Knowra Lowell Mason Lowell Mason Lowell Mason (1792–1872) was an American music educator and composer who helped establish music instruction in public schools and wrote or arranged many Christian hymns.
Music education in the United States : The teaching and study of music in American schools, colleges, and community institutions. Mason campaigned for classroom instruction that became a model for public-school music programs.
Hymn : A religious song of praise, prayer, or devotion, especially one intended for communal singing. Mason composed and arranged hymns for congregational use.
George James Webb : An English-born American composer, organist, and music educator who collaborated with Lowell Mason in Boston. Webb co-compiled Mason’s influential 1829 church-music collection.
Shape note singing : A system that uses distinct notehead shapes to indicate musical pitches and assist sight-singing. It represents an American teaching tradition that Mason’s more formal school methods differed from.
Boston Public Schools : The public school system serving Boston, Massachusetts. Mason introduced music instruction into Boston schools during the 1830s.
Nearer, My God, to Thee : A Christian hymn written by Sarah Flower Adams in 1841 and commonly sung to Lowell Mason’s tune Bethany. Mason’s tune made this hymn widely recognizable in American worship.
Thomas Hastings : An American composer, hymn writer, and music educator who promoted church music and public instruction. Hastings shared Mason’s work in hymnody and music education, while developing an independent career.
Sight-singing : The practice of singing music from written notation without first hearing it performed. Mason’s curriculum emphasized reading notation and singing unfamiliar music.
Singing school : A community institution that teaches singing, often through lessons in musical notation and vocal practice. Mason adapted singing-school methods for organized instruction in public classrooms.
Joy to the World : An English Christmas hymn based on Isaac Watts’s 1719 paraphrase of Psalm 98, commonly sung to a tune arranged by Mason. Mason’s arrangement became the familiar musical setting of this hymn.
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