Lowell Mason

(1792 - 1872)

Lowell Mason was born in Medfield, Massachusetts in 1792 where his father worked as a mechanic. Mason showed prodigious musical abilities at an early age and learned to play many musical instruments. By the time he was 16 he was the director of the town choir and directed singing schools throughout the region.

When he was 20, Mason moved to Savannah, Georgia where he worked as a bank clerk until 1827. In the meantime, he studied music with F. L. Abel and worked in collaboration with him to compile the first edition of a collection of music for the Handel and Haydn Society of Boston which was published in 1821 as the "Boston Handel and Haydn Society's Collection of Church Music." In addition, he was organist of the First Independent Presbyterian Church of Savannah and was active in Sunday School and mission work.

Mason returned to Boston in 1827 where he directed the choir at Bowdoin Street Church where Harriet Beecher Stowes' father served as pastor. In 1829, Mason became familiar with the Pestalozzian method for teaching singing and consequently introduced it into regular use for the teaching of children in public schools. This became such a success that his methods of music instruction were incorporated throughout New England. Consequently, Lowell Mason is generally referred to as the "Father" of public music education in America.

In 1837, Mason toured Europe collecting songs (tunes) and studying techniques for teaching music. On his return, he wrote Musical Letters from Abroad (New York, 1853) and received the degree of Doctor of Music from New York University.

By 1830, singing schools were well established throughout America and a new type of criticism began to be leveled against them. Along with Thomas Hastings, Lowell Mason led an attack against the American Singing School movement, which he considered to be musically inferior. On a trip to Cincinnati around 1830, Mason noted that every where he went, people were singing the "fugueing songs" of "Billings and Company" :

Drawing on his experience in compiling the collection of music for the Boston Handel and Haydn Society, Mason began compiling numerous music collections for children's music education, glee-clubs, and churches.

Along with Thomas Hastings, Mason went on to establish a successful music publishing business and produce numerous collections of hymns which eventually became popular throughout New England and the South. Mason spent the last years of his life in Orange, New Jersey and succeeded in compiling an important music library which was given to Yale University after his death in 1872.

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Both Lowell Mason and Thomas were associated with various REVIVALIST PREACHERS during the mid 19th century. Specifically Mason was associated with Congregationalist Pastor Lyman Beecher and Hastings was associated with evangelist preacher Charles Finney.

Finny took a conservative view of music, observing that "a singing revival could never amount to much, because singing dissipated a deep feeling that was necessary for conversion." Rejoicing in song with young converts," he remarked, "often consumed too much time in prayer meetings."

Both Mason and Hastings viewed the music of rural revival as distinctly inferior, insisting on original and scientifically accurate music with no unholy associations. They condemned the use in revival of the "refuse of secular music which even the devil had abandoned," characterizing it as "being whistled by every chimney sweep and roared by every drunken sailor as he reeled home from the circus or brothel."

Despite such prejudices, Mason and Hastings made immeasurable contributions to American revival hymnody. Their association with the evangelistic leaders of their time helped to spread those contributions.

[From New Song in American Revivals.]

See Thomas Hastings.

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Many original and arranged tunes by Lowell Mason appear in modern hymnals:

[Lowell Mason's son, William Mason (1829-1908), was one of the most influential concert pianists of the last quarter of the 19th century. William Mason studied with Franz Liszt in Europe between about 1849-1854 and was instrumental in the development of an American school of piano technique.]

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