Editing Andrew Law (composer)

{{short description|American songwriter (1749-1821)}}

[[File:The Art of Singing in Three Parts, by Andrew Law, Composer, c. 1792 - Bennington Museum - Bennington, VT - DSC08694.JPG|thumb|right|The Art of Singing in Three Parts, by Andrew Law, c. 1792]]

'''Andrew Law''' (1749–1821) was an American [[composer]], [[preacher]] and singing teacher. He was born in [[Milford, Connecticut]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Crawford|first=Richard|title=Andrew Law, American Psalmodist|publisher=Northwestern University Press|year=1968|pages=3–10}}</ref> Law wrote mostly simple [[hymn tune]]s and arranged tunes of other composers. In 1781, he was granted the first authorial copyright in the United States, though there is some debate about which work the grant applied to.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bracha|first=Oren|date=2008|title=Commentary on: Andrew Law's Petition (1781)|url=http://www.copyrighthistory.org/cam/tools/request/showRecord?id=commentary_us_1781|website=Copyright History}}</ref> His works include ''Select Harmony'' (1778), a ''Collection of Best Tunes and Anthems'' (1779), and ''The Art of Singing'' ''in Three Parts'' (1792–96). He was among the first American composers to put the melody in the soprano instead of the tenor part, and was also one of the first Americans to write about music. Andrew Law was a pioneer of the FASOLA ([[Shape note]]) system of musical notation which simplified lessons in reading music during the Singing School era of New England music.  FASOLA singing is also known as "Shape Note Singing". He published ''Essays on Music'' in 1814. Andrew Law died in 1821.

== References ==
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== External links ==
* [https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/clementsead/umich-wcl-M-1131law?view=text Andrew Law Papers, 1775-1840] (William L. Clements Library, The University of Michigan)

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[[Category:1749 births]]
[[Category:1821 deaths]]
[[Category:American male composers]]
[[Category:American composers]]
[[Category:Shape note]]
[[Category:People from Milford, Connecticut]]
[[Category:People from colonial Connecticut]]
[[Category:Songwriters from Connecticut]]
[[Category:American male songwriters]]


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