William Billings, æt. 60, died also at Boston. This self taught man thirty years ago had the direction of all the music of our Churches. His Reuben, as he whimsically called it, with all its great imperfections, had great fame and he may justly be considered as the father of our New England music. Many who have imitated him have excelled him, but none of them had better original powers. His late attempts & without a proper education were the true cause of his inferior excellence. He taught the singers at the Brattle Street church in 1778 with great approbation & his fame was great in the Churches. He was a singular man, of moderate size, short of one leg, with one eye, without any address, & with an uncommon negligence of person. Still he spake & sung & thought as a man above the common abilities. He died poor & neglected & perhaps did too much to neglect himself.

The author, if we may judge by his books, was quite ignorant of the principles of harmony and composition; indeed he professes to be governed by no laws but those of his own fancy, and he rejects all those rules to which good taste and experience had led the best composers, and in the observance of which they had been successful.