The era of psalm composers was followed by that of the singing-school teachers, who exerted a mighty influence upon sacred music and musical taste. At the same time numerous societies were organized, among them the Handel and Haydn Society of Boston, which was born April 20, 1815, and still exists,--a vigorous growth from the little gathering which gave its first concert on Christmas, Dec. 25, 1815, singing the first part of "The Creation" and selections from Handel's works, and was pronounced by an enthusiastic critic of that time "the wonder of the nation." The great singing-teachers were Thomas Hastings of Washington, Conn., Lowell Mason of Mansfield, Mass., Nathaniel D. Gould of Chelmsford, Mass. Still later came George F. Root, Woodbury, Dyer, Bradbury, Ives, Johnson, and others, whose labors, both as composers and teachers, are familiar to all lovers of sacred music even at this day. The old-fashioned singing-school, however, has disappeared. The musical convention still survives in rural places. The great festivals, oratorio societies, the modern concert stage, even the opera, have all had their effect upon sacred music. The paid choir of professional musicians marks a long departure from the robust Puritan psalm-singers; its music is equally remote from the jingling tunes of Billings which "tickled the ears" of the colonists. APPENDIX. The following chronological list is intended to present to the reader a statement of the more important sacred music which has been written during the last two centuries, with its composers and dates, for the purposes of reference.