Taken from the Porcher Family commonplace book are excerpts of music scores that were hand written by Samuel Peyre. Mr. Peyre’s music was primarily psalms and hymns made for the church. With account to his role in society at the time, the type of music that is under his name matches his character quite nicely. Samuel Peyre was born into a church family. His father’s name was John Peyre, and he was a Church Warden. This position entitled him the right to inspect all financial records of the most poor and reimburse them with however much money the church could bestow.

When Samuel grew old enough, he joined the vestry at the church and was able to work alongside his father performing tasks such as planning new accommodations for the cathedral. Topics of conversation discussed the surrounding garden of the church, how the rails and poles were to be made of sawed pine or cypress, and the placement of a store and milk house near to the location of the parish. Samuel Peyre was also in charge of collecting taxes for slaves, acres of land, and accumulated interests. One shilling was due for every owned slave and for every hundred acres of land, while six pence was charged for a hundred pounds at interest. History seems to recall that the Peyre family was entirely dedicated to serving the church, thus their hymns serve to symbolize their utmost loyalty.

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The image shown here on the right is one page of gospel music written by Samuel Peyre. At the top of score is a titled which reads, “Pslam 3 or 113 Proper June.” Then the lyrics of the first four bars are as follows: “Ye Saints and Servants of the Lord (repeat); The Triumphs of his Name Records (repeat).” These verses appear to be in cut time and the musical contour is based off of an F major scale. This simply means that he music is twice as fast as normal 4/4 tempo, and there is only one B flat prescribed for the notes.

The rest of the piece carries out the F major key signature but offers a different set of lyrics:
“His Sacred Name for Ever Bless (repeat); Where e’er the Circling Sun Displays (repeat).”
“His Rising Beams or Setting Rays Due Praise to His great Name address”
After these lines, the pitch of the music heightens, but the key signature remains the same.
“God thro’ the World Exterior his Sway (repeat); The Regions of Eternal Day (repeat)”
“but Shadows of his glory are (repeat); With him Where Majesty Excels (repeat).”
“Who made the Heaven in which he Dwell (repeat); Let no created Pastor compare (repeat).”

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The other set of scores are a bit more difficult. This piece gives details at the top of the page of which indicate the tempo of the song and the key signature. Above the first four bar lines reads “100 P’s: Tune Treble and Bass C.” These hymns are written in cut time as well but are harmonically complex due to the changing keys. The first four bars are played in the key of A major. Following are a second set of four bars in the key of F sharp minor, then A major takes over again for another four bars, and finally the last four bars end in F sharp minor again. The colonial times produced music that would be classified in the classical period of musical history. That being said, the so-called form of this musical contour is reasonable. This would have been considered Binary form (or ABA); the premise of this structure is to introduce two oscillating themes that eventually resolve through one another.

**There are only lyrics sung to the A major keys and they read:
“With one consent let all the Earth to God Sheer cheerful voices raise”
“glad homage pay with awful music and Sing before him Songs of Praise”

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The key signature in this music parallels the form of the previous hymns, but transitions from D major to E minor and then repeats.

**Here are the lyrics to this hymn:

“O come Lord anthems let us Sing Loud Thanks to our Almighty King”
“for we our voices high should Raise when our salvation’s reek we Praise”
“into his Presence let us haste to thank him for his favors past”
“To him add rest in joyful Songs The Praise that to his Name belongs”

Bibliography

The Porcher Family Papers 1740-1967.The South Carolina Historical Society. Charleston: SC, 1967. Print.