William Billings (1746-1800)

You are blind in one eye, have a disabled arm, and one of your legs is shorter than the other. You are also addicted to snuff. Despite having a trade, you are
poor and uneducated. You are considered to be the first American composer. Despite your lack of formal training, you write and teach music in schools near Boston. Your music is patriotic and you proudly
refuse to follow established compositional rules. Your tune, Chester, is the unofficial national
anthem of the early United States.