Isaac Baker Woodbury

23 October 1819—26 October 1858

Brverty, Massachusetts, the birthplace of ISAAC B. WOODBURY, lies to the north of Salem, and further on, toward Asbury Grove, the placid waters of Wenham Lake are seen on the left, while on the right, and high up above the street, is the house that was built and occupied by the musician as his country home. October 23, 1819, was the date of his birth. When thirteen years old he moved to Boston, and began the study of music, and learned also to play the violin. At nineteen he went to Europe to spend a year in further study in London and Paris. Returning to Boston, he taught music there for six years; later he joined the Bay State Glee Club, and traveled throughout New England giving concerts. When he reached Bellows Falls, Vermont, he met the postmaster and proprietor of the country store, John Weeks Moore, who prevailed upon him to remain there for a while. The result was that he organized the New Hampshire and Vermont Musical Association, and continued as its conductor for a number of years.

He next went to New York, and for a number of years prior to 1851 he directed the music in the Rudgers Street Church. On account of ill health he was obliged to resign this work, and again he went to Europe. Before he left he had become the editor of the New York Musical Review and he made good use of the time that he was away in search of health in seeking also new music for use in his paper. On his return he brought a large supply to use in the preparation of the books that he then had in mind. In the fall of 1858 he left New York, intending to spend the winter in the South. An accident to the vessel on which he was a passenger compelled him to return, but again he started south by land. Going by easy stages of about one hundred miles a day, he passed through Philadelphia and Baltimore, and on his thirty-ninth birthday he had reached Columbia, South Carolina. Too weak to proceed farther, he remained there for three days until his death on October 26, 1858. He left a wife and six little ones.

Gentleness was the characteristic of the man and his music. His compositions were for the church, the fireside and the social circle. He wrote with remarkable fluency, and it was surprising how much he could accomplish in a short space of time. Just before his death it was said that his music was sung by more worshipers in the sanctuary than the music of any other man. He had a beautiful voice and sang various styles, but excelled in the ballad and descriptive music. For sport he was fond of hunting and duck-shooting. And in a letter to his paper he wrote that even in winter it was his daily custom to ride on horseback, or, when Old Boreas blew cold, in his carriage, among the leafless trees or the evergreen pines.

Music cheered and solaced him almost to his last hour. It was but a few weeks previous to his death that he turned from his desk, almost sinking from exhaustion, with the remark to his broken-hearted wife, “No more music for me until I am in heaven,” and from that moment his thoughts were wholly given to preparation for the expected change. The Day-Spring, which was published soon after his death, was a sort of memorial to him, for it was largely made up of his music, some of which had been used before, but much of it was taken from manuscript found in his portfolio after his decease. This book was compiled by Sylvester Main. His first book had been arranged with the assistance of Benjamin F. Baker in 1842, and was called The Boston Musical Education Society’s Collection. With this same coworker he issued The Choral in 1845. Some of his other works were The Dulcimer, 1850; The Cythara, 1854; The Lute of Zion, 1853. For use in the South we find The Harp of the South, 1853; and The Casket, 1855, the latter being published by the Southern Baptist Society in Charleston, South Carolina. Besides those just named, which were collections of sacred music, he prepared several instruction books, one for the voice, one in composition, and another for the organ. He also compiled three glee books, books for children’s singing schools, and books for the Sunday school. He assisted in compiling The Methodist Hymn Book in 1857, and also the book prepared by Philip Phillips in 1867.

by FRANK J. METCALF
American Writers and Compilers of Sacred Music (1925)

Collections of Tunes:

The Boston Musical Education Society’s Collection of Church Music (1842): HathiTrust

The Choral: A Collection of Church Music Adapted to the Worship of All Denominations (1845): HathiTrust

The Timbrel (1846): Archive.org

The Dulcimer, or the New York Collection of Sacred Music (1850): Archive.org

Youth’s Song Book (1850): Archive.org

The Chorus Glee Book (1850): Archive.org

The Harp of the South (1853): Sounding Spirit

The Cythara (1854): Archive.org

The Casket (1855): Archive.org

The Lute of Zion . . . for the Use of the Methodist Episcopal Church (1853): Archive.org

The Singing School (1856): Archive.org

The Anthem of Thanksgiving (1859): Archive.org

The Day-Spring, or Union Collection of Songs for the Sanctuary (1859): HathiTrust

Related Resources:

Frank J. Metcalf, “Isaac Baker Woodbury,” American Writers and Compilers of Sacred Music (NY: Abingdon Press, 1925), pp. 281–285: Archive.org

Robert M. Copeland, Isaac Baker Woodbury: The Life and Works of an American Musical Populist (1995)

Lia C. Gerken, “Isaac Baker Woodbury,” Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology:
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/i/isaac-baker-woodbury

Isaac Woodbury, Hymnary.org: https://hymnary.org/person/Woodbury_Isaac