A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Leach, James
LEACH, James, born at Rochdale, Yorkshire, [App. p.698 "Wardle, near Rochdale, Lancashire"] in 1762, was a tenor singer and hymn-tune writer. He published a 'New Sett of Hymns and Psalm Tunes etc.' (Preston, London 1789); and a 'Second Sett' of the same, probably about 1794. His tunes are found in several of the American collections, as the Easy Instructor (Albany, New York 1798), the Bridgewater Collection (Boston 1802). The David Companion or Methodist Standard (Baltimore, 1810) contains 48 of his pieces. For more details see a letter signed G. A. C. in the Musical Times for April 1878, p. 226. In the Rev. H. Parr's 'Church of England Psalmody' will be found Mount Pleasant, Oldham, and Smyrna, by him, which used to be favourites in certain congregations. Leach died in 1797. [App. p.698 "Leach died from a stage coach accident, Feb. 8, 1798."]
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