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Robert Archibald Smith

Short Name: Robert Archibald Smith
Full Name: Smith, Robert Archibald, 1780-1829
Birth Year: 1780
Death Year: 1829

Although largely self-taught, Robert A. Smith (b. Reading, Berkshire, England, 1780; d. Edinburgh, Scotland, 1829) was an excellent musician. By the age of ten he played the violin, cello, and flute, and was a church chorister. From 1802 to 1817 he taught music in Paisley and was precentor at the Abbey; from 1823 until his death he was precentor and choirmaster in St. George's Church, Edinburgh. He enlarged the repertoire of tunes for psalm singing in Scotland, raised the precentor skills to a fine art, and greatly improved the singing of the church choirs he directed. Smith published his church music in Sacred Harmony (1820, 1825) and compiled a six-volume collection of Scottish songs, The Scottish Minstrel (1820-1824).

Bert Polman

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TextsTunesHymnalsRecommendations
Tunes by Robert Archibald Smith (7)sort descendingAsInstancesIncipit
DOXOLOGY (Smith)R. A. Smith (Composer)117656 54317 65654
INVOCATION (Smith)R. A. Smith (Composer)713554 34321 23655
MARTYRDOM (Wilson)Robert Smith (Adapter)4351651 23213 53213
[See amid the winter's snow] (Smith)R. A. Smith (Composer)151133 45556 71255
SELMARobert A. Smith, 1780-1829 (Adapter)2113212 35565 35666
ST. LAWRENCE (Smith)R. A. Smith (Composer)513345 63215 61544
ST. MIRREN'SR. A. Smith, 1780-1829 (Composer)311716 54356 71765
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