Psalm-Singer. Click here for a good website to read about Billings' music career and reflections from other musical authors and articles. It is said (from multiple sources including Wikipedia and this link)that he was described as a gargoyle by others in his time, with him having one eye, a short leg and a withered arm.