Anthology of the American Hymn-Tune Repertory
Tune name : A Funeral Thought
Composer: Unknown
First appearance: Aaron Williams, The Universal Psalmist, London 1763
First American appearance: Daniel Bayley, A New and Complete Introduction to the Grounds and Rules of Music, Newbury 1764 or Josiah Flagg, A Collection of the Best Psalm Tunes, Boston 1764
Source of this image:
Daniel Bayley, A New and Complete Introduction to the Grounds and Rules of Music, Newbury 1764
As you can see, the rhythm of this piece is hard to decipher. Since a very clear transcription of this tune appears in Josiah Flagg's, A Collection of the Best Psalm Tunes (of the same year), I have used it to corroborated my rhythmic choices. Interestingly, Flagg adds a fourth part on the top line in the alto range (image not available) which makes it appear as an addition to the original. He also suggests trills at the end of the second and fourth phrases. The three lower parts duplicate the three parts in Bayley. Here is a MIDI recording of Flagg's four-part version.
Now Bayley's three-part transcription as seen below. The melody is in the tenor part.
