Johnson, A. N.; Frost, E. H. The Key-Stone Collection of Church Music: A Complete Collection of Hymn Tunes, Anthems, Psalms, Chants, &c. To which is added The Physiological System, for Training Choirs and Teaching Singing Schools. Lancaster City, Pennsylvania: Murray, Young & Company, 1856. First Edition. [12191]
Brown leather spine with peach printed paper over card (hardcover), binding is edge-worn, soiled, and stained; oblong 6 1/2 x 9 3/4 inches. 352 generally clean pp.; lacks the final free end paper (blank); stained on the front end papers and first 10 leaves or so, darkest on the title page. "The property of the Ashfield Choral Society, No. Two" in brown ink on the title page for The Physiological System. Full-page wood engraving of the vocal organs included in the system of instruction. Fair. Hardcover.
"Stereotyped by A. B. Kidder, 6 School Street, Boston" on the copyright page.
The music is in four parts with round notes. The first 74 pages is the comprehensive "Physiological System" of training singers.
Artemus Nixon Johnson (1817-1892), b. Middlebury, Vermont; d. Litchfield, Connecticut. He was “the teacher of George F. Root and Theodore Presser; the founder of several conservatories of music; the composer of hundreds of hymn tunes and anthems; the compiler of music books for common schools, church choirs, and singing schools; the writer of books on music theory and choral methodology; the editor of music periodicals; and an indefatigable conductor of musical conventions, normals, and institutes held in various parts of the United States…Johnson was a major contributor to America’s musical development.” - Jackson Bolton Stopp, A. N. Johnson, Out of Oblivion, American Music, Vol. 3. No. 2, (Summer, 1985), pp. 152-170.
