Justin Morgan
Encyclopedia
Justin Morgan was a U.S. horse breeder and composer.
He was born in West Springfield, Massachusetts
, and by 1788 had settled in Vermont. In addition to being a horse breeder and farmer, he was a teacher of singing; in that capacity he traveled considerably throughout the northeastern states. He died in Randolph, Vermont
, where he also served as town clerk.
Justin Morgan was the owner of a stallion named Figure
, who became the sire of the Morgan horse
breed. Morgan received Figure along with two other horses as payment of a debt. As Figure grew older, people began to recognise his skill in a variety of areas. Figure became a prolific breeding stallion; his descendants, still noted for their versatility and friendly personality, became the first American breed of horse to survive to the present. Figure's grave is marked by a stone in Tunbridge, Vermont
. Justin Morgan's original 1798 gravestone is preserved in the Randolph Historical Society Museum. His burial site in the Randolph Center Cemetery is marked by a more recent stone.
s and fuguing tunes. While not as famous as those by William Billings
, his works share the same characteristic roughness, directness and folk-like simplicity.
Publications containing his work include The Federal Harmony (New Haven
, 1790), and The Philadelphia Harmony, 4th ed. (Philadelphia
, 1791). The former collection includes his perhaps most famous composition titled "Amanda," a setting of Isaac Watts
's poem based on Psalm 90. The tune "Despair," in the 1791 collection, cites the death of "Amanda" (referring to his wife, Martha Day, who died in childbirth in the same year) in a paraphrase of Alexander Pope
's Ode on Solitude
.
Morgan's setting of Psalm 63, entitled Montgomery, was a popular fuguing tune, reprinted more than 50 times before 1811. Its voice-leading, as is common in works by early American composers, contains numerous unabashed parallel fifths, giving the music a folk-like quality. Another work of his, the Judgment Anthem, is tonally adventurous, moving back and forth between E minor and Eb major.
, Justin Morgan Had a Horse
, that won the Newbery Medal
in 1946.
He was born in West Springfield, Massachusetts
West Springfield, Massachusetts
The Town of West Springfield is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 28,391 at the 2010 census...
, and by 1788 had settled in Vermont. In addition to being a horse breeder and farmer, he was a teacher of singing; in that capacity he traveled considerably throughout the northeastern states. He died in Randolph, Vermont
Randolph, Vermont
Randolph is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 4,853 at the 2000 census, making Randolph the largest town in Orange County. The town is a commercial center for many of the smaller, rural farming communities that surround it....
, where he also served as town clerk.
Justin Morgan was the owner of a stallion named Figure
Figure (horse)
Figure was a small bay stallion owned by Justin Morgan; he became the foundation sire of the Morgan horse breed.-Early years:The stallion was born in West Springfield, Massachusetts in 1789. The small, dark colt is believed to have been sired by an English Thoroughbred stallion named "True...
, who became the sire of the Morgan horse
Morgan horse
The Morgan is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Tracing back to the stallion Figure, later named Justin Morgan after his best-known owner, the breed excels in many disciplines, and is known for its versatility....
breed. Morgan received Figure along with two other horses as payment of a debt. As Figure grew older, people began to recognise his skill in a variety of areas. Figure became a prolific breeding stallion; his descendants, still noted for their versatility and friendly personality, became the first American breed of horse to survive to the present. Figure's grave is marked by a stone in Tunbridge, Vermont
Tunbridge, Vermont
Tunbridge is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,309. The town consists of three village centers, all situated on Vermont Route 110 in the valley of the first branch of the White River...
. Justin Morgan's original 1798 gravestone is preserved in the Randolph Historical Society Museum. His burial site in the Randolph Center Cemetery is marked by a more recent stone.
Music
Morgan was a composer, best known for his hymnHymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
s and fuguing tunes. While not as famous as those by William Billings
William Billings
William Billings was an American choral composer, and is widely regarded as the father of American choral music...
, his works share the same characteristic roughness, directness and folk-like simplicity.
Publications containing his work include The Federal Harmony (New Haven
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, 1790), and The Philadelphia Harmony, 4th ed. (Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, 1791). The former collection includes his perhaps most famous composition titled "Amanda," a setting of Isaac Watts
Isaac Watts
Isaac Watts was an English hymnwriter, theologian and logician. A prolific and popular hymnwriter, he was recognised as the "Father of English Hymnody", credited with some 750 hymns...
's poem based on Psalm 90. The tune "Despair," in the 1791 collection, cites the death of "Amanda" (referring to his wife, Martha Day, who died in childbirth in the same year) in a paraphrase of Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson...
's Ode on Solitude
Ode to Solitude
Ode on Solitude is a poem by Alexander Pope, written when he was twelve years old,, and widely included in anthologies..,-Poem:"Happy the man, whose wish and careA few paternal acres bound,Content to breathe his native air,In his own ground....
.
Morgan's setting of Psalm 63, entitled Montgomery, was a popular fuguing tune, reprinted more than 50 times before 1811. Its voice-leading, as is common in works by early American composers, contains numerous unabashed parallel fifths, giving the music a folk-like quality. Another work of his, the Judgment Anthem, is tonally adventurous, moving back and forth between E minor and Eb major.
In literature
Morgan and his horse-breeding venture is the subject of a children's book by Marguerite HenryMarguerite Henry
Marguerite Henry was an American writer. Henry inspired children all over the world with her love of animals, especially horses. The author of fifty-nine books based on true stories of horses and other animals, her work has captivated entire generations of children and young adults and won...
, Justin Morgan Had a Horse
Justin Morgan Had a Horse
Justin Morgan Had a Horse is a children's historical novel by Marguerite Henry. It concerns horse-breeding in Vermont in the late eighteenth century. The novel, illustrated by Wesley Dennis, was first published in 1945 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1946.-Plot summary:The schoolmaster, Justin...
, that won the Newbery Medal
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
in 1946.