A member of the Peabody, Holyoke families of Boston, Samuel graduated from Harvard and composed a number of song tunes. He had contributed secular songs to the "Massachusetts Magazine" by the time he had graduated in 1789. In 1791 he had published his own "Harmonia americana," followed in 1795 by the "Massachusetts Compiler" with Hans Gram and Oliver Holden. The latter was a collection of European music and theory expoitions. Holyoke was able to publish more than six hundred and fifty of his own works and collections of other composer's instrumental music as well. Holyoke was also a singing teacher at numerous schools throughout his life. ~ Keith Johnson, Rovi