Finding Aid for the Joseph Stone Papers, 1785-1835

Box 1

2. The Columbian Harmony. Composed by Joseph Stone. n.d.

Physical Description: Autograph Manuscript. 135pp., plus blank leaves at end. Oblong octavo, original old calf, back and hinge repaired.

Scope and Content Note

This manuscript contains a major portion of unpublished material.

Note

The original manuscript of The Columbian Harmony does not agree with the printed copy. In the printed version, Stone collaborated with Abraham Wood, and only part of the tunes in the printed book are by Stone. This manuscript is entirely by him; he must have originally planned to publish the book alone.

Box 1

3. The Country Harmonist. Being an Original Set of Tunes. Composed By J. Stone. 1785-1787.

Physical Description: Autograph Manuscript. 93pp. Oblong octavo, calf, back broken.

Scope and Content Note

The Manuscript of a complete hymnbook, unpublished. The hymns are dated, each on the day when it was written. The dates are continuous from July 20, 1785 to June 5, 1787.

Box 1

4. Joseph Stone's Book, began Friday November 25, Year 1794. Original Music. The hymns are dated from September 1794 to January 1799.

Physical Description: Autograph Manuscript. Oblong folio, leather-backed boards, back broken.

Scope and Content Note

A sketchbook in which Stone wrote the hymns as he composed them. From some blank pages corners have been torn off, apparently by Stone himself who seems to have used this as a sort of scrapbook.

Box 1

5. Joseph Stone's Original Manuscript Musick from 1794 to October 1817.

Physical Description: The book is made up from all sorts of different paper in different sizes, arranged in different ways. Many pages are upside down.

Scope and Content Note

A volume of Stone's manuscript music, bound up from single leaves. In this book, Stone collected the manuscripts which he had written on single sheets and bound them together in one book. As a sample of Stone's art as a bookbinder, this book certainly shows him as an individualist who followed no rules whatever.

The bulk of the book consists of hymns and settings of psalms, but there are many other things too. An Elegy on the Death of George Washington, dated January 20, 1800, is set for three voices. On November 6, 1809, appears a poem with music, entitled The American Hero Why should vain mortals tremble at the sight of death and destruction when blood and carnage clothe the ground in crimson.

Stone was a parsimonious man who used every scrap of paper. On the reverse side of one hymn are notes of accounts and financial transactions; on other sheets are sketches of land surveying. In-between are some loose slips with notes; one of them says: Began the New Testament June 3, 1812.

A few of the hymns are indicated to be copies or revisions of things he had written before, but most of the pieces were apparently composed as they are dated and written down here for the first time. Besides the Psalms and Hymns, there are some poems of others, set to music by Stone.

Box 1

6. Joseph Stone's Manuscript.

Physical Description: 1 vol. in quarto.

Scope and Content Note

This volume is not written in the haphazard way of the original sketchbooks, but is apparently a fair copy, written with great care, probably a manuscript which was planned for publication. Stone might have abandoned the project, as it contains only 62pp. It begins with the tune Conway, in Long Metre, set for 4 voices, dated 1798. The pieces are not dated chronologically, the oldest one is Mystic, composed in 1797, the latest ones are dated 1816.

Box 1

7. Joseph Stone's Original Musical Manuscript, Each Piece Composed at the Time of its Date, and collected together in 1830. The dates of these pieces range from 1809 to 1831.

Physical Description: 1 vol. in oblong folio

Scope and Content Note

This also is a fair copy, written carefully and clearly. The tunes are set for four voices. The words are taken from Watt's Psalms, from a book which he calls Lyric Poems, from Brady and Tate, and from his own poems; among them A Carol or Redemption, the Wonder of Angels.

The Diaries

Box 2

8. Joseph Stone's Poetical Manuscript. vol.1. June 1824. The poems are dated 1824 and 1825.

Physical Description: Autograph Manuscript. Quarto, 3/4 calf.

Scope and Content Note

Poetry only (no music).

In this manuscript book, Stone wrote Spiritual Songs, on Various Occasions.

They are of an autobiographical character, describing his own experiences and important milestones of his life. The book begins with a poem on his conversion (August 1810); he describes how he read Law's Serious Call and how the book showed him the way to God. This is followed by Lines on the Death of Mrs. Hannah Stone, wife of the writer, who died January 23, 1821, aged 70. It is a touching poem. She was to me a pleasant wife, free from the noise of wretched strife; no guile within her breast was found, no bitter words of lofty sound... but she is gone, forever gone, and left me in a state forlorn... From there on, Stone becomes more and more withdrawn into himself; his poems are soliloquies or conversations with his Saviour. He sees the power of God in a rain storm and in lightning; a clock reminds him of the passing hours, the shortness of life and approach of death Time flies away, man goes astray... In his loneliness, he thinks much of those dear to him who died before him, his wife, brother, and three sisters, and his mother: In dreams, her face I often see... All through the poems, there is a deep mystic feeling; he sees this life as a preparation for death and resurrection.

Box 2

9. Joseph Stone's Poetical Manuscript. July 25th, 1825 (to June 13, 1826).

Scope and Content Note

This is the continuation of the previous volume, a form of poetical and musical diary, written in 1825/1826. Most of the book is poetry, but many hymns and tunes are interspersed.

The book is written in 2 columns, there is at least one page for each day of the year. But almost nothing from the outer world seems to have touched him, contemplation, prayer and mystical longing for communion with God seems to be his only concern. By God's permission yet I live/And over life's lonely vale I walk/'Tis all the comfort that I take/To daily of his goodness talk./My Lord, I long to be with thee/And from the wretched world be free/Leave all its torments far behind/And dwell with Christ forever kind.

Box 2

10. Joseph Stone's Poetical Manuscript. Hymns and Spiritual Songs. From June 14, 1826 to August 15, 1827.

Scope and Content Note

Continuation of previous volume. Spiritual diaries, a page for every day, poems and hymns.

Boxes 2-3

11-12. Joseph Stone's Poetical Manuscript. Hymns And Spiritual Songs.

Physical Description: 2 vol.

Scope and Content Note

Continuations of the above. Poetical diaries, interspersed with music, from August 15, 1827 to August 31, 1829, and the last volume from September 1, 1829 to December 26, 1836. This is the end of Stone's diaries. The last piece of music was written on August 29, 1831. It is a four part hymn, to the words of Watts: Ye Saints, your joys are ever high/God's lovely face you see/While my poor spirits pant and die/And groan for thee, my God, for thee. Only a few more entries from here to the last one, written in a shaky hand and dated December 2, 1836. God my father and my friend/Be with me till my life shall end/Then take my soul to thee above/To dwell with Christ my only love. He died on February 2, 1837.

Box 3

13. Joseph Stone's Poetical Original Manuscript, written at the time the pieces are dated. The date of this book is from 1823 to 1825.

Physical Description: A thin folio volume, bound up from single leaves.

Scope and Content Note

This volume contains mostly poetry, but 14pp. of music are bound in at the end.

Box 3

14. Joseph Stone's Original Manuscript Music, begun October 1817, dated from 1817 to 1825.

Physical Description: 1 vol. in folio. 142pp.

Scope and Content Note

Hymn tunes.

Box 3

15. Hymn Tunes, written between 1823 and 1825.

Physical Description: 6 single leaves, folio. Waterstained. One single leaf, quarto.

Scope and Content Note

On one side a four-part hymn The Curfew tolls the knell of parting day, on the other side a surveyor's drawing by Joseph Stone, surveying R.A. Eliot's land, 32 acres more or less.

Box 3

16. A Little Notebook, containing hymn tunes which Stone collected.

Scope and Content Note

Although dated 1823, it must have been started before, and written over a long period of time. It contains hundreds of tunes. Some are attributed to other composers, Holyoke, Read, Holden, etc. Old Hundred is included, Handel and Luther are credited with a few. Stone might have used this book when he was a singing teacher, or he might have compiled it for himself, writing down all the tunes he liked best.

Printed Books

Note

Cataloged. Request at Department of Special Collections.

1. Stone, Joseph, and Wood, Abraham. The Columbian Harmony (1793).

Physical Description: Oblong octavo, engraved title, printed music. 112pp., plus many blank leaves at end.

Scope and Content Note

Containing the Rules of Psalmody; together with a Collection of Sacred Music. Designed for the use of Worshipping Assemblies and Singing Societies.

The First Edition of Stone's only published work. Joseph Stone's own copy, with his autograph signature on the flyleaf and a manuscript note: This book was published in the month of October 1793 (Metcalf, p.46).

Note

(M2116 S878c)

17. Winchester, Elhanan. The Three Woe Trumpets; of which the First and Second are Already Past and the Third is Now Begun.... First American Edition. Boston. 1794.

Physical Description: Thin octavo, calf-backed boards.

Scope and Content Note

A religious book, containing sermons on Revelation. From Joseph Stone's library, with his engraved bookplate in front. The bookplate is designed and signed by J. Allen, who also engraved the title page to the Columbian Harmony.

Note

(BS2827 W721t)

18. Memoir of Joseph Stone, Esq. with Selections from His Original Poetry and Music. (By E. Pond). Bangor, Maine. 1838.

Physical Description: Small octavo, cl.

Scope and Content Note

A short biography of Stone, written after his death. In the Appendix, a few of his poems and a few of his tunes are reprinted.

Note

(BV330 S87P7)

19. Templi Carmina. Songs of the Temple, or Bridgewater Collection of Sacred Music. 7th edition, improved and enlarged. Boston. 1819.

Physical Description: Oblong octavo, calf.

Scope and Content Note

Joseph Stone's copy, with his autograph.

Note

(M2116 B81c 1819)

20. The Village Harmony: or, Youth's Assistant to Sacred Musick. Newburyport (1812).

Physical Description: Oblong octavo, calf.

Scope and Content Note

Consisting of Psalm Tunes and Occasional Pieces... to which is prefixed a concise introduction to Psalmody. 11th edition, corrected and enlarged.

Joseph Stone's copy, with his autograph.

Note

(M2116 V713 1813)

Container List