William Tans'ur
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William Tans'ur (or Tansur or Tanzer) (1700 – January 7, 1783) was an English hymn-writer, psalmodist and teacher of music. He wrote approximately 100 psalm and hymn tunes, as well as a Te Deum, and his manual A New Musical Grammar (1746) was still popular in the nineteenth century.
[edit] Life
Tans'ur was born in Dunchurch, Warwickshire to Edward Tanzer, a labourer, and Joan Alibone. In 1730 he married Elizabeth Butler and moved to Ewell, near Epsom. They had at least two sons. He taught psalmody in various places in the south-east of England, before moving to St. Neots, where he worked as a bookseller and music teacher, and spent the last 40 years of his life.
[edit] Works
- A Compleat Melody, or The Harmony of Sion, 1734
- The Melody of the Heart, 1737
- Heaven on earth, or the Beauty of Holiness, 1738
- Sacred Mirth, or the Pious Soul's Daily Delight, 1739
- Poetical Meditations, 1740
- The Universal Harmony, containing the Whole Book of Psalms, 1743
- The Royal Melody Compleat, 1754–5 (8 editions, revised as The American Harmony, 1771)
- The Psalm Singer's Jewel, or Useful Companion to the Book of Psalms, 1760
- Melodia Sacra, or the Devout Psalmist's Musical Companion, 1771
- The Elements of Music Displayed, 1772
[edit] External links
- Cyberhymnal article with portrait and links to MIDI files of hymn tunes
