Giving 1776 a Soundtrack: St. James Revives the Original American Rebel

WhenAmericans celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary, we usually expect the standard playlist of booming Sousa marches and fireworks. But a special upcoming community concert at St. James Episcopal Church in La Grange is diving into the actual, rugged soundscape of 1776—featuring a musical pioneer who was equal parts genius, rebel, and absolute character.

The one-hour program, titled The Voice of Freedom, pairs historic readings with early American choral mu-

sic. At the center of the performance is a rendition of Chester, a song that served as the unofficial anthem of the American Revolution long before anyone penned down the words to The Star-Spangled Banner.

To understand Chester, you have to understand its creator, William Billings. Billings wasn’t a stuffy European master wearing a powdered wig in a quiet parlor. He was a working-class Boston leather tanner with no formal musical training who reportedly chalked his very first compositions directly onto the hides of leather drying in his shop.

He was also wonderfully eccentric. Billings was blind in one eye, had a withered arm, a notoriously booming, raspy voice, and a severe addiction to snuff (he famously kept a giant horseshoe-shaped box of it in his coat pocket). When traditional churchgoers complained that his lively, syncopated melodies were far too rowdy for Sunday morning, Billings essentially told them that rules were for people without imagination and kept right on writing.

His defiance struck a chord. When he published Chester, Continental soldiers didn’t just sing it for fun around campfires; they literally marched into battle humming its fierce, freedomloving verses. It became the musical heartbeat of a new country.

Under the direction of Don Kirby, a “celebration” choir comprising singers from right here in our community (along with several instruments such as piano, cello, flute) will bring Billings’s raw, energetic masterpiece back to life. St. James Episcopal—affectionately known to many locals as “the concert church”—will host the performances, offering a rare chance to hear exactly what liberty sounded like to the people who fought for it.

Come for the history, stay for the music, and leave with tunes that fueled a revolution.

The Voice of Freedom: in Script and Song (A 250th Anniversary Commemoration) is presented by St. James Episcopal Church Vestry, a gift to the community. The program is directed by Don and Mary Kirby. The program will be offered Friday, June 26 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, June 27 at 3 p.m. at St. James Episcopal Church, 156 N. Monroe, across from the H-E-B in La Grange. Featured music includes Chester by William Billings, The Testament of Freedom by Randall Thompson, Old Hundredth by Louis Bourgeois, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor by Irving Berlin, and familiar tunes from the American songbook. Admission is free, with freewill donations welcome.