Instruments were not allowed, so a bystander would have only heard voices singing simple melodies.Īinsworth wrote about these cultural influences in his Psalm Book: The Ainsworth Psalter, which was used by the Pilgrims until at least 1692, was “prepared for the fugitive congregations of ‘Separatists’ in Holland by Henry Ainsworth and published in Amsterdam in 1612.” The psalms within the book are influenced by the English, Dutch, and French, because Henry Ainsworth was originally from England he moved to Amsterdam, where French and Dutch reformed churches were prominent. These melodies came from a book published in Holland and brought to the Americas by the Pilgrims. Instruments were not allowed, so a bystander would have only heard voices singing simple melodies. So: When, where, and how was music created at Plymouth? So for me, when deciding what to write about for this post, a big question that popped into my head was: What did the Pilgrims sing?Īs the music scholar Waldo Selden Pratt writes, “it is surprising that there is so little intelligent reference to the musical side of Plymouth life… But we do know that song in worship was one of their cherished and characteristic customs.” Although women were not seen singing alone in public at Plymouth, the Pilgrims liked to sing. One of the best ways to learn and understand a culture is through its music. This shouldn’t be a surprise, since music has been a connecting force ( not only for religious reasons ) that has a way of spread ing joy and sorrow. The first book published in North America was a book of hymns.
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